“Red Herring” Lateral Thinking Puzzles
(Note: a red herring is information intended to
distract.)
Students may ask only “Yes-or-No” questions to
solve the puzzle!
1. Tara announced to her colleagues that she had
created something that has no beginning, no end,
and nothing in the middle. If they would stop by
in the morning, she would share the formula for
her creation with them. They did and she did.
What did she create?
2. When asked what he wanted to do when he grew
up, Igor replied, “I want to shoot people and
blow them up.” His parents were very pleased
with his career choice. How can that be?
3. While on his way to the museum with some
friends, Manuel tripped and fell over forty feet.
He survived his ordeal without so much as a
scratch or a bruise. How was this possible?
4. A woman put on a heavy coat and left home for
the rest of the day. It was neither raining nor
cold outside. Why would she do this?
Source: Critical Thinking Press and Software, 1992, Pacific Grove, CA
5. Two baseball teams were in the playoffs for the
championships. They played five games and
each team won the same number of games. How
is that possible?
6. Although it was not very heavy, nobody on
board the ship could hold it for more than a few
minutes. What was it?
7. One afternoon, while camping with her family,
Bev was asked to go to the river and bring back
a bucket full of water. To her surprise, the only
bucket she could find had several large holes in
its bottom. Undismayed, Bev managed to fulfill
the request. How did she do it?
8. The sign outside the business reads, “If you
don’t come in we will both starve.” What kind
of business is it?
9. When asked what he does for a living, Hans says
that he just sits around all day making faces.
What does Hans do?
Source: Critical Thinking Press and Software, 1992, Pacific Grove, CA
Answers!
1. Tana had just cooked up her first batch of
doughnuts – an object with no beginning, no
end, and nothing in the middle. She gave her
colleagues each a donut and the recipe
(formula) for making them.
2. Igor wanted to be a professional photographer.
He wanted to learn how to “shoot” pictures
and “blow up” the pictures with an enlarger.
3. Manuel was going to the museum with his
school class. As the last to board the bus, he
tripped and fell over many of the outspread
feet of his classmates as he made his way to
his seat in the back of the bus.
4. The woman was painting her house. She put a
heavy coat of paint on the interior walls and
then left the house until the paint had a chance
to dry.
5. The teams were in different leagues and didn’t
play each other.
Source: Critical Thinking Press and Software, 1992, Pacific Grove, CA
6. Their breath. The people on the ship were all
scuba divers who were testing how long they
could hold their breath if they were every
forced to do it underwater.
7. Bev’s family was camping in the middle of
winter. Bev realized that it didn’t matter if the
bucket had holes in it since she was going to
be filing it with ice from the frozen river.
8. A restaurant.
9. Hans works in a factory that makes
grandfather clocks. It is his job to create the
beautiful designs that are on the faces of the
clocks.
Source: Critical Thinking Press and Software, 1992, Pacific Grove, CA