OxBowBusiness

Literal or Lateral?

Want to test your lateral thinking abilities? Try the following six questions then:

1 Cut a 100 metre length of rope into 2 metre lengths. How many cuts do you make?

2 A 10 metre rope ladder hangs over the side of a boat with the bottom rung on the surface of the water. The rungs are one metre apart and the tide goes up 10 centimetres per hour. How long will it be until 3 rungs are covered?

3 Three switches outside a windowless room are connected to three light bulbs inside the room. How can you determine which switch is connected to which bulb if you may enter the room only once?

4 Take two apples from five apples and what have you got?

5 The day before yesterday Jenny was 17 years old. Next year she will be 20 years old. How is that possible?

6 You are all alone in a deserted house at night and you've got only one match, a lamp, a fire and a candle. What do you light first?

Take a look through our newly revamped web site starting here www.oxbow.org.uk/php/index.php to find the answers ... they are all together on one page, not spread over the whole site.

Duncan Williamson

posted by Duncan Williamson @ 6:38 PM