`builtin test -a foo` VS `builtin test ! -a foo`

[Name withheld by request]

In article <1168097154.128051@irys.nyx.net>,
Name withheld by request <anonb6e9@nyx.nyx.net> wrote:
>In bash the built-in 'test' command can act either as "and",
>or as a test for file existence:
>
>  ~ $ help test|grep -e -a
>          -a FILE        True if file exists.
>          EXPR1 -a EXPR2 True if both expr1 AND expr2 are true.
>
>I'm pretty sure this is not a bug, but please explain why:
>
>  ~ $ cd /tmp
>  /tmp $ date;uname -a
>  Sat Jan  6 09:09:19 CST 2007
>  Linux alex 2.6.5-1.358 #1 Sat May 8 09:04:50 EDT 2004 i686 athlon i386 
> GNU/Linux
>  /tmp $ touch foo
>  /tmp $ builtin test -a foo && echo hi
>  hi
>  /tmp $ builtin test ! -a foo && echo hi
>  hi
>  /tmp $

A bit more:
 
  /tmp $ rm -f foo; ls foo
  ls: foo: No such file or directory
  /tmp $ builtin test -a foo || echo ho
  ho
  /tmp $ builtin test ! -a foo || echo ho
  /tmp $
   
So 
  builtin test ! -a foo
is equivalent to
  true
ie it's not very useful, what is it I'm missing, why is this not a bug?

--
thanks
Tom

--------------------------
/tmp $ help test|egrep -A6 'Other operators'
    Other operators:

        -o OPTION      True if the shell option OPTION is enabled.
        ! EXPR         True if expr is false.
        EXPR1 -a EXPR2 True if both expr1 AND expr2 are true.
        EXPR1 -o EXPR2 True if either expr1 OR expr2 is true.
--snip
/tmp $ touch foo;ls foo
foo
/tmp $ test -e foo;echo $?
0
/tmp $ test ! -e foo;echo $?
1
/tmp $ rm foo; ls foo
ls: foo: No such file or directory
/tmp $ test -e foo;echo $?
1
/tmp $ test ! -e foo;echo $?
0
/tmp $