The lateral thinking puzzle
ELATERAL THINKING PUZZLES}
Lateral Thinking is thinking with a difference. You need to think unconventionally if you want to understand the hows, the whys and the wherefores of these puzzles. You have to think in ways that are different to your usual ways of thinking to win prizes herell There could be a lot of different explanations for what hap- pened. Submit your interpretation for each of the following situations.
Lateral thinking puzzles are often strange situations which require an expla- nation. They are solved through'a dialogue between the quizmaster who sets the puzzle and the solver or solvers who try to figure out the answer. The puzzles as stated generally do not contain sufficient information for the solver to uncover the solution. So a key part of the process is the asking of questions. The questions can receive one of only three'possible answers - yes, no or irrelevant.
This kind of puzzle teaches you to check your assumptions about any situation. You need to be open-minded, flexible and creative in your questioning and able to put lots of different clues and pieces of information together. Once you reach aviable solution you keep going in order to refine it or replace it with a better solution. This is lateral thinking!
Send your solution ???
1 . The man in the Elevator:
A man lives on the tenth floor of a building. Every day he takes the elevator to go down to the ground floor to go to work or to go shopping. When he returns he
takes the elevator to the seventh floor and walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He hates walking so why does he do it?
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.
2. The Man in the Bar ,
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 has 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 thel
satisfaction of figuring it out. l
2 replies
3. Death in a Field
A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die? Solution
4.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?
5. The Arm of the Postal Service
One day a man received a parcel in the post. Carefully packed inside was a human arm. He examined it, repacked it and then sent it on to another
man. The second man also carefully examined the arm before taking it to the woods and burying it. Why did they do this?
Thisone probably has more variations than any other. A great one to? puzzle out. It requires plentyof good questions. 6. Manhole Covers
Why is it better. to have round manhole covers than square ones?
This is logical rather than lateral, but it is a good puzzle which 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.
7. The Deadly Dish '
TWO men went into a restaurant. They both ordered the same dish from the menu . After they tasted it, one of the men went outside the restaurant and shot himself. Why? 8. The Realization
A man was walking downstairs in a building when 'he suddenly realized that his wife had just died. How?
9. Subtraction
How many times can you subtract the number 2 from the number 22? 1 o. Mothers and Daughters
.One day, two mothers and two daughters went shopping for shoes. Their shopping spree was successful - each bought a pair of shoes, and all together, they had pairs. How is this possible?
