Why didn't Philip directly answer Jesus' query in John 6:5?

[tonychanyt]

John 6:

1 Some time after this, Jesus crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee (that is, the Sea of Tiberias), 2 and a great crowd of people followed him because they saw the signs he had performed by healing the sick. 3 Then Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down with his disciples. 4 The Jewish Passover Festival was near.

That's the setting: Jesus had performed healing miracles among a great crowd, and now, people were resting on a mountainside.

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?”

Jesus asked Philip, "Where?".

6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
7 Philip answered him, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!”

Why didn't Philip directly answer Jesus' query in John 6:5?

He might have, but John didn't bother recording that part: "Oh, there is a baker not far off, but…".

He might not have, but he went straight to the practical point: "But Jesus, we don't have the cash to buy …".

In either case, he failed Jesus' test. Philip looked at the horizontal limitations instead of the vertical possibility of Jesus performing a miracle.

Andrew fared slightly better:

8 Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up, 9 “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

Jesus proceeded to use the limited resources to multiply.

Why didn't Philip directly answer Jesus' query in John 6:5?

That wasn't the point. The point is this: what is impossible for men is possible with God. Philip did not see that.