SOLUTIONS

Puzzle 1

Abe took the candy bar

Puzzle 2

They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.) This simple little puzzle stumps many people. They try outlandish solutions involving test-tube babies or surrogate mothers. Why does the brain search for complex solutions when there is a much simpler one available?

Puzzle 3

First the farmer takes the goat across the river. He goes back to pick up the wolf. When he is across he leaves the wolf and takes back the goat. Back on the other side he leaves the goat and takes the cabbages with him. Then he picks up the goat and all three items are on the other side.

Puzzle 4

Ask the man which city he lives in. He will always point to village B.

Puzzle 5

3 cows, 41 geese and 56 chicken.

Puzzle 6

At the time she went into labor, the mother of the twins was travelling by boat. The older twin, Terry, was born first early on March 1st. The boat then crossed the International Date line (or any time zone line) and Kerry, the younger twin, was born on February the 28th. In a leap year the younger twin celebrates her birthday two days before her older brother.

Puzzle 7

Mother is 40 daughter is 10

Puzzle 8

1 sheep - 1 dog = 1 goat + 1 dog
1 sheep - 1 goat = 2 dogs
A sheep is 10 dinars, but what costs a goat?
The money they received for their camels is a square. And the decade of this square is odd (total money / 10 dinars), because they could not divide the sheep equally.
Now the interesting thing is that all squares with an odd decade ends on a 6. (16² = 256, 24² = 576). So a goat costs always 6 dinars.
10 - 6 = 2 dogs
So a dog costs 2 dinars.

Puzzle 9

He recognized Adam and Eve as the only people without navels. Because they were not born of women, they had never had umbilical cords and therefore they never had navels.

Puzzle 10>

The blind beggar was the sister of her brother who died.

Puzzle 11

First Bono and Edge = 2 minutes
Bono goes back = 3 minutes
Larry and Adam = 13 minutes
Edge goes back = 15 minutes
Edge and Bono cross again = 17 minutes

Puzzle 12

The man is (of course) a dwarf. Variants of this puzzle include the clue that on rainy days he goes up in the elevator to the tenth floor (he uses his umbrella!)

Puzzle 13

He climbed on a block of ice which has since melted.

Puzzle 14

Anthony and Cleopatra were goldfish whose bowl was knocked over by a clumsy dog

Puzzle 15

The man's horse was called Friday.

Puzzle 16

A B C
8 0 0
5 0 3
5 3 0
2 3 3
2 5 1
7 0 1
7 1 0
4 1 3
4 4 0

Puzzle 17

11 seconds
There is an interval of 1 second between each stroke. If the clock strikes 6, there are 5 intervals. If the clock strikes 12 there are 11 intervals.