"
If you get
6/6 - you are good at lateral thinking
3/6 - you are somewhat there
0 - you need to be more imaginative !!!
1. There is a man who lives on the top
floor of a very tall building. Everyday he gets the
elevator down to the ground floor to leave the
building to go to work.. Upon returning from work
though, he can only travel half way up in the lift
and has to walk the rest of the way unless it's
raining! Why?
(This is probably the best known and most
celebrated of all lateral thinking puzzles. It is a
true classic. Although there are many possible
solutions which fit the initial conditions, only the
canonical answer is truly satisfying.
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2. A man and his son are in a car accident.
The father dies on the scene, but the child is rushed
to the hospital. When he arrives the surgeon says, "I
can't operate on this boy, he is my son!" How can
this be?
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3. A man is wearing black. Black shoes,
socks, trousers, lumper, gloves and balaclava. He is
walking down a black street with all the street lamps
off. A black car is coming towards him with its lights
off but somehow manages to stop in time. How did the
driver see the man?
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4. Why is it better to have round manhole
covers than square ones?
(This is logical rather than lateral, but
it is a good puzzle that can be solved by lateral
thinking techniques. It is supposedly used by a very
well-known software company as an interview question
for prospective employees. )
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5. A man went to a party and drank some
of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at
the party who drank the punch subsequently died of
poisoning. Why did the man not die?
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6. A man walks into a bar and asks the
barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a
gun and points it at the man. The man says 'Thank
you' and walks out.
(This puzzle claims to be the best of the
genre. It is simple in its statement, absolutely
baffling and yet with a completely satisfying
solution. Most people struggle very hard to solve
this one yet they like the answer when they hear it
or have the satisfaction of figuring it out.)
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SOLUTIONS
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1. The man is very, very short and can
only reach halfway up the elevator buttons. However,
if it is raining then he will have his umbrella with
him and can press the higher buttons with it.
( I would carry a stick everyday rather than walk, unless I need the
exercise.)
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2. The surgeon was his mother.
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3. It was day time.
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4. A square manhole cover can be turned
and dropped down the diagonal of the manhole. A round
manhole cannot be dropped down the manhole. So for
safety and practicality, all manhole covers should be
round.
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5. The poison in the punch came from the
ice cubes. When the man drank the punch, the ice was
fully frozen. Gradually it melted, poisoning the
punch.
( I thought he poisoned the drink!)
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6. The man had hiccups. The barman
recognized this from his speech and drew the gun in
order to give him a shock. It worked and cured the
hiccups-so the man no longer needed the water.
(This is a simple puzzle to state but a
difficult one to solve. It is a perfect example of a
seemingly irrational and incongruous situation having
a simple and complete explanation. Amazingly this
classic puzzle seems to work in different cultures and
languages. )
"
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