 Suppose that \(X=\{P,P_1 ,\ldots ,P_k,(\ldots)\}\), and that \(P\) is not one of the \(P_k\)s. (Note that \(X\) may be finite or infinite.) Then, where \(A\) is any proposition, van Fraassen (1980, 144) defines a direct answer to \(Q\) to be any proposition having the following truth conditions: