1. The Man In The Elevator:
A man lives on the tenth floor of a
building. Every day he takes the
elevator to go down to the ground
floor to go to work or to go
shopping. When he returns he takes
the elevator to the seventh floor and
walks up the stairs to reach his
apartment on the tenth floor. He
hates walking so why does he do it?
Hint: Umbrella
2. The Man At the Concession
Stand:
A man walks up to a concession
stand and asks the lady for a glass
of water. The lady pulls out a bat &
pretends she is going to hit the man.
The man says “Thank you” and
walks out.
3. The Man Who Hung Himself
Not far from Madrid, there is a large
wooden barn. The barn is completely
empty except for a dead man
hanging from the middle of the
central rafter. The rope around his
neck is ten feet long and his feet are
three feet off the ground. The nearest
wall is 20 feet away from the man.
There is a puddle of water nearby. It
is not possible to climb up the walls
or along the rafters. The man hanged
himself. How did he do it?
4. Red Light:
A police officer was sitting on his
motorcycle at a red traffic light
when two teenagers in a sports car
drove by him at 50mph. He did not
chase them or try to apprehend
them. Why not?
5. Car In The River:
A man was driving alone in his car
when he spun off the road at high
speed. He crashed through a fence
and bounced down a steep ravine
before the car plunged into a fast
flowing river. As the car slowly
settled in the river, the man realized
that his arm was broken and that he
could not release his seat belt and
get out of the car. The car sank to
the bottom of the river. He was
trapped in the car. Rescuers arrived
two hours later, yet they found him
alive. How come?
6. The Coal, Carrot And Scarf:
Five pieces of coal, a carrot and a
scarf are lying on the lawn. Nobody
put them on the lawn but there is a
perfectly logical reason why they
should be there. What is it?
7. Trouble With Sons:
A woman had two sons who were
born on the same hour of the same
day of the same month of the same
year. But they were not twins. How
could this be so?
8. Recovery:
A truck driver called into his office
to report that his truck had broken
down. A tow-truck was sent out to
tow back the disabled truck. When
they arrived, the truck that had
broken down was towing the towtruck. Why?
9. Man Overboard:
A man vacationing abroad was
alone on his yacht when he fell off
into deep water. He was a nonswimmer and he was not wearing
anything to keep him afloat. He was
rescued half an hour later. Why
didn't he drown?
10. The Great Wall:
An American, who had never been
to any country other than the United
States, was standing one day on
solid ground when he saw the Great
Wall of China with his own eyes.
How come?
11. The Cut Finger:
A man is peeling potatoes when he
cuts his finger. He immediately puts
his finger into water and leaves it
there for thirty seconds. However,
when he pulls his hand out the cut
has entirely disappeared. How can
this have happened?
12. Manhole Covers:
Why is it better to have round
manhole covers than square ones?
13. Bouncing Baby:
How could a baby fall out of a
twenty-story building and live?
14. Small Furniture:
A factory specializes in producing
furniture that is 20% smaller than
normal furniture. The furniture is
not designed for or sold especially
to smaller sized people. Why do
they make it?
15. The Twelve:
From the beginning of time and up
to the time of this writing, twelve
and only twelve people have
achieved this feat. What is it?
16. See Saw:
A deaf man need to buy a saw to
cut some wood. He went into a
hardware store. How did he indicate
to the storekeeper that he wanted to
buy a saw?
17. Radio On:
A young girl was listening to the
radio. Suddenly it went off for a
minute and then came back on
again. There was nothing wrong
with the radio or with the program
transmission from the radio station.
She did not touch the radio
controls. Why did it go off and on?
18. The Penny Black:
The famous 'Penny Black', the
world's first postage stamp, was
introduced in England in 1840. The
idea of postage stamps was a great
success and was taken up
worldwide. Yet the 'Penny Black'
was in use for only one year before
it was replaced by the 'Penny Red'.
Why?
19. The Cellar Door:
A little girl was warned by her
parents never to open the cellar
door or she would see things that
she was not meant to see. One day
while her parents were out she did
open the cellar door. What did she
see?
20. The Key:
Every night before he went to bed,
a man carefully locked all the doors
of his house. Then he placed the
front door key inside a bucket of
cold water. In the morning he
retrieved the key from the bucket in
order to open the door. Why did he
do this?
21. February 1866:
What happened in February 1866
that will not happen again for
another two and a half million
years?
22. Price Tag:
Many shops have prices set just
under a round figure, i.e... $9.99
instead of $10.00 or $99.95 instead
of $100.00. It is assumed that this is
done because the price seems lower
to the consumer. But this is not the
reason the practice started. What
was the original reason for this
pricing method?
23. Large Number:
Assume there are approximately
6,000,000,000 (6 billion) people on
Earth. What would you estimate to
be the result, if you multiply
together the number of fingers on
every person's left-hands? (For the
purposes of this exercise, thumbs
count as fingers, for five fingers per
hand.) If you cannot estimate the
number then try to guess how long
the number would be.
24. The Coconut Millionaire:
A man buys coconuts at $5 a dozen
and sells them at $3 a dozen. As a
result of this he becomes a
millionaire. How come?
25. The Fallen Guide:
A mountain climber in the
Himalayas took along with him two
mountain guides. After a few hours,
one of the guides fell into a deep
crevasse. The climber and the other
guide continued the climb and did
not raise the alarm. Why?
26. Rich Man, Poor Man:
A man making over $10,000,000 a
year drives a small car, lives in a
modest house, and insists he can't
afford luxuries. Why not?
27. The Hairdresser:
A New York City hairdresser
recently said that he would rather
cut the hair of three Canadians than
one New Yorker. Why?
28. Cheap Treasure:
A man acquired an item without
choosing it specifically. It was not
of particular value to him, but a
second man offered him $5,000 for
it, as he wanted it as a gift for his
wife. The wife was delighted with
her present, but within a week she
damaged it. This was not a problem
as a replacement was easily made at
a cost of $20. Sometime later the
wife reluctantly sold it to another
woman for $8,000. What was it?
29. The Coconut Grove:
An American nightclub called 'The
Coconut Grove' had a terrible fire
in which over 400 people died. A
simple design flaw in the building
led to the death toll being so high.
Subsequently, regulations were
changed to ensure that all public
buildings throughout the country
eliminated this one detail, which
proved so deadly. What was it?
30. The Two Fingers:
A Frenchman cut off the first and
second fingers on the right hand of
six other men. Why?
31. Happy Or Sad:
Three women dressed in swimsuits
were standing together. Two were
sad and one was happy. But the sad
women were both smiling and the
happy one was crying. Why should
that be so?
32. The Unseen Walker:
On a busy Friday afternoon, a man
walked several miles across New
York City from Manhattan to the
Bronx without seeing anybody or
being seen by anybody. The day
was clear and bright. He had perfect
eyesight and he looked where he
was going. He did not travel by any
method of transport other than by
foot. NYC was packed with people
yet not one of them saw him. How?
33. One Step Beyond:
A man stood looking through the
window on the sixth floor of an
office building. Suddenly, he was
overcome by an impulse. He
opened the window and leapt
through it. It was a sheer drop
outside the building to the ground.
He did not use a parachute or land
in water or on any special soft
surface. Yet the man was
completely unhurt when he landed.
How could that be so?
34. Coming Home:
A man walked home after having
been out late with friends. He
walked down the middle of a
deserted country road. There were
no streetlights to illuminate the road
and there was no moonlight. He
was dressed all in black. Suddenly a
car that did not have its headlights
on came racing down the road. At
the last moment, the driver of the
car saw the man and swerved to
avoid him. How did he manage to
see him?
35. King George IV:
King George IV was born in 1763.
He was King of England from 1820
until his death in 1830. He was not
a great king, but he did start a new
trend in footwear. His boots were
different from everybody else's.
The innovation concerning his
boots was copied and it is
commonplace today, but at the time
was very unusual. What was it?
36. The Lonely Man:
A man lived alone in a house for
two months. Nobody came to visit
him and he never went out. At the
end of that time, he became
deranged. One night he put out the
fire, turned off the lights, and
walked out of the house. He was
never seen or heard of again. His
actions in leaving that house
resulted in the deaths of ninety
people. Why was that?
37. Silent Murder
The police went to an apartment
building to investigate a murder and
found the body on the living room
floor, with the murder weapon, a
shotgun, nearby. The time of the
murder was narrowed down to a
three-hour period, and the victim's
neighbors were questioned. Both of
the people in the adjacent apartment,
separated from the victim's living
room by only a thin wall, were home
at the time of the murder. Separately
questioned, they both denied hearing
a gunshot. The police were not
surprised. Why not?
38. Defying Gravity:
A man was painting using an
ordinary brush and paint container.
Something startled him. He
dropped the paintbrush and it fell
on the ceiling, not the floor. Why?
39. Avoiding the Train:
Another man was walking along a
railway track when he spotted an
express train speeding towards him.
To avoid it, he jumped off the track,
but before he jumped he ran ten feet
towards the train. Why?
40. A Safe Place:
Chuck leaves home. When he tries
to return, a man wearing a mask
blocks his path.
a) What is Chuck doing?
b) What is the masked man's
occupation?
c) Where is Chuck's 'safe place'?
41. The Stranger:
A married couple was speeding into
town when their car ran out of
petrol. The man went for help after
making sure his wife closed the
windows and locked the doors of
the car. Upon his return, he found
his wife dead and a stranger in the
car. The windows were still closed,
the doors were still locked, and no
damage was done to the car. How
the woman die, and what was the
stranger doing?
42. What Are They?:
"How much will one cost?" asked
the customer in a hardware store.
"Twenty-cents ($0.20)," replied the
clerk. "And how much will twelve
cost?" "Forty-cents ($0.40)."
"Okay. I'll take one hundred and
twelve." "Fine. That will be sixty
cents ($0.60)." What was the
customer buying?
43. A Job In A Million:
Robert Bradley is a lucky man
indeed. He is only 29 and works for
an important corporation with offices
all over the world. Robert travels
extensively, always first-class,
staying at the best hotels. He does not
buy or sell anything and yet is in
close contact with important business
people and even royalty. When he
speaks, everyone listens with
undivided attention. Arriving at his
destination, he spends his time at the
swimming pool, if he is not out
shopping. After a day or two, he
leaves, without having concluded any
business. Explain.
44. Pilot Error:
Tim Shaw, a pilot for eighteen years,
had an outstanding safety record. One
afternoon he was trying to land a British
Airways 757. Visibility was good in
spite of a slight snow flurry. He was
easing the plane gently down towards
the runway when it happened. It
appeared that Tim had throttled back too
early and the plane, one of the safest in
service, stalled and crash-landed.
Although no one was hurt, the accident
was clearly due to pilot error, and in
spite of this blemish on his record, his
career remained unaffected. How was
this possible, considering the stringent
safety measures applied by all
international airlines?
45. Four Lines
Using only four straight lines
connect all 9 dots. You can not lift
your pencil.
.
.
.
. .
. .
. .
46. Draw a House
Without lifting your pencil, draw a
house with an x in the middle. You
may only use 8 straight lines.
47. The Cowboy
A cowboy rode into town on
Friday. He stayed for 3 days and
left on a Friday. How can this be
true?
48. 4th of July
th
Is there a 4 of July in England?
49. The Arch
How many animals did Moses take
with him on the Arch?
50. Need a Light?
What would you light first if you
only had one match, a torch or a
lamp?
51. Rainy Day
How do you keep 100 people under
an umbrella without getting wet?
52. The Troll
What do you get when a blue troll
goes into red water?
53. The Widow
In California, is it legal for a man to
marry her widow’s sister?
54. The Fox, the Chicken & the
Worm
How to you successfully transport a
fox, a chicken and a worm across a
river when you can only transport
one animal at a time. You only have
one canoe, no cages to separate
them and confrontation can not
occur?
55. A Fishy Tale
A women had a pet goldfish which
she loved dearly. One Day she
noticed that it was swimming
feebly in the bowl and looked sick.
So she rushed it to the vet. The vet
told her to return in an hour. When
the lady returned, she found the
goldfish swimming strong and
looking health again. How had the
vet managed this?
56. The Lost Passenger
Little Billy was four years old and
both his parents had passed away.
His guardian put him on a train to
be sent to a new home in the
country. Billy could neither read
nor write nor remember the address
to where he was headed, so a large
label on a string was secured
around his neck clearly indicating
Billy’s name and destination.
However, despite the best efforts
and kindness of the railway staff,
Billy never arrived at his new
home. Why?
57. The Book
A woman walked up to a man
behind a counter and handed him a
book. He looked at it and said,
“That will be four dollars.” She
paid the man and then walked out
without the book. He saw her leave
without it, but did not call her back.
How come?
58. A Hairy Problem
Why is it that, in general, the hair
on a man’s head goes grey before
the hair in his moustache does?
59. The Birds
Two naturalists were walking in the
country. They were both keen to
protect the environment and to
conserve nature and wildlife. One
said to the other, “I was impressed
by the way that you hit that bird.”
The second replied,
“Yes it was good, but not as good
as that large bird that you hit
earlier,” What were they talking
about?
60. Blinded at Teatime
A man was drinking a cup of tea
when he was suddenly blinded.
How?
61. Countdown
A man was slowly counting, but
unfortunately he miscounted. A
little later he suffered a sharp pain
in his back. Why?
62. Weather Forecast
John was watching TV. Just after
the midnight news there was a
weather forecast: “It was raining
now and will for the next two days.
However in 72 hours it will be
bright and sunny.” “Wrong again,”
snorted John, He was correct, but
how did he know?
63. No West
Let us agree that at the North Pole it
is impossible to look north, and at
the South Pole it is impossible to
look south. Then, where in the
world would you be if you could
look north and south, but not east or
west?
64. The Blind Beggar
A blind beggar had a brother who
died. What relation was the blind
beggar to the brother who died?
(“Brother” is not the answer.)
65. The Truck Driver:
A police officer saw a truck driver
clearly going the wrong way down
a one-way street, but did not try to
stop him. Why not?
66. Mountains Ahead
You are seated next to the pilot of a
small plane at an altitude of one
mile. Huge mountains look directly
ahead. The pilot does not change
speed, direction, or elevation, yet
you survive. How come?
67. A Strange Christening
During a christening ceremony, the
godmother of the child suddenly
tackled the priest who was
conducting the ceremony, knocked
him down, and rolled him on the
ground. Why did she do this?
68. Pond Problem
A man wishes to reach the island in
the middle of an ornamental pond
without getting wet. The island is
20ft. from each edge of the pond
and he has two planks each 19ft.
long. How does he get across?
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69. Walking & Running
There were two keen sportsmen.
One evening at 6pm one started
walking at 4mph and the other
started cycling at 12mph. After an
hour each of them stopped. They
then ran for fifteen minutes at
8mph. They both started from the
same place, A. They both kept
heading in the same directions
throughout and never changed
course or rested during the entire 45
minutes. They both arrived at point
B at the same time. How could this
be and how far was it from A to B.
70. Egg Basket
There are 6 eggs in a basket. Six
people each take one egg. How can
it be that there is still one egg left in
the basket?
71. Hungry Crocodiles
Imagine that you are in the middle
of a lake and your boat is sinking.
Hungry crocodiles surround you
with no easy way back to shore, yet
you survive without a scratch.
How?
72. Light Switches
There are three light switches
outside a room. You must figure
out which light switch controls
which bulb within the room. There
are no windows into the room. You
may only enter the room one time.
Once the door is opened you may
not touch the light switches. How
do you determine which switch
controls with bulb?
73. Unopened Package
A man is found dead in the middle
of a field next to an unopened
package. How did he die?
74. Birds on a Fence
Five birds are sitting on a fence, if
one is shot, how many are left?
75. Women at the Park
Three women are at the park. One
woman is kissing a guy. One
woman is chasing a guy. The last
woman is holding hands with a guy.
Which women is married?
76. The Pool
There is a five-year-old boy in the
middle of a 20’ pool. He can not
swim. How did he survive?
77. Three Sodas
2 sons and 2 dads went to the
movies and bought soda. They all
brought their sodas home with
them, but there were only 3. How?
78. The Laundry Mat
A lady hid in a dryer at the laundry
mat from the police. All the dryers
in the laundry mat were on. The
police knew that you can only
survive in a running dryer for 2
minutes, but the lady was in it for 5
minutes. How did she survive?
79. The Plane Crash
A plane crashed on the border of
the US and Canada. Where did they
bury the survivors?
80. The Girl & Her Friends
A girl was with her friends. She
closed her eyes for 1 minute. When
she opened her eyes all of her
friends were gone. The girl did not
get upset. Why?
81. Rich Man, Poor Man
What do rich people want that poor
people have?
82. 20-Story Building
A 20-story building caught fire. The
people on the 1-13th floors perished.
The people on the 14-19th floors
survived. What happened to the
people on the 20th floor?
83. Couldn’t Find It
I went into the woods and got it. I
sat down to seek it. I brought it
home, because I couldn’t find it.
What is it?
84. The Hunter
A hunter aimed his gun carefully
and fired. Seconds later, he realized
his mistake. Minutes later, he was
dead.
85. Yachting
In the middle of the ocean is a
yacht. Several corpses are floating
in the water nearby. What
happened?
86. Strange Death
A man is dead in a puddle of blood
and water on the floor of an
otherwise empty locked room.
87. Flash of Light
There's a flash of light, and a man
dies.
88. Can’t Sleep
A man is lying awake in bed. He
makes a phone call, says nothing,
and goes to sleep.
Hint: He is sleeping in a hotel
89 Who Am I
Joe, wearing a mask and carrying an
empty sack, leaves his house. Two
hour later he returns with a full sack.
He goes into his room and turns out
the lights.
90 Dies of Thirst
A man dies of thirst in his own
home.
Hint: It was at night
91. Tom
Tom’s mom had two ids, one was
named Quarter, what was the other
one’s name?
92. 100. The Door of Life
A man is standing in a room with
no windows and two doors. In front
of each door stands a guard. One
door leads to death and the other
door leads to life. One guard always
tells the truth. The other guard
always lies. The man’s goal is to
exit through the door of life.
Implications – He may only ask one
question and one question only.
What would that question be, in
which would lead him through the
door to life?