Brainteasers and Quizzes

The phaonmneel pweor of the hmuan mnid: I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearcr at Cmagbride Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers of a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Weakest Link Brainteaser Test

First Question:
You are participating in a race. You overtake the second person. What position do you finish?

Answer:
If you said "first", you are wrong! You arrive second! If you overtake the second person and you take his place, you arrive second!

Second Question:
If you overtake the last person, then you arrive...?

Answer:
If you answer that you arrived second to last, then you are wrong again. Tell me, how can you overtake the LAST person? You're not very good at this are you?

Third Question:
Very Tricky math! Note: This riddle must be done in your head only -- do NOT write it down.

• Take 1000 and add:
  • 40;
  • 1000;
  • 30;
  • 1000;
  • 20;
  • 1000;
  • and 10.
• What is the new total?

Answer:
Did you get 5000? The correct answer is actually 4100. Don't believe it? Check with your calculator! The decimal sequence confuses our brain, which always jumps to the highest decimals (100s instead of 10s). You ARE the weakest link. Goodbye!

Quiz #1

Here's a quick test of intelligence. There are no tricks to the test, and it looks pretty simple. But let's see how YOU do. Read this sentence:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Now count aloud the F's in that sentence. Count them QUICKLY AND ONLY ONCE. Do not go back and count them again. What is your answer?
ANSWER

Quiz #2

1. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How could this be?
   
   
2. Manhole Covers: Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?
   
   
   
   
3. 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 same punch were poisoned and became very sick. Why did the man not get sick?
   
   
   
   
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?
   
   

Quiz #3

1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
   
   
2. How many birthdays does the average man have?
   
   
3. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
   
   
4. Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
   
   
5. How many outs are there in an inning?
   
   
6. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
   
   
7. Two men play five games of checkers. Each man wins the same number of games. There are no ties. Explain this.
   
   
8. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
   
   
9. A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color is the bear? Why?
   
   
10. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
    
    
11. I have two US coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?
    
    
12. If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?
    
    
13. How far can a dog run into the woods?
    
    
14. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?
    
    
15. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?
    
    
16. How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the ark?
    
    
17. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10'' tall. What does he weigh?
    
    
18. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
    
    

Answers

Answer to Quiz #1:

Answers to Quiz 2:

1. Twin Birthdays: At the time she went into labor, 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 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. Another option suggested by one of our visitors is that although he was her "twin" brother, he could have been the twin of another sibling.
   
   
2. Manhole Covers: 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. Note: A visitor to the website wrote that manhole covers are round so it is easy for one person to manage; i.e., they can roll it instead of carrying it, and which ever way you put it on is correct.
   
   
3. The Deadly Party: 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. Alternative solution: He could have poisoned the punch after drinking some of it.
   
   
4. Trouble with Sons: They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.) Note: Another visitor added that one son could be adopted.
   
   

Answers to Quiz #3

1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
   Yes, they have a 4th of July, but they don't celebrate that day!
   
   
2. How many birthdays does the average man have?
   One birthday -- the day he was born; but he celebrates it yearly.
   
   
3. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
   All of them (12) have AT LEAST 28 days.
   
   
4. Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
   Because he isn't dead if he's LIVING in the U.S.
   
   
5. How many outs are there in an inning?
   Six (three for each team per inning); except that the LAST inning may have 3, 4, 5, or 6 outs depending on the score, as follows:
   • If the home team is ahead after 3 outs, the game is over.
   • If the home team is behind after 6 outs, the game is over.
   • The home team may after 3, 4, or 5 outs score enough runs to win the game.
   • If the game is tied after 6 outs, there will be another inning.
   
   
   
6. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
   No, because he is DEAD, since his wife is his WIDOW!
   
   
7. Two men play five games of checkers. Each man wins the same number of games. There are no ties. Explain this The two men were NOT PLAYING EACH OTHER!
   
   
8. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
   70 -- thirty divided by 2 would have made the total 25 but thirty divided by 1/2 = 60, plus 10 = 70
   
   
9. A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color is the bear? Why?
   White -- because a house with southern exposures on all 4 sides must be at the North Pole, where they only have Polar Bears.
   
   
10. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
    You have two, because YOU took away two!
    
    
11. I have two US coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?
    A fifty cent piece and a nickel -- it said ONE wasn't a nickel, but the OTHER ONE WAS!
    
    
12. If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?
    The match has to be lit first!
    
    
13. How far can a dog run into the woods?
    To the middle of the woods (the halfway point), because after that, he's running OUT. (i.e., "Into" represents the distance from any edge to the middle, and after that point, he is running "OUT OF" the woods.)
    
    
14. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?
    One hour -- you take one at the start of the hour one after 30 minutes, and one at the end of the hour
    
    
15. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?
    Nine are left -- because it said all BUT nine died!
    
    
16. How many animals of each sex did Moses take on the ark?
    None -- You're thinking of Noah, not Moses.
    
    
17. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10'' tall. What does he weigh?
    He weighs MEAT!
    
    
18. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
    12! A dozen of anything is still 12.
    
    

Quiz #4

A quiz for people who know everything:

1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it?
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
3. Of all vegetables, only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. All other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the only two perennial vegetables?
4. Name the only sport in America in which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball.
5. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
7. Only three words in Standard English begin with the letters "dw". They are all common. Name two of them.
8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them?
9. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the "Los Angeles Lakers"?
10. There are eight ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Name them.
11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it?
12. Name ten or more things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter "s".

ANSWERS TO QUIZ #4

1. Boxing.
2. Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about 2 and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.
3. Asparagus and rhubarb.
4. Baseball (in other countries, the answer could also be cricket).
5. Strawberry.
6. The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.
7. "Dwarf", "dwell", and "dwindle".
8. Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.
9. In Minnesota. The team was originally known as the Minneapolis Lakers and kept the name when they moved west.
10. 1. balk (although a player cannot automatically advance to first on a balk, a balked pitch is automatically a ball, and a runner could walk to first base if the balk is the fourth "ball"); 2. walk; 3. hit-by-pitch; 4. defensive interference; 5. fielders choice; 6. dropped third strike; 7. being designated as a pinch runner; and 8. error.
11. Lettuce.
12. Shoes, socks, sandals, sneakers, slippers, skis, skates, snowshoes, stockings, stilettos, and stilts!

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