Unexpected questions

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If someone springs a question on you which you aren't prepared for, how capable are you to answer it without having difficulty thinking or stumbling through the answer?

I usually don't think about it, and tell the person that it was completely random for me to ponder.

I'm very bad at answering those sorts of questions. There was one teacher at my school a few years ago who would begin calling on people in class if they weren't volunteering to respond... I was that person, and really made a mess of myself in those situations.

Yes, I get completely thrown by unexpected questions. I take a couple of seconds to reply and then the person I'm talking to gets embarrassed because they think they hurt my feelings or something, because I go quiet, thinking. A toe-curling moment!

I hate it when that happens, when i was younger i was able to get out of anything,

Not well at all. I'm completely thrown for a loop.

i try to avoid these occasions as much as possible

I freeze. It takes a while for my brain to figure out an answer on the fly. I hate being surprised by questions.

I hate it when this happens. I try to roleplay in advance all possible questions so I'm prepared, but its hard sometimes

I ask them why they want to know, this not only gives me more time to think of a suitable anwer, it also gives me a hint as the their motivations, isn't paranoia fun.

It depends on the question really. Sometimes I can answer something really well whereas other times I turn into a mute as I don't really know what to say and then respond with 'dunno how to answer that'.

I'm the same as Fiz. If I'm caught off guard with a question that I have either no thoughts about or if it something I know how to answer I answer it.

These questions really throw me. One of my survival techniques at work is to say that I'm going to have to consider my response, if the question seems involved enough. Sometimes I play dumb, and act like I didn't catch the question or that my mind was on something else - I can usually spin it out long enough to come up with a reply. I might look foolish, but I feel like it's worse when I stand there with my mouth open in deathly silence.

Depending on the situation (ie classroom vs out in public) and type of question and who is asking said question (boss, friend, stranger...) I can be stunned by it or I can sometimes come up with a quick answer. Usually, I will buy time by answering "green" (or sometimes "42", depending on mood). Also, answering "yes" to an either/or or multiple choice question works too.
My big thing is if I'm not sure whether they actually expect an answer, or if they were just being sarcastic or rhetorical. For those I usually say "sure" in a tone that could mean yes, or could be sarcastic itself, so I'm covered if the challenge me.

Totally depends on the subject. IF I know the subject inside and out, like a created the knowledge, then I can answer pretty quickly. If I JUST learned it and someone is asking me to explain it then I'll stutter and spit out parts of words.

Ever seen a printer get a paper jam?

That's me.