10) 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.
Solution
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.
11) The Deadly Party ~
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?
Solution
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.
You were warned to be on the look-out for these ice puzzles!
12) 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?
Solution
The dish that the two men ordered was albatross. They had been stranded
many years earlier on a desert island. When the man tasted albatross
he realized that he had never tasted it before. This meant that the
meat he had been given on the island was not albatross as he had been
told. He correctly deduced that he had eaten the flesh of his son who
had died when they first reached the island.
This has something in common with No. 9 above but is in my opinion even
better. It is fiendishly difficult to figure out from a standing
start. A beautiful aspect of this problem is the subtle fact that he
shot himself because he did not recognise the taste of the dish!
13) The Realization ~
A man was walking downstairs in a building when he suddenly realized that his wife had just died. How?
Solution
The man had visited his wife in hospital. She was on a life-support
machine. As he was walking down the stairs all the lights went out.
There had been a power cut and the emergency back-up systems had failed.
He knew that she had died.
14) 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).
Solution
The blind beggar was the sister of her brother who died.
This puzzle is one of a type that depends on the listener making
implicit assumptions about gender - in this case that a blind beggar is a
man. Similar puzzles involve surgeons who refuse to operate on their
sons etc.
This is probably the best of the class because it is very
simply stated and yet which has the power to baffle those who have not
heard it before.
15) The Broken Match ~
A man is found dead in a field. He is clutching a broken match. What happened?
Solution
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.
16) The Music Stopped ~
The music stopped. She died. Explain.
Solution
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.
17) Swimmer In The Forest ~
Deep in the forest was found the body of a man who was wearing only
swimming trunks, snorkel and face mask. The nearest lake was 8 miles away
and the sea was 100 miles away. How had he died?
This is supposedly based on a true incident. Does this make it an
urban legend? Many urban legends can be restated as lateral thinking
puzzles. This is a very good one of this type.
Solution
During a forest fire, a fire-fighting plane had scooped up some water
from the lake to drop on the fire. The plane had accidentally picked up
the unfortunate swimmer.
18) The Elder Twin ~
One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How come?
Solution
At the time she went into labour, the mother of the twins was
travelling 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.
This puzzle was submitted to Games Magazine's 'How Come' competition in 1992 by Judy Dean. It won.
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