The two bits of information we want to take note of are the cat’s starting position and the word’s height.
Note that the questions are in alphabetical order, and all the heights of the correct answers’ platform are distinct. Use the heights to order the answers, and use the cat’s position to index into the answer.
| Answer | Platform height | Cat position | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| SHARI STEELE | 1 | 2 | S |
| YELLOW | 2 | 2 | E |
| CRACK | 3 | 2 | R |
| CLIPPER | 4 | 3 | I |
| SNUFFLE | 5 | 7 | E |
| JS TYRE | 6 | 2 | S |
| JON | 7 | 2 | O |
| FOLSOM ST | 8 | 1 | F |
| PENTAGRAM | 9 | 4 | T |
| SUNDEVIL | 10 | 2 | U |
| CAMBRIDGE | 11 | 4 | B |
| BADGER | 12 | 5 | E |
| SKLYAROV | 13 | 1 | S |
The answer is SERIES OF TUBES, an analogy that a US senator used to describe the Internet.