This goes back to the mid-to-late 1950s when a certain Professor Joad appeared on BBC Television’s Brains Trust.  He was in the habit of starting his answer to every question with ...

         “Well, it depends on what you mean by …”.

While The Brains Trust was not a quiz in the ordinary sense, the Professor’s caveat is likely to be heard in just about every quiz you witness.  Since, even when the person setting the question has taken great care (and that’s far from always the case), its all too easy to allow some ambiguity to creep in.  For example …

Question:  Which countries make up the region known as Scandinavia?

Answer:  “It depends what you mean by Scandinavia!”

According to my copy of the Oxford Dictionary, Scandinavia is defined along the lines of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Iceland.  But in the Encyclopaedia Britannica you can read

“Scandinavia … generally held to consist of the two countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Norway and Sweden, with the addition of Denmark. Some authorities argue for the inclusion of Finland on geologic and economic grounds and of Iceland and the Faroe Islands on the grounds that their inhabitants speak North Germanic (or Scandinavian) languages related to those of Norway and Sweden.”

The safest approach, if you must ask the question, is to word it more carefully.  I prefer … 

“ Question: A bit contentious this one, according to my Oxford Dictionary, which 4 countries make up Scandinavia? 

  Answer: Denmark, Iceland, Norway & Sweden”.

On second thoughts, perhaps one is best just avoiding asking such questions in the first place!