To summarize, a question was asked about your opinion on a situation. If you guess the wrong answer, you get mocked for being too emotional, only applying the answer to your own situation or not understanding the question.
Hmmm....this sounds like what I go through when the wife asks my opinion and I don't guess what she already knows I should have answered if I had even the slightest shred of common sense. Stuff like 'What do you want to have for dinner tonight' or 'Do I look good in this?' or 'What do you think a high six figure income is?'
You read the word "thought" in the question, and immediately filled your head with all kinds of qualifiers. You were given no other information. The question wasn't, "what do you consider a high six figure income, AND WHY?"
Simply answer the question that was asked.