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!

The Parcel
One day a man received a parcel in the post. Carefully packed inside was a human arm. He examined it, repacked it and then sent it on to another man. The second man also carefully examined the arm before sending it on to a third man.

A Body in the Park
A body is discovered in a park in the middle of summer. It has many broken bones, but the cause of death was hypothermia.

The Smoking Car
A man is returning home by train. If he had been in a non-smoking car he would have died.

The Sudden Realization
Every morning a man kisses his wife good bye, and takes the elevator to the ground floor to leave for work. One morning, on the way down, he suddenly realises that his wife has died.

Murder-Suicide
A man kills his wife, then goes inside his house and kills himself.

The Music Stopped
The music stopped, and then she died.

Out of Gas
Mr. Smith is glad the car ran out of gas.

The Court Case
A woman has incontrovertible proof in court that her husband was murdered by her sister. The judge declares, "This is the strangest case I've ever seen. Though it's a cut-and-dried case, this woman cannot be punished."

The Radio Program - 2
A man is driving his car. He turns on the radio, then pulls over to the side of the road and shoots himself.

Death At Sea
A man sitting on a park bench reads a newspaper article headlined "Death at Sea" and knows a murder has been committed.

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.