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GOAL
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
• The term 'lateral thinking' was coined by Edward
de Bono to denote a problem-solving style that
involves looking at the given situation from
unexpected angles. Sometimes a problem
seems difficult or insoluble because our
assumptions about it are wrong.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
• The Surgeon... A father and his son are involved in a
car accident, as a result of which the father is very badly
injured and his son is rushed to hospital for emergency
surgery. However, the surgeon takes one look at the
boy and says "I cannot operate on him". When asked
why, the surgeon replies "Because he's my son...".
• How could this be the case?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
Puzzle # 1
• Bottleneck
• Put a coin in a bottle and then stop the opening with a
cork. How can you get the coin out of the bottle without
pulling out the cork or breaking the bottle?
• Push the cork into the bottle, and shake the coin out.
Puzzle # 2
• Can You Explain?
• Question: A girl who was just learning to drive
went down a one-way street in the wrong
direction, but didn't break the law. How come?
• She was walking the wrong way.
Puzzle # 3
• Can You Explain?
• Question: How can you throw a ball as hard as you can
and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit
anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else
catches or throws it?
• Answer:
The two students have their backs to each other.
Puzzle # 5
• Can You Explain?
• Question: There are only two T's in Timothy
Tuttle. True or false?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
Puzzle # 6
• Coast to Coast
• Train A and train B are crossing the country,
from coast to coast, over 3,000 miles of railroad
track. Train A is going from east to west at 80
miles per hour, and Train B is going from west to
east at 90 miles per hour. Which train will be
closer to the west coast when they meet? (Hint:
You don’t have to do any math to get the
answer. Just use your head!)
Puzzle # 6
• Answer: When the trains meet, they will be at
exactly the same point. Therefore, they will each
be the same distance from the west coast.
Puzzle # 7
• Crossing the River
• Jake was standing on one side of the river, and
his dog Scruffy was standing on the other side.
"Come on Scruffy, come, boy!" shouted Jake.
Scruffy crossed the river, ran to Jake, and got a
treat for being a good dog. The amazing thing
was that Scruffy didn't even get wet! How did
Scruffy do that?
Puzzle # 7
• Possible Answers:
• The river was frozen.
• There was a bridge over the river, and Scruffy
crossed the bridge.
Puzzle # 8
• Digging Dirt:
• Question: How much dirt is in a round hole that
is 9 feet deep with a diameter of 3 feet? (Hint:
You don’t have to do any math to get the
answer. Just use your head!)
Mr. Comm
GOAL
Puzzle # 20
• Explain Joe’s Actions:
• Joe, wearing a mask and carrying an empty
sack, leaves his house. An hour later he returns
with a full sack. He goes into a room and turns
out the lights.
• Seven is good,
but if you can
see 10 you are
doing better ...
Puzzle # 23
Puzzle # 23
• If you look closely at the hypotenuse (long) edge of the triangle, you
will find that it is not straight. In one case it is slightly concave (bends
in) and in one case it is slightly convex (bends out). The difference
between these two, is the area of one square. Try cutting them out of
card and putting a ruler against the edge.
Puzzle # 24
• Three Switches and Three Bulbs:
• Three switches outside a windowless room are
connected to three light bulbs inside the room. How can
you determine which switch is connected to which bulb
if you may enter the room only once?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
Puzzle # 25
• Nutty Problem
• A man is replacing a wheel on his car, when he
accidentally drops the four nuts used to hold the
wheel on the car, and they fall into a deep drain,
irretrievably lost. A passing girl offers him a
solution which enables him to drive home. What
is it?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
Puzzle # 31
• If none of the following statements are true, who can we
conclude broke the vase?
April: Tom, Mike & I could not have broken the vase.
Erik: Mike broke the vase, so Tom & April couldn't have.
S S
S
45. A Peculiar House
• Mrs. Jones wanted a new house. She very much
liked to see the sun shining into a room, so she
instructed the builders to construct a house of
which all four walls face south. After much
thought, the builder managed to erect just such
a house. How did he do it?
• The builder built the house at
the North Pole.
46. The Painted Tower
• A painter was hired to repaint the Eatonville water tower
which was located just off a very busy street in the
centre of the town.
• Everyday for two weeks the man painted diligently but
he was never seen working by anyone and nobody
noticed any change in the tower. When he had finished
he was congratulated for doing such a splendid job and
paid by the Eatonville Town Clerk.
• Why?
46. The Painted Tower
• Did he actually paint the tower?
• Yes
• Is there some way that the painter could do the job
and not be seen?
• Yes
• Did the shape of the water tower affect the view of the
painter working?
• No
46. The Painted Tower
• Answer
•
The painter had painted the inside of the water
tower, as he had been employed to do...
47. The Delivery
• A farmer in Somerset owns a beautiful pear tree, from
which he supplies the fruit to a nearby grocery store.
• The store owner has called the farmer to see how much
fruit is available for him to purchase. The farmer knows
that the main trunk has 24 branches. Each branch has
exactly 12 boughs and each bough has exactly 6 twigs.
Since each twig bears one piece of fruit, how many
plums will the farmer be able to deliver?
47. The Delivery
• Answer
•
None - the farmer owns a Pear tree, not a Plum
tree...
48. 15 Cents
• Can 15 cents be made from 2 coins if one coin is not a
dime?
• Hint:
What can the other coin be?
• Answer:
Yes, a nickel and a dime, the question only says that
one coin can't be a dime.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
49. A Chess Piece
• Two grandmasters played five games of chess.
Each won the same number of games and lost
the same number of games. There were no
draws in any of the games. How could this be
so?
49. A Chess Piece
• This is the kind of problem that depends on the reader
or the listener making the wrong assumptions. Test all
the assumptions with questions like the following:
• Q: Were they playing normal chess?
• A: yes
• Q: In chess, if one player wins then the other loses?
• Yes, always.
49. A Chess Piece
• Q: So when one of the grandmasters won a
game, the other grandmaster lost it?
• No.
• Q: Was there anybody else involved?
• Yes.
D N O S A J __
(Click once for answer)
J (June – the letters are the first letters of the
month of the year in reverse order.)
57. Just Kidding
• “Let’s go play with the 3 kids up on that hill,” said
Silly Sally. Joe ran ahead but only found 2
children and some grazing farm animals when
he arrived. Where did the third kid go?
I am an
I start with the letter E. envelope
I end with the letter E.
I usually contain one letter.
But I am not the letter E.
63. I’m Never Blue
Sometimes I’m green,
sometimes I’m black.
When I’m yellow,
I’m a very nice fellow.
That’s when I’m feeling
mighty a-peeling.
What am I?
64. Out of Touch
• Hey, What’s up?
They Don’t touch when you say “TOUCH.”
-- but they do touch when you say “SEPARATE.”
Your lips
65. E-X-T-R-A Credit
• What two European cities would you visit to find
Ed and Sara?
Ed
Sara
Scotland
Bosnia and Herzegovina
65. E-X-T-R-A Credit
• What two European cities would you visit to find
Ed and Sara?
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
66. SSSSSSS
• What word becomes plural when an “s” is
added, but becomes singular again by adding
another “s”?
hint
o
o
• There is no math involved.
o
o
71. Day by Day
• Some months have 30 days; others have 31.
How many months have 28 days?
71. Day by Day
• Some months have 30 days; others have 31.
How many months have 28 days?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
72. The Secretary’s Daughter
• A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took
her daughter with her. The bank manager said the
woman’s daughter could stay with his secretary during
the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left,
the secretary turned to another secretary and said to
her, “That little girl was my daughter.” How could that
be?
72. The Secretary’s Daughter
• A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took
her daughter with her. The bank manager said the
woman’s daughter could stay with his secretary during
the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left,
the secretary turned to another secretary and said to
her, “That little girl was my daughter.” How could that
be?
Clue: This does not involve adoptions, step-parents, in-laws, or
grandparents. The little girl was the secretary’s daughter and she was the
daughter of the woman who visited the bank manager. That is all you
need to know.
72. The Secretary’s Daughter
• A woman went to visit her bank manager and she took
her daughter with her. The bank manager said the
woman’s daughter could stay with his secretary during
the meeting. When the woman and her daughter left,
the secretary turned to another secretary and said to
her, “That little girl was my daughter.” How could that
be?
Clue:
They were not talking about fish. But they were talking about other
creatures which were unwelcome.
74. The Fishermen’s Riddle
• An old riddle tells the tale of two fishermen who
returned one day and made the following
statement: “The ones we caught we threw away.
The ones we could not catch we kept.” What did
they mean?
• Answer: The two fishermen were talking about
their fleas!
75. The Barber Paradox
• In a town in ancient Greece there was a law
stating that all men must be clean-shaven and
that no man might shave himself. The only
person allowed to shave people was the
licensed town barber (who was forty years old)
There was only one barber. Since the barber
was bound by the same law, who shaved the
barber?
75. The Barber Paradox
• In a town in ancient Greece there was a law
stating that all men must be clean-shaven and
that no man might shave himself. The only
person allowed to shave people was the
licensed town barber (who was forty years old)
There was only one barber. Since the barber
Clue: was bound by the same law, who shaved the
barber?
The barber did not break the law. There was no beard, moustache, or
whisker on the barber’s face, yet that face was not shaved by the
barber.
75. The Barber Paradox
• In a town in ancient Greece there was a law stating that
all men must be clean-shaven and that no man might
shave himself. The only person allowed to shave people
was the licensed town barber (who was forty years old)
There was only one barber. Since the barber was bound
by the same law, who shaved the barber?
• Answer: The barber is a woman.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
76. The Late Arrival
• A father was speaking to his teenage daughter.
“You arrived very late, at 3 o’clock in the
morning, and you kept me and your mother up
waiting anxiously for you. I do not want that to
ever happen again.”
“But, Father,” the girl replied, “I will never be
able to do that again.” What did she mean?
76. The Late Arrival
• A father was speaking to his teenage daughter.
“You arrived very late, at 3 o’clock in the
morning, and you kept me and your mother up
waiting anxiously for you. I do not want that to
ever happen again.”
Clue:
“But, Father,” the girl replied, “I will never be
able to do that again.” What did she mean?
1. All the statements were correct. The father was not angry. He was teasing his
daughter. The girl could not arrive in that fashion again because what she did can
only be done once.
2. The statements made did not refer to the previous night or any recent night.
76. The Late Arrival
• A father was speaking to his teenage daughter.
“You arrived very late, at 3 o’clock in the morning,
and you kept me and your mother up waiting
anxiously for you. I do not want that to ever
happen again.”
“But, Father,” the girl replied, “I will never be able to
do that again.” What did she mean?
• Answer: They had been talking about the girl’s
birth.
77. Watch That Movie
• Hugh had never seen the movie “Top Gun”
before he got on the transatlantic flight to take
him from London to Los Angeles. However, he
had heard that it was good and was pleased to
see that it was due to be shown during the flight.
After lunch, “Top Gun” was screened but Hugh
did not bother to watch it even though he had a
clear view of the screen and the sound and
picture quality were fine. Why not?
77. Watch That Movie
• Hugh had never seen the movie “Top Gun”
before he got on the transatlantic flight to take
him from London to Los Angeles. However, he
Clue: had heard that it was good and was pleased to
seeto that
1. He wanted it was
watch the movie due
when hetogotbeon shown during
the plane but not whenthe
it wasflight.
shown after lunch. Nobody had ruined the movie for him by telling him the plot. He
After lunch, “Top Gun” was screened but Hugh
had nothing particularly interesting to do after lunch. He had a perfect view of the
screen. did not bother to watch it even though he had a
clear
2. This has nothingview of the
to do with thelunch
screen andor anyone
or the plane the sound and
else on the plane. It
has everything to do with the timing of showing the movie after lunch.
picture quality were fine. Why not?
3. He watched the movie.
77. Watch That Movie
• Hugh had never seen the movie “Top Gun” before he
got on the transatlantic flight to take him from London to
Los Angeles. However, he had heard that it was good
and was pleased to see that it was due to be shown
during the flight. After lunch, “Top Gun” was screened
but Hugh did not bother to watch it even though he had
a clear view of the screen and the sound and picture
quality were fine. Why not?
• Answer: The movie was shown twice on the flight, once
before lunch and once after lunch. Hugh watched it the
first time and was therefore not interested the second
time.
78. The Cabin
• In the mountains there is a cabin. Inside, three
people lie dead. The cabin is locked from the
inside and there is no sign of a struggle or of any
weapons. What happened?
78. The Cabin
• In the mountains there is a cabin. Inside, three
people lie dead. The cabin is locked from the
inside and there is no sign of a struggle or of any
weapons. What happened?
Clue:
.
1. All three died at the same time. Their deaths were violent but accidental.
2. They knew they were going to die immediately before they died. They died
because they were in the cabin.
3. If they had gotten out of the cabin three hours earlier they would have lived.
If they could have gotten out three minutes earlier they still would have died.
78. The Cabin
• In the mountains there is a cabin. Inside, three
people lie dead. The cabin is locked from the
inside and there is no sign of a struggle or of any
weapons. What happened?
• Answer: It is a plane cabin. The plane crashed,
killing both pilots and the passenger.
79. The Unkind Cut
• A man deliberately cut off some of his fingers
and one of his ears. Why?
79. The Unkind Cut
• A man deliberately cut off some of his fingers
and one of his ears. Why?
Clue:
1. He did this deliberately to deceive certain people.
2. The man was imprisoned at the time he did this.
79. The Unkind Cut
• A man deliberately cut off some of his fingers and one
of his ears. Why?
• Answer: The man imprisoned in the notorious Devil’s
Island penal colony. Over a period of months he cut off
fingers and an ear and he feigned numbness in a leg in
order to pretend that he had leprosy. He was transferred
to a different island which held only lepers. It was much
easier to escape from this island and he duly made his
getaway and reached Brazil. Unfortunately (for this is a
true story) he was subsequently found to have
developed leprosy.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
80. The Bird
• A man saw a bird on a tree in his garden and he
immediately knew he lost something of value to
him. What was it?
80. The Bird
• A man saw a bird on a tree in his garden and he
immediately knew he lost something of value to
him. What was it? (Click for two clues)
• Clues:
• The bird was a large but not particularly rare
bird. The type of bird is not important.
• The bird had taken what he had lost but he could
now get it back from the bird. What he lost was
something he had recently bought at
considerable expense. (Click once for answer)
80. The Bird
• A man saw a bird on a tree in his garden and he
immediately knew he lost something of value to
him. What was it?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
83. What a Drive
• A golfer in the United States took a club from his
golf bag and hit a drive so that the ball traveled
through four states. How did he do this?
83. What a Drive
• A golfer in the United States took a club from his golf
bag and hit a drive so that the ball traveled through four
states. How did he do this? (Click for 3 clues)
• He was a regular golfer with no special skills. He stood
on the ground and hit the ball, which then traveled
through four states before coming to rest. No one else
touched the ball after he hit it, and no additional speed
or energy was imparted to the ball in any way.
• The ball did hit something and was deflected.
• The four U.S. states are big states, including Arizona
and Colorado.
83. What a Drive
• A golfer in the United States took a club from his
golf bag and hit a drive so that the ball traveled
through four states. How did he do this?
(Answer)
• The four states are Arizona, New Mexico, Utah
and Colorado, which meet at a single point. A
pipe was set up there in the form of a large
circle, and placed so that it lay in all four states.
A well-struck golf ball entering the pipe would
travel through the four states.
83. What a Drive
• Four Corners
84. Tall Buildings
• A well-respected Japanese insurance company
has many offices around the world. All its offices
are at least ten stories high and the company
insists on taking at least a ten-story building
even if it does not need all that space. Why does
it do this?
84. Tall Buildings
• A well-respected Japanese insurance company
has many offices around the world. All its offices
are at least ten stories high and the company
insists on taking at least a ten-story building
even if it does not need all that space. Why does
it do this? (Click twice for clues)
• This has nothing to do with the company’s
products, name, or advertising, but it has to do
with the company philosophy.
• The company does this with its employees in
mind.
84. Tall Buildings
• A well-respected Japanese insurance company has
many offices around the world. All its offices are at least
ten stories high and the company insists on taking at
least a ten-story building even if it does not need all that
space. Why does it do this? (Click for answer)
• The Japanese insurance company believes strongly in
physical fitness and that going up and down stairs
keeps its employees healthier and more alert. No
employee is allowed to use the elevator unless she or
he has a medical certificate!
85. Cutting the Cake
• How could you cut a plain circular cake into eight
equal portions with just three straight cuts of a
knife? No rearrangements of the pieces after
cutting is allowed?
85. Cutting the Cake
• How could you cut a plain circular cake into eight
equal portions with just three straight cuts of a
knife? No rearrangements of the pieces after
cutting is allowed?
• You make three straight cuts while the cake is in
place. The first two are rather obvious and the
third is very lateral.
85. Cutting the Cake
• How could you cut a plain circular cake into eight
equal portions with just three straight cuts of a
knife? No rearrangements of the pieces after
cutting is allowed?
• With the first two cuts you divide the cake from
the top into quarters. You then take the knife and
slice through the middle of the side of the cake.
85. Cutting the Cake
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
86. Trouble with Sons
• A woman had two sons who were born on the
same hour of the same day of the same year.
But they were not twins. How could this be so?
86. Trouble with Sons
• A woman had two sons who were born on the same
hour of the same day of the same year. But they were
not twins. How could this be so?
• (Click once for answer)
• They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.)
• (This simple little puzzle stumps many people. They try
outlandish solutions involving test-tube babies or
surrogate mothers. Why does the brain search for
complex solutions when there is a much simpler one
available?)
87. Push that Car
• A man pushed his car. He stopped when he
reached a hotel at which point he knew he was
bankrupt. Why?
87. Push that Car
• A man pushed his car. He stopped when he
reached a hotel at which point he knew he was
bankrupt. Why?
• (Click once for answer)
• He was playing Monopoly.
88. The Blind Beggar
• A blind beggar had a brother who died. What
relation was the blind beggar to the brother who
died? (Brother is not the answer).
88. The Blind Beggar
• A blind beggar had a brother who died. What
relation was the blind beggar to the brother who
died? (Brother is not the answer).
• Answer: The blind beggar was the sister of her
brother who died.
89. The Broken Match
• A man is found dead in a field. He is clutching a
broken match. What happened?
89. The Broken Match
• A man is found dead in a field. He is clutching a
broken match. What happened?
• (Answer) He and a number of other passengers
were making a balloon trip in a desperate
attempt to flee a country. The balloon had to
lose weight to stop it from crashing. He drew the
short match and had to jump.
90. The Music Stopped
• The music stopped. She died. Explain.
.
90. The Music Stopped
• The music stopped. She died. Explain.
• (Answer) She was a circus tight-rope walker who
walked blindfolded over a high wire. The band played as
she crossed and when the music stopped it was the
signal that she had reached the end of the walk and
could safely alight. One day the conductor was taken ill
and the stand-in conductor ended the piece of music too
early. She stepped off to her death.
91. The Elder Twin
• One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two
days later her older twin brother, Terry,
celebrated his birthday. How come?
91. The Elder Twin
• One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later
her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday.
How come?
• (Answer) At the time she went into labor, the mother of
the twins was traveling by boat. The older twin, Terry,
was born first early on March 1st. The boat then
crossed the International Date line (or any time zone
line) and Kerry, the younger twin, was born on February
the 28th. In a leap year the younger twin celebrates her
birthday two days before her older brother.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Mr. Comm
GOAL
92. The All-Night Party
• In a small town in the United States a teenage boy
asked his parents if he could go to a friends party. His
parents agreed, provided that he was back before
sunrise. He left the house that evening clean-shaven
and when he returned just before the following sunrise
his parents were amazed to see that he had a fully
grown beard. What happened?
Mr. Comm
GOAL
96. Guess Who? Puzzle
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