Question 1

Which one is heaviest: 1 kg of feathers, 1 kg of iron?

Accepted Answer

They weigh the same. Both are 1 kilogram, so they weigh exactly the same.

Question 2

Two fathers and two sons go fishing; they catch 3 fish, one each. How?

Accepted Answer

Grandfather, father, son. Grandfather, father and son are three people but two fathers and two sons.

Question 3

Mary's mother has four children: April, May, June, and ?

Accepted Answer

Mary. The fourth child is Mary herself, named at the start of the riddle.

Question 4

In a race you overtake the person in 2nd place. What position are you in?

Accepted Answer

2nd. Passing the runner in 2nd place puts you into 2nd, not 1st.

Question 5

Three boxes are labeled wrong: Apples, Oranges, Mixed. Min picks to fix all labels?

Accepted Answer

1. Pick from the Mixed box; since all are wrong, one pick deduces every label.

Question 6

A man says: 'Brothers and sisters I have none, but this man's father is my father's son.' Who is it?

Accepted Answer

His son. My father's son is himself, so this man's father is the speaker; it is his son.

Question 7

One guard lies, one is truthful. You ask either: 'Which door would the OTHER guard call safe?' You should then:

Accepted Answer

avoid that door. Truth and lie compose to a falsehood either way, so both name the deadly door and you avoid it.

Question 8

Which word completes both: 'A ___ of crows' and '___ of evidence'?

Accepted Answer

Murder. A 'murder' is the collective noun for crows, and 'murder' also collocates with 'evidence' in a criminal investigation context.

Question 9

A man has 2 coins totaling 30 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the two coins?

Accepted Answer

Quarter and nickel. One coin is NOT a nickel — the quarter isn't — but the other coin IS a nickel; 25¢ + 5¢ = 30¢.

Question 10

Series: 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ? — but every prime is replaced by its position in the sequence. What occupies position 9?

Accepted Answer

55. This is a standard Fibonacci sequence; position 9 = 55 (2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89...). The 'prime replacement' caveat is a red herring — Fibonacci values stand as generated.

Question 11

If you rearrange CIRCUMSTANTIAL you can spell two separate common English words. One is a 6-letter body part. What is it?

Accepted Answer

SACRUM. CIRCUMSTANTIAL contains the letters S,A,C,R,U,M — spelling SACRUM (the triangular bone at the base of the spine), all letters present in the source word.

Question 12

Lateral thinking: A man lives on the 30th floor. On rainy days he takes the lift all the way up. On sunny days he takes it to the 15th and walks. Why?

Accepted Answer

He is too short to reach button 30 but an umbrella helps. He is too short to reach the button for floor 30; on rainy days he uses his umbrella as an extension to press it.

LateralTrivia Questions & Answers

Lateral Quiz — 12 Questions

1. Which one is heaviest: 1 kg of feathers, 1 kg of iron?

2. Two fathers and two sons go fishing; they catch 3 fish, one each. How?

3. Mary's mother has four children: April, May, June, and ?

4. In a race you overtake the person in 2nd place. What position are you in?

5. Three boxes are labeled wrong: Apples, Oranges, Mixed. Min picks to fix all labels?

6. A man says: 'Brothers and sisters I have none, but this man's father is my father's son.' Who is it?

7. One guard lies, one is truthful. You ask either: 'Which door would the OTHER guard call safe?' You should then:

8. Which word completes both: 'A _ of crows' and '_ of evidence'?

9. A man has 2 coins totaling 30 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the two coins?

10. Series: 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, ? — but every prime is replaced by its position in the sequence. What occupies position 9?

11. If you rearrange CIRCUMSTANTIAL you can spell two separate common English words. One is a 6-letter body part. What is it?

12. Lateral thinking: A man lives on the 30th floor. On rainy days he takes the lift all the way up. On sunny days he takes it to the 15th and walks. Why?

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