[Gerald C Koch]

There really are no silly questions. There are two ways of thinking about the "extra"electrons in the banzene ring. Quantum mechanics considers them to be smeared about the entire ring. Unfortunately such a concept has little in the way of predictive value. An emperical model envolves a concept called resonance. Using resonance you can think of benzene as having 3 double bonds between carbons 1&2, 3&4, and 5&6. A form having bonds between carbons 2&3, 4&5, and 6&1 is also perfectly valid. The molecule is thought of as a superposition of all the possible forms, ie the molecule constantly switching between the two foms. When you add two hydroxyl groups to the ring the electron density in the ring is distorted. In the 1,2 isomer and the 1,4 isomer the OH groups are more active than when they are in the 2,3 isomer. This can easily be shown using resonance. The KP rule is based on this observation.

Resonce can be used to predict other things such as the magnitude and direction of the dipole moment of azulene an isomer of napthalene.

I hope this helps as I am condensing a semester of graduate organic chemistry into a single paragraph.