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Lateral Thinking Puzzles

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Lateral thinking puzzles (sometimes called situation puzzles) are strange situations where you are given a limited amount of information.  You ask questions and the quiz-master gives you Yes/No answers until you figure out the answer.  You need to use imagination, deduction, lateral thinking and excellent questioning skills to get there.  A good puzzle has a satisfying 'aha' feeling when you solve it.  You probably know some lateral thinking puzzles. The most famous is the man who lives on the 20th floor of an apartment block. He takes the elevator down to the ground floor every morning to go to work. When he returns he takes the elevator to the 17th floor and walks the remainign 3 flights of stairs to his apartment. He hates walking and he does not need the exercise so why does he do it? If you have not heard it before the answer is in the list of classic puzzles below.

Handy Links

Some places where you can learn more.....

Classic Lateral Thinking Puzzles
A list of 20 of the all-time classic lateral thinking puzzles as held on the rec.puzzzles newsgroup FAQ.
Lateral Puzzles Forum
Where you can set or solve puzzles interactively.
Lateral Thinking Puzzlers
The daddy of them all - the first in a series of best-selling lateral thinking puzzle books. First published in 1991.
Lateral Thinking Puzzles page on Wikipedia
More about these puzzles on Wikipedia.
Destination Innovation
Paul Sloane's business website. Helping improve innovation through lateral thinking.

Lateral Puzzle Books on Amazon

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Try your skill at the Wally Test

Assess your skill at a Wally Test from Great Lateral Thinking Puzzles.

The Wally Test is a popular section of each book. It consists of mean, low, nasty, trick questions. Get pencil and paper and write down the answers to following questions. You have two minutes:

1. If a ton of coal costs $30 and a ton of coke costs $25, what will a ton of firewood come to?

2. Removing an appendix is called an appendectomy, removing tonsils is called a tonsillectomy. What is it called when they remove a growth from your head?

3. Why are U.S. soldiers forbidden to carry rifles any longer?

4. What three things that you can eat can never have for breakfast?

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

6. What would you call a person who did not have all his fingers on one hand?

7. Which is greater: six dozen dozen or half a dozen dozen?

8. What is the best way to get down from a camel?

9. How could a man be severely injured being hit by some tomatoes?

10. Why do Chinese men eat more rice than Japanese men?

(Reprinted from Great Lateral Thinking Puzzles)

How did you do? Check your score in the Wally Answers

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  • AnzE02 Jan 17, 2012 @ 3:59 am | delete
    I really enjoyed reading this informative lens of yours..hope you will always be inspired to do more lenses like this
  • YepI'maVisitor Nov 21, 2011 @ 11:58 pm | delete
    404 Not Found. Gee. Thanks.
  • rjgats Oct 21, 2009 @ 8:22 am | delete
    Great site! Fun!
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Lateral

I am the author of many books on lateral thinking puzzles and creative leadership. I give talks and workshops on lateral thinking, innovation and lea... more »

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