A king has no sons, no daughters, and no queen. For this reason, he must decide who will take the throne after he dies. To do this he decides that he will give all of the children of the kingdom a single seed. Whichever child has the largest, most beautiful plant will earn the throne; this is a metaphor for the kingdom. At the end of the contest, all of the children came to the palace with their enormous and beautiful plants in hand. After he looks at all of the children's pots, he finally decides that the little girl with an empty pot will be the next Queen. Why did he choose this little girl over all of the other children with their beautiful plants?
The king was not looking for the child who could grow the most beautiful plant, but rather the child who could understand and respect the rules and conditions of the kingdom.
The king gave them all fake seeds; he chose the little girl who was honest and didn't switch seeds.
Sally Johnson called 911 when she first noticed Theodore was missing, but the operator told her there was nothing the police could do until Theodore was missing for at least 24 hours. The 911 operator told Miss Johnson that Theodore would probably be found because, based on the description Sally had given of Theodore, the operator felt Theodore was not the type to run away from home. However, Miss Johnson wasn't willing to wait that long, so she sent her German shepherd dog out to look for him, after she had first let the dog have a sniff of the tiny sweater she had dressed Theodore in earlier that day. However, when the dog returned without Theodore, Sally considered calling the F.B.I., as she started thinking little Theodore might have been kidnapped. No ransom note or telephone call was received by Miss Johnson that day, however, so Sally began to systematically search her house. After frantically searching, Miss Johnson finally found Theodore in her basement --- in the washing machine --- still wet, after apparently having gone through a complete washing cycle! Why was the 911 operator so cavalier about the missing Theodore? Should D.C.F.S. be notified to investigate? Where was the adult supervision; or is there a simpler explanation for these events?
Here's a hint:
Think about the description of Theodore that Sally gave to the 911 operator...
Miss Sally Johnson was a seven-year-old child who watched a lot of T.V (especially police and detective shows), and had a vivid imagination. When she lost her teddy bear (Theodore), she never considered the possibility her mother had put him in the washing machine for a much-needed cleaning, as it had become soiled from Sally’s frequent use.
Think about a common, everyday situation where a needle is already "floating" in a sense...
Take a thin piece of tissue paper and place the tissue paper under the needle before putting the needle in the water. The tissue paper will eventually sink and the needle will remain floating.
Clayton grew up in a very large, very poor family. With a dozen children(six boys and six girls) to care for, his parents had a hard time providing food and clothing for everyone. Also, as hot water had to first be boiled on the stove to mix with cold water for baths, Clayton and his siblings were lucky to be able to take a bath even one time a month. As he grew older, Clayton was able to obtain a good-paying job, and could afford to move into better housing where he had enough food and clean clothing for himself; but his habit of rarely taking a bath stuck with him. In fact, Clayton now only takes a bath once every two years or so, but no one at his office job(where he has to wear a suit and tie) has ever complained of his having any body odor, or made any negative references concerning his personal hygiene. They say old habits die hard, but this one grew by leaps and bounds!! Refusing to take even a sponge bath, how does Clayton manage to keep his job without offending any of his co-workers?
Here's a hint: Think about Clayton's job and the specific requirements of his profession. It's not about his personal habits, but about the nature of his work.
For his vegetable stew recipe, Adrian needs three tomatoes and three large carrots. He also needs less radishes than tomatoes, but more radishes than cucumbers. Assuming that Adrian only uses whole numbers of vegetables, how many of each other vegetable does he need?
Think about the relationships between the numbers of vegetables: Adrian needs fewer radishes than tomatoes, but more radishes than cucumbers. What's the smallest number that fits this description?
Ryan and his son Ralph go to a pet store. Ralph sees a very cute rabbit, and asks Ryan to buy it for him. Ryan seems unsure about it, and tells Ralph, "Oh, Ralph, these rabbits can breed every two months, and each time, they will produce four bunnies. We're going to have so many rabbits in our house after a year, and I don't want to take care of them! They'll be too much to take care of!". Ralph laughs at Ryan and says,"Don't be so silly, Dad! We're not going to have that many rabbits in our house after that long!". Who is correct, and how many rabbits will Ralph and Ryan have in a year?
Think about the initial condition: Ryan and Ralph are buying ONE rabbit.
Ralph is correct; they will only have one rabbit after a year. Ralph and Ryan only saw one rabbit in the pet store, but a single rabbit simply can't breed on its own; it takes TWO rabbits to breed. Therefore, after one year, the two of them will only have that one rabbit…if they choose to buy it, that is.
A boy is five feet tall and records his height by hammering a nail in a tree and carving his hame. Five years later he returns to the same tree and finds that it has grown on average 16 inches per year.
How high now, is the nail from the ground?
Think about what's changing and what's not...
It is still five feet tall because only the top of the tree grows. The trunk only gets bigger by circumference.
If there is a Yellow house on Bluebird Lane, a Green house on Orange Street, a Pink house on Kitten Road, a Black house on Whitehorse Pike and a Purple house on Firebird hill, where is the White house?
Look for a pattern in the names of the streets and the colors of the houses...
You walk up to a mountain that has two paths. One leads to the other side of the mountain, and the other will get you lost forever. Two twins know the path that leads to the other side. You can ask them only one question. Except! One lies and one tells the truth, and you don't know which is which. So, What do you ask?
Think about what you can ask that would get a consistent answer from both the truth-teller and the liar...
You ask one twin, "Are you twins?". If he says "Yes", he is telling the truth. Therefore, you ask the other twin which way to go and go the opposite way because he is lying. If he says "No", he is the liar and you ask the other twin which way to go because he is telling the truth.
There were 5 children in a room. Iris drew a picture, Barry played video games, Andrew played chess, and Trina read a book. What is the fifth child, Mindy, doing?
Mindy is playing chess with Andrew. You can't play chess alone!
The title of the problem tells you how to approach these four questions.
(A). A bus leaves Moscow for Tula at noon. An hour later a cyclist leaves Tula for mosco, moving slower than the bus. When the bus and cyclist meet, which one of the two will be farther from Moscow?
(B). Which is worth more: a pound of $10 gold peices or half a pound of $20 gold pieces?
(C). At six o'clock the wall clock struck 6 times. Checking with my watch, I noticed the time between the first and last strokes was 30 seconds. How long will the clock take to strike 12 at midnight?
(D). Three swallows fly outward from a point. When will they all be on the same plane in space?
Now check the answers. Did you fall into any of the traps which lurk in these simple problems?
"Read the title of the problem carefully... it's more than just a title."
(A). Neither
(B). A pound of metal is always more than half a pound of the same metal.
(C). Six strokes took 30 seconds, therefore 12 strokes will take 60 seconds. But when the clock struck six, there were only 5 intervals between strokes, and each interval was 30/5=6 seconds. Between the first and twelfth strokes there will be 11 intervals of 6 seconds each, therefore 12 strokes will take 66 seconds.
(D). There is always a plane that contains any 3 points
You have two container, a 5 gallon and a 3 gallon container. How do you measure out 4 gallons?
Think about filling and emptying the containers in a specific sequence...
Fill up the 3 gallon container and pour the 3 gallons into the 5 gallon container.Then, fill the 3 gallon container back up, and pour it into the 5 gallon container.The 3 gallon container will have 1 gallon left. Empty the 5 gallon container.Pour the remining 1 gallon into the 5 gallon container.Then fill the 3 gallon container back up and pour it into the 5 gallon container.Thus, you have 4 gallons.
A man moved into a new house and decided he was tired after the journey and turned off all the lights and went to bed. The next morning he killed 365 people, he does not sleep walk he slept like a baby. How could this be?
I cannot be possessed by one alone. Two may have me together, and a third might follow along. I go by many names, from the most beautiful to the most vile, but people often avoid speaking of me at all. What am I?
Think about something that can be shared, but not owned, and is often considered taboo or uncomfortable to discuss openly...
As defendants, we deny all involvement in the unscrupulous dealings which have come to light in the recent government investigation. What country name is hidden in the previous sentence?
Think about the first letter of each word in the sentence...
A Queen has twins by Caesarean section so it's impossible to tell who was born first. Now the twins are adults and ready to rule. One is intensely stupid, while the other is highly intelligent, well-loved, and charismatic. Yet the unintelligent one is chosen as the next ruler.
Why?
Think about the traditional rules of succession in monarchies...
There was a farmer making his way to the market with a fox, a chicken, and some grain. He came to a clearing with a stream. He saw a boat nearby, but he could only take one of his items with him. He knew if he took the grain, and left the fox and chicken, the fox would eat the chicken., and if he took the fox, the chicken would eat the grain. How do you get all of them across?
Think about making multiple trips across the stream, and consider the order in which you transport the items to ensure the fox, chicken, and grain are never left together unsupervised.
You take the chicken across, and then go back for the fox. While you are dropping off the fox, take the chicken back, and then get the grain, and take it across. Then go back and get the chicken. Share this with your friends!
I am something people love or hate. I change people's appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?
I fly in the air, But I am not always there. I cannot be touched, But I can be felt or held. Think very hard, But if you live near the equator, You may have a tough time seeing me. What am I?
"Look up to the sky, but think about the seasons..."
I'm in the book, but not on any leaf; I'm in the mouth, but not in lip or teeth; I'm in the atmosphere, but never in the air; I wait on every one, but never on a pair; I am with you wherever you may go; And every thing you do I'm sure to know; Though when you did it I should not be there, Yet when 'twas done, you'd find me in the chair.
What am I?
Think about the words that are often associated with these locations, but not physically present in them...
I can come in many forms, pictures, sentences, and even more. I'm easy to some and hard to many. What am I?
Think about something that can be expressed in different ways, yet its meaning can be understood by some people quickly, while others might struggle to grasp it...
Stealthy as a shadow in the dead of night,
Cunning but affectionate if given a bite.
Never owned but often loved.
At my sport considered cruel,
But that's because you never know me at all.
What am I?
Think about something that is often misunderstood or judged based on its actions, but has a softer side to it...
How you describe me is what I am. Poets might hate me, but sailors should love me. I can't give them the sea, but only something that sounds like it. What am I?
Think about a word that is a homophone for "sea" and is often used in poetry and navigation...
An orange. (Note: orange doesn't rhyme with anything, and it gives sailors vitamin C (a homophone of sea))
I am at the beginning of all things. I am at the end of eternity. There is but one path from my beginning to my end. My whole embodies indifference.
What am I?
Think about a concept that has a clear starting point, an ultimate endpoint, and a singular progression from start to finish, while also representing a state of neutrality or impartiality.
Who makes it, has no need of it. Who buys it, has no use for it. Those who use it can neither see nor feel it. What is it?
Think about something that is often associated with a special occasion or milestone, but the person who creates it doesn't benefit from it, and the person who purchases it doesn't directly use it...
I am a seven-lettered word; my first three letters refer to a place a driver sits in a bus. My first five letters refer to a small room on a ship; my middle three letters are a container people put waste in. My last three letters refer to one that catches fish. My whole refer to a furniture with doors. What am I?
Think about different modes of transportation and how they relate to enclosed spaces...
Serena made a cake for her husband's birthday. She wanted to save it for the evening, but at that time, Serena found that someone had eaten the cake! The woman concluded that it must have been one of her kids–either Justin, Theodore, or Mia–so she questions them. Justin says, "It was Theodore!". Theodore says, "It was Mia!". And Mia says, "Theodore is lying!". Assuming that only the culprit lies, and that the innocent kids tell the truth, who ate the cake?
Think about who's accusing whom, and what would happen if each child was telling the truth...
Theodore ate the cake. If Justin was the thief, then he and Theodore would be lying, and Mia would be telling the truth, which contradicts the conditions. And if Mia was the thief, then she and Justin would be lying, and Theodore would be telling the truth; this also goes against the rules. Therefore, Justin and Mia are telling the truth, and Theodore is lying, which means that Theodore is the thief.