Think Laterally!

Here are some of the lateral-thinking puzzles that I've come across over the years. A warning, though: a lot of lateral-thinking puzzles are typically "how did they die?" types of questions. I've tried to include a number of non-death-related questions as well. And I've tried to sort them roughly by difficulty.

Enjoy!

Visiting Foreign Countries
An ordinary American citizen, with no passport, visits over thirty foreign countries in one day. He is welcomed in each country and leaves each one of his own accord.

The Beach
There is a dead man lying on a beach next to a rock.

The Pile of Bricks
A dead man lies near a pile of bricks and a beetle on top of a book.

Brandon and Colin
Brandon died in the Appalachians, while Colin died at sea. Everyone was much happier with Colin's death.

The Movie
A married couple goes to a movie. During the movie the husband strangles the wife. He is able to get her body home without attracting attention.

The Fire
A man ran into a fire and lived. A man stayed where there was no fire and died.

Imminent Death
Two people in a room alone. One looks around and realizes he's going to die.

The Interrupted Writer
A writer with an audience of millions insisted that he was never to be interrupted while writing. After the day when he actually was interrupted, he never wrote again.

The Cabin
A cabin, locked from the inside, is perched on the side of a mountain. It is forced open, and thirty people are found dead inside. They had plenty of food and water.

A Wife and A Daughter
Two men were drinking in a pub. Two women walked in. The first man said, "I have to go, my wife and daughter are here." The second man turned around and said, "I have to go too, my wife and daughter just arrived as well.

The Mirror
An elderly man gets up in the morning and shaves. He then puts on his glasses, and sees himself in the mirror. However, he sees himself with no glasses and a beard.

Stuck? Email me for a hint. Please include the title of the puzzle.

Need more puzzles? Try these links:

Eluzions - Lateral Thinking Puzzles
Paul Sloane's Lateral Thinking Puzzles - he's an author of a number of lateral-thinking puzzle books.

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Page created: April 10, 2004.
Last updated: May 5, 2004.