In Avot 5:7, the Mishna states that there are 7 characteristics of a Golem (boor) and 7 characteristics of a Chacham (wise person). It then goes on to list the 7 qualities of a wise man.
One of the characteristics of a wise man is "He says on the first thing first, and on the last thing last".
After it lists all the characteristics of a wise man, it says "and the opposite applies to a Golem (boor).
Doesn't it seem like the Mishna did not follow its own advice? when listing the categories, it first listed the Golem, but when describing their characteristics, it starts with the Chacham.
This is even more striking, since later on in the same chapter (Avot 5:15-19), there are 6 different instances of a list of items followed by a discussion of the items on the list, and each time, the discussion follows the order of the list.
Now, all the commentaries (as translated here) I've seen explain the Mishna to mean "He responds to first things first and to latter things later.". In other words, when asked two questions, he responds to the first one first, and then the second one. However, I want to say that this interpretation does not preclude a case when not directly responding to a question. In other words, the Mishna is saying that anytime addressing a list of issues, one should address the first one first, and the last one last. I would say that if the Mishna only meant answering a question, it would have used the word "answer" and not "say".
If your answer to my question is that my assumption is incorrect, please explain why it cannot be right.