diff --git a/aborist/qa/quantifier.py b/aborist/qa/quantifier.py
index a1334ab..2bd3a0f 100644
--- a/aborist/qa/quantifier.py
+++ b/aborist/qa/quantifier.py
@@ -202,6 +202,22 @@ _PROPORTIONAL_PATTERNS = [
     r"\bthe lion's share of\b",
 ]
 
+# Count-question short-circuit. `how many` / `how much` at the
+# start of a question (or after a leading wh-clause like
+# "and how many...") is asking for a single numeric answer, not
+# enumeration. Without this short-circuit the bare `\bmany\b`
+# pattern below misfires.
+#
+# Anchored so we only short-circuit when the question is a count-
+# question SHAPE — `how many` further into the question (e.g.
+# "list the states; how many are there?") doesn't take precedence
+# over the rest of the question's quantifier markers.
+_COUNT_QUESTION_RE = re.compile(
+    r"^\s*(?:and\s+|but\s+|so\s+)?how (?:many|much)\b",
+    re.IGNORECASE,
+)
+
+
 # ABSENT — universal-negation.
 _ABSENT_PATTERNS = [
     r"\bnone\b",
@@ -318,6 +334,31 @@ def classify_question_quantifier(question: str) -> dict:
             "classifier_version": CLASSIFIER_VERSION,
         }
 
+    # Count-question short-circuit (caught by 2026-05-03 dry-run
+    # review across bench/qa_questions.txt). `how many X?` and
+    # `how much X?` ask for a SINGLE numeric answer ("50 states",
+    # "206 bones") — not enumeration. Without this short-circuit,
+    # the bare `\bmany\b` pattern in _MANY_PATTERNS misfires on
+    # `how many` and the question lands in MANY rung (cap 8 on
+    # Hermes), which is wrong: a count question deserves cap 1
+    # (SINGULAR), not 8.
+    #
+    # The same applies to `how often`, `how long`, `how big` —
+    # all count/measurement questions with single-fact answers.
+    # We catch the dominant `how many|much` shape here; the others
+    # already classify SINGULAR by default.
+    if _COUNT_QUESTION_RE.search(question):
+        m = _COUNT_QUESTION_RE.search(question)
+        return {
+            "intensity": "SINGULAR",
+            "matched_token": m.group(0),
+            "explicit_count": None,
+            "is_broad": False,
+            "operational_shape": _OPERATIONAL_SHAPE["SINGULAR"],
+            "scope_bound_hint": "unknown",
+            "classifier_version": CLASSIFIER_VERSION,
+        }
+
     candidates: list[tuple[str, str, int | None]] = []
 
     # Per-rung detection. Earlier rungs run first but rung selection
diff --git a/bench/qa_questions.txt b/bench/qa_questions.txt
index b9c8092..a7c1154 100644
--- a/bench/qa_questions.txt
+++ b/bench/qa_questions.txt
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@ describe the structure of DNA
 # claim ceiling.
 winners of all major sports?
 
+# bounded universals — finite, corpus-known answer sets. Ticket
+# #000008 §10.1 splits broad universals into bounded vs unbounded.
+# These should classify ALL but with `scope_bound_hint: "bounded"`,
+# meaning --reject-broad does NOT reject and the cap is the natural
+# bound. Without these fixtures, the bounded-vs-unbounded distinction
+# has no live bench coverage.
+name all members of the beatles
+list all planets in the solar system
+
 # entity list — invites lazy-anchor on a magnet chunk
 what dinosaurs were in the first jurassic park film?
 who are the members of the beatles?
diff --git a/tests/test_quantifier_classifier.py b/tests/test_quantifier_classifier.py
index f5ff5b9..5803f69 100644
--- a/tests/test_quantifier_classifier.py
+++ b/tests/test_quantifier_classifier.py
@@ -335,3 +335,46 @@ def test_simple_what_question_not_open_request():
     out = classify_question_quantifier("what dinosaurs were in the first jurassic park film?")
     assert out["intensity"] == "SINGULAR"
     assert out["is_broad"] is False
+
+
+# ----------------------------------------------------------- count-question short-circuit
+
+# Caught by the 2026-05-03 dry-run distribution review across
+# bench/qa_questions.txt. `how many X` matched the bare `\bmany\b`
+# pattern in MANY rung — wrong: count questions ask for a SINGLE
+# numeric answer, not enumeration. Cap should be 1 (SINGULAR), not
+# 8 (Hermes MANY).
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("q", [
+    "how many states are in the united states?",
+    "how many bones are in the adult human body?",
+    "how many wives did henry the eighth have?",
+    "how many moons does jupiter have?",
+    "how many planets are there?",
+    "how much does the earth weigh?",
+    "how much water is in the ocean?",
+])
+def test_how_many_classifies_singular_not_many(q):
+    out = classify_question_quantifier(q)
+    assert out["intensity"] == "SINGULAR", f"{q} → {out}"
+    assert out["is_broad"] is False
+    assert out["matched_token"].lower().startswith("how ")
+
+
+def test_how_many_with_leading_conjunction_still_classifies_singular():
+    """`and how many X` still a count question — the conjunction
+    doesn't change the shape."""
+    out = classify_question_quantifier("and how many states are there?")
+    assert out["intensity"] == "SINGULAR"
+
+
+def test_buried_how_many_does_not_short_circuit():
+    """`how many` in the middle of a longer multi-clause question
+    is NOT necessarily count-question shape. The short-circuit
+    only fires on leading `how many` / `how much`."""
+    out = classify_question_quantifier(
+        "list all the states; how many are there?"
+    )
+    # Leading `list all` → ALL fires. Don't short-circuit on the
+    # buried "how many".
+    assert out["intensity"] == "ALL"