Monday, November 18th, 2013
Lateral Thinking
1) Give a rational explanation for each of the following situations.
a. A man walks into a bar and asks a barman for a glass of water. The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says, "Thank you", and walks out.
Well, maybe the "thank you" of the man was not actually a thank you. It is possible that the man said "thank you" and walked away to try to escape from the unusual barman. The man said "thank you" without meaning it, more implying that he was going to go away, nervously. Or it is even possible that the man said "thank you" because the barman did not fire the gun and spared his life.
I mean, at the same time, I am trying to rationalize the last portion of the scenario, the "thank you", but at the same time, the fact that a barman points a gun at a man who asks him for a glass of water is not very normal as well. Well, it's possible that the barman reacted so because he was drunk and was having a bad day. I mean. After all, he is a barman, and is in an area with a lot of alcohol around.
Or, maybe this is a secret code of theirs. But then, who knows? People act in weird ways. Even the things that seem rational to some of us may seem irrational to others.
(This one, I really don't know how to answer.)
b. A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him, there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?
There are many ways for the man to have died. The contextual information provided allows many interpretations. The man could have died of a heart attack as he was carrying a package to one of his friends or relatives. The fact that no other creature is around would explain why the man was left alone, or yet could explain why the man died. With no aid around, the man could not have survived even if he had the slightest chances of recovery.
And then, it could have been a natural death, as from old age. The age of the man is not specified. So that is pretty plausible, right?
Well, maybe the "thank you" of the man was not actually a thank you. It is possible that the man said "thank you" and walked away to try to escape from the unusual barman. The man said "thank you" without meaning it, more implying that he was going to go away, nervously. Or it is even possible that the man said "thank you" because the barman did not fire the gun and spared his life.
I mean, at the same time, I am trying to rationalize the last portion of the scenario, the "thank you", but at the same time, the fact that a barman points a gun at a man who asks him for a glass of water is not very normal as well. Well, it's possible that the barman reacted so because he was drunk and was having a bad day. I mean. After all, he is a barman, and is in an area with a lot of alcohol around.
Or, maybe this is a secret code of theirs. But then, who knows? People act in weird ways. Even the things that seem rational to some of us may seem irrational to others.
(This one, I really don't know how to answer.)
b. A man is lying dead in a field. Next to him, there is an unopened package. There is no other creature in the field. How did he die?
There are many ways for the man to have died. The contextual information provided allows many interpretations. The man could have died of a heart attack as he was carrying a package to one of his friends or relatives. The fact that no other creature is around would explain why the man was left alone, or yet could explain why the man died. With no aid around, the man could not have survived even if he had the slightest chances of recovery.
And then, it could have been a natural death, as from old age. The age of the man is not specified. So that is pretty plausible, right?
c. Anthony and Cleopatra are lying dead on the floor of a villa in Egypt. Nearby is a broken bowl. There is no mark on either of their bodies and they were not poisoned. How did they die?
Anthony and Cleopatra could have been fish. The bowl fell and they died from lack of oxygen. Anthony and Cleopatra don't necessarily have to be humans, do they?
d. A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed three nights and then left on Friday. How come?
Anthony and Cleopatra could have been fish. The bowl fell and they died from lack of oxygen. Anthony and Cleopatra don't necessarily have to be humans, do they?
d. A man rode into town on Friday. He stayed three nights and then left on Friday. How come?
If the man was riding a horse called "Friday", this would very much be possible. He rode Friday on the way to town and on the way back.
2) Two boxers are in a boxing match (regular boxing, not kick boxing). The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds but ends after 6 rounds, after one boxer knocks out the other boxer. Yet no man throws a punch. How is this possible?
Before going further, I'd like to explain that I do not know much about boxing, regular or kick-boxing. I could say that the boxers had been women, and that would outdo the "man" portion of the scenario. But then, no, that sounds too evading. Maybe one of the boxer knocked the other out by intimidation, or the knocked out boxer fainted because of other external (or internal) reasons.
Before going further, I'd like to explain that I do not know much about boxing, regular or kick-boxing. I could say that the boxers had been women, and that would outdo the "man" portion of the scenario. But then, no, that sounds too evading. Maybe one of the boxer knocked the other out by intimidation, or the knocked out boxer fainted because of other external (or internal) reasons.
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