The Answers Are Somehow Connected (solution)
by Kai Huang
Each clue matches two possible answers that are also names of MBTA subway stations.
To extract a letter from the two answers of each clue, take the shortest distance between the two stations (in number of stops), add the adjustment number given in parentheses, and then convert the sum to a letter using the common A=1 encoding.
All of the answers and extraction are shown in the table below.
| Clue | Answers | Dist | Adj | Sum | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sounds like it’s full of Asians (+3) | Chinatown, Orient Heights | 7 | +3 | 10 | J |
| Type of servant (-1) | Butler, Porter | 16 | -1 | 15 | O |
| Son of the British monarch (+3) | Andrew, Charles | 5 | +3 | 8 | H |
| If you like it, you may be a fish lover (+4) | Alewife, Aquarium | 10 | +4 | 14 | N |
| Shape sharing its name with an ex-president that never faced an assassination attempt (-3) | Cleveland Circle, Washington Square | 4 | -3 | 1 | A |
| Building where official business is conducted, perhaps (+0) | Courthouse, Government Center | 4 | +0 | 4 | D |
| Associated with a particular October 28 in the 1640s (+0) | Eliot, Waban | 1 | +0 | 1 | A |
| Existed 30 and 20 years ago, but not 10 years ago (+5) | Lechmere, World Trade Center | 8 | +5 | 13 | M |
| Cluster of a particular type of tree (+2) | Cedar Grove, Oak Grove | 17 | +2 | 19 | S |
The final answer is JOHN ADAMS (who was a Bostonian).