Learn Turkish: Soru var, cevap yok. - There is a question; there is no answer.

Var (there is) and yok (there is not) are special existence words in Turkish. You just state the noun, like soru (question) or cevap (answer), and follow it directly with var to say it exists, or yok to say it doesn't.

Why isn't the word bir (a/one) used before the nouns?

When making general statements about whether something exists, Turkish usually leaves out bir. Saying Soru var is the standard way to say 'There is a question.' Adding bir would sound like you are emphasizing 'There is exactly ONE question.'

Could this sentence mean 'There are questions, there are no answers'?

Yes! In Turkish, general existence statements with var and yok often use the singular form of the noun. Depending on context, soru var can mean 'there is a question' or 'there are questions.'

Why isn't there a word for 'but' to connect the two thoughts?

Turkish often links short, contrasting clauses with just a comma. You could add ama (but) to say Soru var, ama cevap yok, but simply using a comma is very common and sounds perfectly natural.