I saw that this instance had a large number of users so I thought "more users->more content->more fun". Apparently, I had to prove my value by answering 3 questions that showed my interest in their community and my value as a potential future member.
What could possibly be my value to a general purpose instance besides money? I'm a software/cloud engineer so I guess there are things I could help with, but my guess is they were expecting me to say "I can donate".
I get it, they need donations to exist, but this upfront? And to a community I don't even know? Maybe I'm imagining things and they were looking for something else?
Do all instances rely on donations? I'd like to contribute to the instances I enjoy at some point. But only if I feel at home with them, not as a prerequisite to join.
The questions are intended to get you to stop, read the rules, consider if you want to be there, and to be earnest about it. Nobody said it was a mechanism to prevent bots. Just because it's not 100% secure against fraud and botting doesn't mean it's useless either.
I fail to see the logic in that connection. The first fact does not in any way directly lead to the other. They want to curate a specific type of community and they have a very limited set of tools at their disposal. The fact that those tools are not foolproof doesn't mean they're part of some rouse to ask you for money.
You're clearly missing the point of what Beehaw is going for, which may have been a contributing factor to your rejected application. You could always try again with a different identity, or since it seems you may not be what they're looking for you could just move on and enjoy your time in the fediverse from your sh.itjust.works account.
I know it's harsh and kinda' mean, but:
Hey, look! The questions are doing their intended job!