lateral puzzle asad

Lateral Thinking

Compiled By: Asad Naveed ([email protected])

Q. How many sides does a circle have?


A. Two sides, the inside and the outside.

Q. This is an unusual paragraph. I’m curious how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so plain you would

think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though…Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd about it. But, if you work at it for a bit, you


not find anything odd about it. But, if you work at it for a bit, you might just find out.

A. The letter “e,” which is the most common letter in the English language, does not appear once in

the long paragraph

Acting on an anonymous phone call, the police raid a house to arrest a suspected murderer. They don’t know what he looks like, but they know his name is John. Inside they find a carpenter, a taxi driver, a car mechanic and a fireman playing cards. Without even asking his name, they immediately arrest the fireman. How do


asking his name, they immediately arrest the fireman. How do they know they’ve got their man?

Only John is a man; all others are women

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


can only travel half way up in the lift and has to walk the rest of the way unless it's raining! Why?

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.

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?


this be?

The surgeon was his mother.

A man is wearing black. Black shoes, socks, trousers, coat, gloves and ski mask. He is walking down a back street with all the street lamps off. A black car is coming towards him with its light off but somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver see the


somehow manages to stop in time. How did the driver see the man?

It was day time.

One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How?


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 a time zone and Kerry, the younger twin, was born on February the 28th. Therefore, the

younger twin celebrates her birthday two days before her older brother.

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


very well-known software company as an interview question for prospective employees.

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.

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?


subsequently died of poisoning. Why did the man not die?

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.

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?


They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets, etc.). This 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?

A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of

assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?


eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him?

The third. Lions that haven't eaten in three years are dead.

A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him under water for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they

both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?


can this be?

The woman was a photographer. She shot a picture of her husband, developed it, and hung it up to dry.

What is black when you buy it, red when you use it, and gray when you throw it away?


The answer is Charcoal.

Can you name three consecutive days without using the words Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or

Sunday? (or day names in any other language)


Sunday? (or day names in any other language)

Sure you can: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow!

There is a bridge 4 kilometers long and strong enough to hold 10,000 kgs but nothing more. A fully loaded lorry weighing exactly 10,000 kgs drives on this bridge. Halfway through a

sparrow weighing 30 gms lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesnt


sparrow weighing 30 gms lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesntcollapse. How can that happen?

By the time the lorry comes to the middle of the bridge (2 kms) it would have already burnt more

than 30 gms of fuel.

There is a bridge 4 kilometers long and strong enough to hold 10,000 kg but nothing more. A fully loaded lorry weighing exactly

10,000 kg drives on this bridge. Halfway through a sparrow weighing 30 gm lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesn’t


weighing 30 gm lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesn’t collapse. How can that happen?

By the time the lorry comes to the middle of the bridge (2 km) it would have already burnt more

than 30 gm of fuel.

Q. Connect the dots by drawing four straight, continuous lines that pass through each of the nine dots, and never lifting the pencil

from the paper.


from the paper.

Round 1Round 1Round 1Round 1� How many sides has a circle?� If there are two monkeys in each corner of a room, how many monkeys can say they are

looking at other monkeys?� How far can a dog run into a forest?� Jenny works in a fruit and vegetable shop. When she was born she weighed 3kgs. She is

now aged 18 and is 1.6 metres tall. What does she weigh?� A farmer has 5 haystacks in one field, 10 haystacks in a second field and 8 in the third

field. He brought them all together. How many haystacks does he have?


field. He brought them all together. How many haystacks does he have?� There are 8 crows on a wall and a farmer shoots one. How many are left?� A truck driver is going down a one-way street the wrong way. A policeman looks over

and waves a good morning to him. Why?� Why do Chinese men eat more rice than Japanese men?� One man has three sacks of corn on his back and another man has four sacks on his back.

Who has the heavier load?� When your tonsils are removed it is called an Tonsilectomy. When you have your

appendix removed it is called an Appendectomy. What is it called when a growth is removed from your head?

Round 2� Divide 30 by a half and add ten

� What is the eleven letter word that most people spell incorrectly?

� Take two apples from five apples and what do have?

� What can go up a chimney down but not down a chimney up?

� If Mr Smith’s peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones’ yard, who owns the egg?

� What do you sit on, sleep on, and brush your teeth with?

� A 10 foot rope ladder hangs over the side of a boat with the bottom rung on the surface of the water. The rungs are one foot apart, and the tide goes up at the rate of 6 inches per hour. How long will it be until three rungs are covered?

� Who's bigger: Mr. Bigger, Mrs. Bigger or their baby?



� Which country has the 4TH July: USA, UK, Germany or Australia?

� Some months have 31 days, some have 30 days. How many have 28 days?

� A man built a house of rectangular structure with all the walls facing south.A bear came wandering by. What colour was the bear?

� If you were alone in a deserted house at night and you only had one match and there was a lampl, a fire and a candle. What would you light first?

� You're the pilot of an aeroplane that travels from New York to Chicago - a distance of 800 miles. The aeroplane travels at 200 m.p.h. and makes one stop for 30 minutes. What is the pilot's name?

� How many animals of each species did Moses take on board the ark?

� What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and grey when you throw it away?

� Where are the kings and queens of England crowned?

� What was the highest mountain in the world before Mt Everest was discovered?

� If a farmer raises wheat in dry weather, what does he raise in wet weather?

� You have two jugs of water and you have to put the water into a barrel. However, the water from each jug needs to be kept separate. You can't put anything in the barrel other than the water. How are you going to keep the water separate in the barrel?

� Round 1 - Answers

� How many sides has a circle?

� Two sides. The inside and the outside.

� If there are two monkeys in each corner of a room, how many monkeys can say they are looking at other monkeys?

� None. Monkeys can't speak.

� How far can a dog run into a forest?

� Halfway. Once past the halfway mark it is running out.

� Jenny works in a fruit and vegetable shop. When she was born she weighed 3kgs. She is now aged 18 and is 1.6 metres tall. What does she weigh?

� Fruit and vegetables.

� A farmer has 5 haystacks in one field, 10 haystacks in a second field and 8 in the third field. He brought them all together. How many haystacks does he have?


� A farmer has 5 haystacks in one field, 10 haystacks in a second field and 8 in the third field. He brought them all together. How many haystacks does he have?

� One.

� There are 8 crows on a wall and a farmer shoots one. How many are left?

� One. The dead one.

� A truck driver is going down a one-way street the wrong way. A policeman looks over and waves a good morning to him. Why?

� He was walking.

� Why do Chinese men eat more rice than Japanese men?

� There are more of them.

� One man has three sacks of corn on his back and another man has four sacks on his back. Who has the heavier load?

� The one with 3 sacks of corn.

� When your tonsils are removed it is called an Tonsilectomy. When you have your appendix removed it is called an Appendectomy. What is it called when a growth is removed from your head?

� A haircut.

� Round 2 - Answers

� Divide 30 by a half and add ten

� The answer is 70 as a half equals 0.5

� What is the eleven letter word that most people spell incorrectly?

� Incorrectly

� Take two apples from five apples and what do have?

� You've got what you have taken - 2 apples

� What can go up a chimney down but not down a chimney up?

� An umbrella. Something to do with chimney sweeps in the old days who used to put an umbrella over the top of the chimney when it rained.

� If Mr Smith’s peacock lays an egg in Mr Jones’ yard, who owns the egg?

� Peacocks don't lay eggs. Peahens lay the eggs.

� What do you sit on, sleep on, and brush your teeth with?

A chair, a bed and a toothbrush. Remember this is not a logical thinking question. You are not looking for a common denominator.


� A chair, a bed and a toothbrush. Remember this is not a logical thinking question. You are not looking for a common denominator.

� A 10 foot rope ladder hangs over the side of a boat with the bottom rung on the surface of the water. The rungs are one foot apart, and the tide goes up at the rate of 6 inches per hour. How long will it be until three rungs are covered?

� Never, because they boat rises with the tide.


� It's the baby because the baby is a - little bigger.

� Which country has the 4TH July: USA, UK, Germany or Australia?

� All of them.

� Some months have 31 days, some have 30 days. How many have 28 days?

� 12 months

� A man built a house of rectangular structure with all the walls facing south.A bear came wandering by. What colour was the bear?

� White because it is on the North Pole. The only place you can build a house where all the walls face south.

� If you were alone in a deserted house at night and you only had one match and there was a lampl, a fire and a candle. What would you light first?

� The match.

� You're the pilot of an aeroplane that travels from New York to Chicago - a distance of 800 miles. The aeroplane travels at 200 m.p.h. and makes one stop for 30 minutes. What is the pilot's name?

� Your name

� How many animals of each species did Moses take on board the ark?

� None. It was Noah's Ark.

� What is black when you buy it, red when you use it and grey when you throw it away?

� Coal.

� Where are the kings and queens of England crowned?

� On their heads.

C C C C C C C


C C C C C C C

W TSE


W TSE

lateral puzzle asad

Documents