I answered his questions with terse, one-word answers, and he gave up.

It was difficult to tell on the basis of a one-word answer.

"No." A one-word answer was all she was going to say to him about it.

He gave polite, distant one-word answers, and after three tries, it was time to give up.

He did not wait for a question about whether this would distract him to be asked before spitting out a one-word answer.

Here's a direct question, and I want a one-word answer.

Ask closed questions which require yes, no or one-word answers.

"A one-word answer to a question might save a lot of time," she said.

It was his only one-word answer in an entertaining 45-minute interview.

Try not to ask questions that require only a one-word answer such as "yes" or "no."