question word

[balakrishnanijk]

Mr. X is the seventh president of the United States of America.

How do we frame a question to get the underlined words as the answer?
What is the question word used in the English Language to address the needs of ordinal numbers?

[udara sankalpa]

Hi bala, great minds think alike, ha?
Just go through this:

http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/as...challange.html

Cheers
Udara

[balakrishnanijk]

I am rather surprised and disconcerted that such a living language does not have the resources to express some such key ideas. Does that mean that English people do not have to frame such questions?

[Soup]

Mr. X is the seventh president of the United States of America.

How do we frame a question to get the underlined words as the answer?

What is the question word used in the English Language to address the needs of ordinal numbers?

Q: Which president is Mr X?
A: Mr X is the 7th president.

[balakrishnanijk]

But,Mr Soup,
The question word "which" doesn't refer to an ordinal number. So it can't be the right answer to my question. I am asking you whether there is any question word in the English language to denote an ordinal number.

[Anglika]

English is flexible. You can use "which" in this question - it is perfectly normal and acceptable. You can also ask

Where does Mr X come in the list of US Presidents?
In the Presidential lists, where does Mr X come?
Which President was Mr X?

All of these can elicit the answer "Mr X was the 7th president".

[balakrishnanijk]

Incidentally, can one use the preposition 'in' with the word 'list'? I have always seen people use it with the preposition 'on'.

[Anglika]

You put something on a list and can find something in a list.

[Soup]

I am asking you whether there is any question word in the English language to denote an ordinal number.

There is. It's which or what.

_____________
In your language what do call the midline groove in the upper lip that runs from the top of the lip to the nose? In English, most people have no idea what it's called, or that it even has a name. Some call it an angel's cradle. Its anatomical name is philtrum. Does it have a name in your language?

[2006]

But,Mr Soup,
The question word "which" doesn't refer to an ordinal number. So it can't be the right answer to my question. I am asking you whether there is any question word in the English language to denote an ordinal number.

I have come across this question, which seems to be an English language exercise, before on another site as well.

The only wording I can think of that should guarantee the required answer is 'What ordinal number president of the USA is Mr. X?' If you don't specify ''ordinal'' number, you may get the answer 'number 7'.