<p>Suppose, someone asks a question that can be answered very easily by using either a textbook or Wikipedia or Google etc. (See this <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/220/how-is-the-minimum-of-a-set-of-random-variables-distributed">question</a> for an example). Should we close this type of question?</p>

<p>My 2 cents: yes.</p>

<p>Reasoning: If we allow questions that can be easily answered using another source then I think there will be a proliferation of such questions. I think we should encourage posters to ask questions that are difficult and for which there is no standard resource. </p>

<p>Of course, if they have overlooked a resource then we can point to that resource in the comments when closing the question.</p>

<p><strong>Edit:</strong></p>

<p>I would like to bump this up as we have had some more experience with the kind of questions that are being asked. See this question on <a href="https://stats.stackexchange.com/questions/834/what-is-aic-looking-for-a-formal-but-intuitive-answer">AIC</a> as another example of a question that can be answered by Wikipedia.</p>

<p>In addition to the reasons I mentioned earlier (see above), looking at the wiki before asking the question will also make the question a bit more focused and useful both to the poster and to the rest of the community.</p>

<p>Should we have a policy for these type of questions?</p>
