Puzzles | Brain Teasers | Aptitude Questions

1. What are the only English words with three consecutive repeated letters. For example, sweet-toothed would be one (ee,tt,oo) if it weren't for the hyphen.

Answers:

Bookkeeper and the related forms of the word, such as bookkeeping.

 

2. A man is six feet tall, is a clerk at a butcher shop, and wears size 11 shoes. What does he weigh?

Answers:

He weighs meat

 

3. 75% can be written as 3/4. How would 58 1/3% be written as a fraction (when reduced to the lowest denominator)?

Answers:

7/12. The easiest way to do this? 58 1/3% is 58.333.. out of 100. Multiply both the denominator and numerator by three to make them both whole numbers, and you have 175/300. Now just reduce this.

 

4. How can you arrange four ordinary wineglasses on an ordinary table so that "foot" (center of the bottom of the stem) of each is the same distance from all the others?

Answers:

Place the first three in an equilateral triangle so that the foot of each is the same distance from the others as the height of a wineglass. Then place the fourth wineglass in the middle of the triangle, upside down.

Further explanation:

The 4 foots have to form a regular tetrahedron. Therefore the areas of the triangles have to be the same.

Area of triangle = (1/2)*b*h

Area of equilateral triangle = 0.433*b^2

h = 1 (the height of 1 wineglass)

Therefore: 0.5*b*1 = 0.433*b^2

b = 1.1547 ( 1.1547 times the height of 1 wineglass)

 

5. If measured from the center of the planet, which mountain on Earth is the highest?

Answers:

Mount Chimborazo, in Ecuador. Everest is the highest above sea level, but because of the way the Earth bulges at the center, Chimborazo (6010 meters, or 20,600 feet above sea level) is the highest when measured from the center of the planet. To put it another way, it is the furthest out into space or the closest to the sun

How To Increase Brain Power | Tricky Puzzles

1. Where did Chinese gooseberries originally come from?

Answer:

New Zealand - "Chinese gooseberry" is another name for the kiwi fruit. Its fuzzy exterior reminded somebody of a gooseberry.

 

2. Where are Panama hats made?

Answer:

Ecuador - Panama hats have always been made in Ecuador, from the leaves of the panama-hat palm. The origin of the name is uncertain, but made popular when Teddy Roosevelt wore his while visiting the Panama canal.

 

3. How many years did the "Hundred Years War" last?

Answer:

116 years - It was a conflict between England and France, from 1337 to 1453.

 

4. What color is the "black box" in jet airplanes?

Answer:

Orange - The term "black box" means a device that is viewed primarily in terms of its input and output characteristics (you can't see inside it). On planes these are orange to make them easier to find after a crash.

 

5. What was the first name of King George the sixth?

Answer:

Albert - (Albert Frederick Arthur George) He was King of the United Kingdom (1936- 1952), the last Emperor of India until 1947, and the last King of Ireland until 1949.

 

6. Which animals do we get catgut from?

Answer:

Horses and Sheep - A tough cord used for musical strings, surgical stitching and more, it has never been made from cats. The intestines of horses, sheep, goats, mules, pigs and donkeys have been used.

 

7. When do Russians celebrate the October Revolution?

Answer:

November - It refers to the events of late October, 1917, but the anniversary of the October Revolution is November 7, and was an official holiday in the Soviet Union. This is due to the different calendars used at the time. The Julian calendar was still used in Russia but western countries used the Gregorian calendar, which was later adopted by the Soviet Union.

 

8. What is used for the bristles of a "camels hair brush?"

Answer:

Squirrel Hair - The hair of goats, ponies, bears, and sheep are also used, alone or in combinations. Hair from camels is considered too woolly for brushes, and is never used.

 

9. What animal is thought to be the source of the name "Canary Islands?"

Answer:

Dog - Insula Canaria, a Latin name meaning Island of the Dogs, was applied originally to the island of Gran Canaria. Apparently there were wild dogs that populated many of the islands when they were first visited by ancient Romans.

 

10. What color are purple finches?

Answer:

Red and Brown - Males (adult) are normally red on the head, breast, and back. Females are light brown above, white below, and with dark brown streaks throughout.

Riddles And Puzzles

1. Animal Numbers

If cat + dog = 7, and rat + mouse = 31, what does alligator + bird equal?

 

Answer:

3. In each equation the numerical position in the alphabet of the first letter of each word is used. Thus alligator + bird is 1 + 2, or 3 (the "a" in alligator is the 1st letter of the alphabet and "b" in bird is the 2nd).

 

2. I Am Six Yet One

What English word has the letter "i" in it six times?

 

Answer:

Indivisibility.

 

3. Und Then What?

What five letters can you add "und" to - at the beginning and end - to create a common English word? (und_____und)

 

Answer:

ERGRO. Put the three letters in front of it, and the same three letters behind to form "underground."

 

4. A Backwards Tongue

There is a palindrome (a word that is spelled the same forward and backwards) which is also the name of a language. What is it?

 

Answer:

Malayalam, spoken in parts of India.

 

5. Aeouarrgh!
Name an English word with five consecutive vowels.

 

Answer:

The word "queueing" may be the only one.

 

6. The Gift Of No Sunrise

In the middle of the night a man gets out of bed, walks to the yard and puts something in a bag. He then gets in his car, drives across town to his friend's house and rings the doorbell. His friend answers and the man says, "Here, you wanted it, so its yours." The man then smiles and drives home. As a result of all this, though, he never sees another sunrise in his life (but yes, he is alive). How can you explain this?

 

Answer:

The man put his rooster in the bag and gave it to the friend who had admired it. Now he could sleep in peace at last until well after sunrise.

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.

Lateral Thinking 6

Question 7 Crossing the River:

Jake was standing on one side of the river, and his dog Scruffy was standing on the other side. "Come on Scruffy, come, boy!" shouted Jake. Scruffy crossed the river, ran to Jake, and got a treat for being a good dog. The amazing thing was that Scruffy didn't even get wet! How did Scruffy do that?

Answer:

1.The river was frozen.

2.There was a bridge over the river, and Scruffy crossed the bridge.

Question 8 Digging Dirt:

How much dirt is in a round hole that is 9 feet deep with a diameter of 3 feet? (Hint: You don’t have to do any math to get the answer. Just use your head!)

Answer:

None. You make a hole by digging out the dirt, so the hole is empty.

Question 9 Minus Two:

How many times can you subtract the number 2 from the number 32?

Answer:

Once. After you subtract 2 from 32, you subtract 2 from 30, from 28, and so on.

Question 10 Name the Dog:

Once a dog named Nelly lived on a farm. There were three other dogs on the farm. Their names were Blackie, Whitey, and Brownie. What do you think the fourth dog’s name was?

Answer:

Nelly. (If there are only four dogs on the farm, the fourth one must be Nelly!)

Lateral Thinking 5

Question 1:

Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There is nothing in between them but the desk. Why can't they see each other?

Answer:

The two students have their backs to each other.

 

Question 2:

There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false?

Answer:

True. There are only two T's (upper case). There are also three t's (lower case).

 

Question 3:

Train A and train B are crossing the country, from coast to coast, over 3,000 miles of railroad track. Train A is going from east to west at 80 miles per hour, and Train B is going from west to east at 90 miles per hour. Which train will be closer to the west coast when they meet?

Answer:

When the trains meet, they will be at exactly the same point. Therefore, they will each be the same distance from the west coast.

Lateral Thinking 4

Question 1 Bottleneck:

Put a coin in a bottle and then stop the opening with a cork. How can you get the coin out of the bottle without pulling out the cork or breaking the bottle?

Answer:

Push the cork into the bottle, and shake the coin out.

Question 2:

A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?

Answer:

She was walking.

 

Question 3:

How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else catches or throws it?

Answer:

Throw the ball straight up in the air.

Lateral Thinking 3

A man lives on the twelfth floor of an apartment building. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves the building. In the evening, he gets into the elevator, and, if there is someone else in the elevator — or if it was raining that day — he goes back to his floor directly. Otherwise, he goes to the tenth floor and walks up two flights of stairs to his apartment. Why does he do that?

Answer:

Because he’s too short and can’t reach the button for 12th floor by himself. If raining – then he uses the umbrella I guess to reach up.

Lateral Thinking 2

 

An ordinary American citizen, with a clean police record but no passport, managed to visit over thirty foreign countries.  He was welcomed in each country, and left each one of his own accord.  He did this in one day. How did that happen?

Answer:

He meet Embassies of the countries

Lateral Thinking 1

Question 1: It was a dark stormy night and a couple was in a car racing madly through a foreign city. The car broke down and the husband had to go to get help from someone who spoke his language. He was afraid to leave his wife alone in the car so he pulled up the windows fully and locked the car before leaving. When he came back, the car was in the same state (no damages at all) as he had left it but his wife was dead, there was blood on the floor of the car and there was a stranger in the car. What happened?

Answer:

The wife was pregnant… she delivered the baby (stranger) and died in the process while her hubby was away fetching help!

 

Question 2: A police officer saw a truck driver clearly going the wrong way down a one-way street. The truck driver did not exceed speed limits nor was he in any emergency, but the police officer did not try to stop him. Why not????

Answer:

It says “truck driver” right… and not “truck”. So it could have been a pedestrian.

Lateral Thinking

A politician wrote a long speech. How did it help his career even before he gave the speech?

Answer: This is a true story. In 1912, President Teddy Roosevelt was shot in the chest. The folded-up manuscript of his speech was in his pocket, and slowed the bullet, saving his life, and so helping his career.

Lateral Thinking

Question 1: Suresh wants to sell a nice collection of tamil song records that he has. He sold half of his records plus a half record more to Raja for 150 rupees and then he sold half of what was left and a half record more to Ramesh for 100 rupees. At this point Suresh had one record left. How many records did Suresh have originally?
Answer: 7 records.

 

Question 2: There is a bridge 4 kilometers long and strong enough to hold 10,000 kgs but nothing more. A fully loaded lorry weighing exactly 10,000 kgs drives on this bridge.  Halfway through a sparrow weighing 30 gms lands on the truck, yet the bridge doesnt collapse. How can that happen?
Answer: By the time the lorry comes to the middle of the bridge (2 kms) it would have already burnt more than 30 gms of fuel.

Lateral Thinking

Question 1.) I buy it but I cannot use it. My friend who made it does not need it. The person who uses it is not aware of the fact that he is using it. What is it?

Answer: Coffin.

Question 2.) Greater than God,
More evil than the devil.
The poor have it,
The rich need it.
If you eat it, you’ll die.
What is it?

Answer: Nothing.
NOTHING is greater than God,
NOTHING is more evil than the devil.
The poor have NOTHING,
The rich need NOTHING.
If you eat NOTHING, you’ll die.