If you have three apples and you take away two, how many do you have?

The scenario presents a situation where you start with three apples and then take away two. The key phrase here is "you take away two." The question is asking how many apples you have after this action.

When you take away two apples, you are physically removing them from the initial group of three. This means that you now possess those two apples. Therefore, the correct answer reflects the fact that you would have two apples in your possession after taking two away, regardless of the initial count.

This question is designed to challenge our intuitive thinking, as many might be tempted to calculate based on the remaining number of apples from the original three, rather than considering the action of taking them away. The clarity lies in realizing that "how many do you have" directly refers to the apples you took away, not those you left behind.