Death in the Field
A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him, there is an unopened package. There are no other people or animals in the field. How did he die?
SOLUTION
The man was sky diving and his parachute did not open.
Category: Lateral
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Two Trains and a Bridge
Two trains are crossing the bridge bellow at the same speed on a non-windy day. One of the trains
SOLUTION
The two trains have different lengths, so the longer one needs more time until it crosses completely the bridge.
A Lady and a Cowboy
A lady and a cowboy lie next to a bullet, a dime, and a hook. As a result, someone is delighted but doesn’t show it. What are they doing?
SOLUTION
In Poker, the Queen is called “lady”, the King is called “cowboy”, the Ace is called “bullet”, the 10 is called “dime”, and the Jack is called “hook”. Thus, the poker player has a straight and that’s why he is delighted.
Fast and Furious
A bus driver was heading down a street in Colorado. He went right past a stop sign without stopping, turned left where there was a “no left turn” sign, and went the wrong way on a one-way street. Then he went on the left side of the road past a cop car. Yet, he didn’t break any traffic laws.
Why not?
SOLUTION
The bus driver was not driving his bus, he was walking.
Moving to a New House
A man was moving to a new house. He rented a moving truck, put all his belongings in it, and drove to his new place. He entered the garage with the truck and took all his belongings out of the truck. When he tried to exit the garage with the truck, he couldn’t. Why?
SOLUTION
The empty truck was just slightly taller than the garage door. When it was packed with items, the truck’s height got lower, so the man could enter the garage. Once the items were unpacked, the truck was once again taller than door, so it couldn’t get out.
Going Back Home
A man leaves home and makes three left turns, only to return home facing two men wearing masks. Who are those two men?
SOLUTION
The person is a baseball player. The men are a catcher and an umpire.
Twins, a King, and a Queen
Two twins are lying next to a king and a queen in a large room. Yet, there are no adults and there are no children in the room. How is it possible?
SOLUTION
The twins, the king, and the queen, are all (types of) beds.
A Cabin in Colorado
A man is sitting in his cabin in Colorado. Three hours later he gets out of his cabin in Texas. How is this possible?
SOLUTION
The man is a pilot and he is sitting in his airplane cabin.
Cow and Rope
A cow is tied to a 4 meter long rope. There is food, 20 meters away from the cow. However, the cow manages to go to the food and eat it. How come?
SOLUTION
The rope is not tied to anything but the cow, so the cow is free to go to the food.
WWII Planes
During World War II, the mathematician Abraham Wald was asked to help with determining which parts of the allied forces’ planes must be armored better. After examining the surviving American planes, he noticed that there were many holes in the fuselage, and very few in the engines. After careful thinking, he suggested that the armor on the engines must be improved. Why?
SOLUTION
Abraham Wald realized that the holes should have been distributed more evenly across the planes. Therefore the planes which had more holes in the fuselage survived, while the planes which had more holes in the engines got destroyed.