Brain Teasers 1

Question 1 New Shoes:

One day, two mothers and two daughters went shopping for shoes. Their shopping spree was successful — each bought a pair of shoes, and all together, they had three pairs. How is this possible?

Answer:

Only three people went shopping: a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter — but remember that the mother was the grandmother's daughter!

 

Question 2:

The rope ladder of a boat hangs over the side of the boat and just reaches the water. Its rungs are 8 inches apart.

How many rungs will be under the water when the tide rises 4 feet?

Answer:

When the tide rises 4 feet, the boat and its ladder will also rise. So no rungs will be under the water.

 

Question 3 Outsmarting the Donkey:

Amir tied two sacks of salt to the back of his donkey and headed for the market to sell the salt. On the way, Amir and the donkey passed a stream. The donkey jumped in to cool himself. As a result, much of the salt dissolved into the water, ruining the salt for Amir but improving matters for the donkey because his load became much lighter. Amir tried to get to the market on the following days, but the donkey always ruined the salt. Finally, Amir decided to teach the donkey a lesson. He once again set out with the donkey and the two sacks.

What did Amir do differently this time so that after that day the donkey stopped taking a swim?

Answer:

Amir loaded the sacks not with salt but with sand. When the donkey jumped in the stream and got the sacks wet, they became much heavier.