Just an excuse to bring live to this post, I am about to pose some riddles on lateral thinking. The topic on the economic situation now and in the future may seem hard to bear but to some of us we prefer to act like the ostrich who attempts to ignore unpleasant facts and situations.
These ten riddles may require much stretching of the imagination, not to think logically but to think laterally.
1. The Man in the Elevator.
A man lives on the tenth floor of a bulding. Every day, he takes the elevator to the first floor to go to work. When he returns, he always takes the elevator to the seventh floor and then walks the remaining flights of stairs to his apartment on the tenth floor. Why does he do this?
2. The Two Americans
There were two Americans waiting at the entrance to the National Museum. One of them was the father of the other one’s son. How could this be so?
3. A Chess Piece
Two grandmasters played five games of chess. Each won the same mumber of games and lost the same number of games. There were no draws in any of the games, How could this be so?
4. The Coal, Carrot, and Scarf
Five pieces of coal, a carrot, and a scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody put them on the lawn, but there is a perfectly logical reason for their being there. What is it?
5. The Silent Cabbie
A Comfort driver picked up a lady who was a notorious chatterbox. He did not want to engage in conversation, so he pretended to be deaf and dumb. He pointed to his mouth and ears to indicate that he could neither speak nor hear. After she alighted, he pointed to the meter so that she could see how much she owed. She paid him and walked off. Then she realized that he could not have been a deaf mute. How did she know?
6. Happy or Sad
Three women dressed in swimsuits were standing together. Two were sad and one was happy. But the sad women were both smiling and the happy one was crying. Why should that be so?
7. The Coffee Drinker
A man in a restaurant complained to the waiter that there was a fly in his cup of coffee. The waiter took the cup away and promised to bring a fresh cup of coffee. He returned a few moments later. The man tasted the coffee and complained that this was his original cup of coffee with the fly removed. He was correct, but how did he know?
8. The Dream
The boss of a storage warehouse had just arrived at work when one of his employees burst into his office. The man explained that while asleep the previous night he had dreamed that one of the stored boxes contained a bomb that would expode at two pm,. causing a terrible fire. the boss was skeptical, but agreed to investigate. After a search, a bomb was found in the area foreseen in the man’s dream. The police were called, the bomb defused, and a tragedy averted. Afterwards, the boss thanked the employee sincerely and then fired him.
The sacked man had not planted the bomb, and his prophetic dream had saved the warehouse from destruction. Yet the manager was right to fire him. How could that be so?
9. Anthony and Cleopatra
Anthony and Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor in an Egyptian villa. Nearby is a broken bowl. There are no marks on their bodies and they were not poisoned. Not a person was in the villa when they died. How did they die?
10. Five Men
Five men were proceeding together down a country path. It began to rain. Four of the men quickened their step and began to walk faster. The fifth man made no effort to move any faster. However, he remained dry and the other four got wet. They all arrived at their destination together. How could this be so?
N.B. They relied only on foot power.
11. Family Reunion
At a family reunion, it was found that the following relationships existed between the people present: Father, Mother, Son, Daughter, Uncle, Aunt, Brother, sister, Cousin, Nephew, Niece. However, there were only four people there. How could this be so?
12. Stuck Tight
A truck became wedged under a low bridge. It could not move forward or back without severely damaging its roof. The truck driver was perplexed until a little girl standing nearby suggested an easy solution. What was it?
13. Another Riddle
What is it that the man who makes it does not need; the man who buys it does not use himself, and person who uses it does so without knowing?
