Just to add a thought to other answers: I see people apologizing because on some SE sites, people are quick to flag basic questions as inappropriate, hence the psychological need to apologise hoping not to bring the wrath of experienced but not so tactful users. I totally agree with the OP that basic questions with a minimum effort of understanding from the asker are totally correct on SE. It's only that when you don't know a lot on a topic, it's often hard to show that you have done the basic researches because, well, you don't understand.
Sorry if this is not right on topic ;)
