'Lost' in the Numbers: 16 nagging questions

Before “Lost” unspools what will hopefully be an otherworldly final season next week, it’s time to look back. But because “Lost” is so dense, sprawling and complicated, it’s not good enough to just throw together a “best episodes” list. Oh no. Instead, here are six lists, one for every one of the Numbers – 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 – that should sufficiently prep you for the final 18 hours. Fourth: The 16 questions that really need to be answered in the final season.

“Lost” is all about mysteries and questions. Though we don’t expect everything to be answered in season six, here are some that we really do want revealed:
 
1. What exactly is the Smoke Monster?

2. Where did it come from?

3. What are the terms and reasons for the battle between Jacob and the Man in Black?

4. How do the survivors of Oceanic 815 factor into that battle?

5. Why does the island heal certain people?

6. How is Richard seemingly ageless?

7 How long have the Others/Hostiles been on the island?

8. What do the hieroglyphics and Four-Toed Statue tell us about the island’s history?

9. Who constructed the Frozen Donkey Wheel and how does it move the island?

10. Why do pregnant women die on the island?

11. What the hell happened to Claire?

12. What is the purpose of Room 23 and Jacob’s list?

13. What happens inside the Temple?

14. Why have various dead characters (Jack’s father, Charlie, Ana Lucia) appeared since their deaths?

15. What is the source of the whispers?

16. What exactly are the “rules” between Ben and Widmore?