Think Laterally!


I love puzzles. My sixth grade teacher, Mr Fraser, challenged us with some kind of puzzle every week. Sometimes we had numbers games, sometimes we were given "lateral-thinking" puzzles. And ever since I was introduced to Einstein's Riddle (a logic puzzle), I've been hooked.

Try some of the logic puzzles that I've created!

The term "lateral thinking" was coined by Edward de Bono - it refers to a problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles. Most lateral-thinking puzzles involve some kind of assumption that, when overcome, helps lead the solver in the right direction. You'll see what I mean.

Solving lateral-thinking puzzles is kind of like playing Twenty Questions. Only there is no limit to the number of questions, and the responses are limited to "Yes", "No", and "Not relevant". This can be really fun as a group exercise.

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!

  • Group 1 and Group 2 - These ones are fairly easy.
  • Group 3 and Group 4 - These are rather more challenging.
  • Group 5 and Group 6 - These are getting fairly difficult, a lot of questioning is usually involved.
  • Group 7 and Group 8 - These are the toughest of the bunch, and none of the solutions are straightforward.

Good luck!

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.


Blue arrow Back to my homepage!

Page created: April 9, 2004.
Last updated: May 5, 2004.