Robert_Charlton - 9:37 pm on Dec 9, 2011 (gmt 0)

I agree with you though, questions like "how to drink a glass of water" with an answer of "fill glass, then drink" are insulting if not infuriating.

Particularly infuriating when, as too often happens, they never provide an answer. On some queries, I still see pages ranking that do nothing but refer you to more (often unanswered) similar questions.

sheer bulk and brand name

Sums it up very well... though with "brand name", I feel it's not just the name. It's the link profile and general traffic that have been built up by the domain.