Brainteaser Quizzes

Read This Brainteaser ... bet you CAN!

The phaonmneel pweor of the hmuan mnid: I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdgnieg. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearcr at Cmagbride Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers of a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

Brainteaser Quiz #1!

Here's a quick test of intelligence. There are no tricks to the test, and it looks pretty simple. But let's see how YOU do!

Read this sentence:

FINISHED FILES ARE THE RESULT
OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC
STUDY COMBINED WITH
THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS.

Now count aloud the F's in that sentence. Count them ONLY ONCE. Do not go back and count them again. What is your answer? Now, check the correct answer below.

Brainteaser Quiz #2!

1. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How could this be?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   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 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. Another option suggested by one of our visitors is that although he was her "twin" brother, he could have been the twin of another sibling.

    
2. Manhole Covers: Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   A square manhole cover can be turned and dropped down the diagonal of the manhole. A round manhole cannot be dropped down the manhole. >So for safety and practicality, all manhole covers should be round.

    
3. The Deadly Party: A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at the party who drank the same punch were poisoned and became very sick. Why did the man not get sick?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   The poison in the punch came from the ice cubes. When the man drank the punch the ice was fully frozen. Gradually it melted, poisoning the punch. Alternative solution: He could have poisoned the punch after drinking some of it.

    
4. Trouble with Sons: A woman had two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year. But they were not twins. How could this be so?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets etc.) Note: Another visitor added that one son could be adopted.

    

Great Brainteaser Quiz #3!

1. Do they have a 4th of July in England?
   
   Reveal Answer

   Yes, they have a 4th of July, but they don't celebrate that day!

    
2. How many birthdays does the average man have?
   
   Reveal Answer

   One birthday -- the day he was born; but he celebrates it yearly.

    
3. Some months have 31 days; how many have 28?
   
   Reveal Answer

   All of them (12) have AT LEAST 28 days.

    
4. Why can't a man living in the USA be buried in Canada?
   
   Reveal Answer

   Because he isn't dead if he's LIVING in the U.S.

    
5. How many outs are there in an inning?
   
   Reveal Answer

   Six (three for each team per inning) EXCEPT that the LAST inning may have 3, 4, 5, or 6 outs depending on the score.

   • a. If the home team is ahead after 3 outs, the game is over.
   • b. If the home team is behind after 6 outs, the game is over.
   • c. The home team may after 3, 4, or 5 outs score enough runs to win the game.
   • d. If the game is tied after 6 outs, then they play another inning.
   •  

    
6. Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? Why?
   
   Reveal Answer

   No, because he is DEAD, since his wife is his WIDOW!

    
7. Two men play five games of checkers. Each man wins the same number of games. There are no ties. Explain this.
   
   Reveal Answer

   The two men were NOT PLAYING EACH OTHER!

    
8. Divide 30 by 1/2 and add 10. What is the answer?
   
   Reveal Answer

   70. 30 divided by 2 would have made 25. But 30 divided by 1/2 equals 60. Plus 10 equals 70.

    
9. A man builds a house rectangular in shape. All sides have southern exposure. A big bear walks by, what color is the bear? Why?
   
   Reveal Answer

   White. Because a house with southern exposures on all 4 sides must be at the North Pole, where they only have Polar Bears.

    
10. If there are 3 apples and you take away 2, how many do you have?
    
    Reveal Answer

    You have two, because YOU took away two!

     
11. I have two US coins totaling 55 cents. One is not a nickel. What are the coins?
    
    Reveal Answer

    A fifty cent piece and a nickel -- it said ONE wasn't a nickel, but the OTHER ONE WAS!

     
12. If you have only one match and you walked into a room where there was an oil burner, a kerosene lamp, and a wood burning stove, which one would you light first?
    
    Reveal Answer

    The match has to be lit first!

     
13. How far can a dog run into the woods?
    
    Reveal Answer

    To the middle of the woods (the halfway point), because after that, he's running OUT. (i.e., "Into" represents the distance from any edge to the middle, and after that point, he is running "OUT OF" the woods.)

     
14. A doctor gives you three pills telling you to take one every half hour. How long would the pills last?
    
    Reveal Answer

    One hour -- you take one at the start of the hour one after 30 minutes, and one at the end of the hour

     
15. A farmer has 17 sheep, and all but 9 die. How many are left?
    
    Reveal Answer

    Nine are left -- because it said all BUT nine died!

     
16. A clerk in the butcher shop is 5' 10'' tall. What does he weigh?
    
    Reveal Answer

    He weighs MEAT!

     
17. How many two cent stamps are there in a dozen?
    
    Reveal Answer

    12! A dozen of anything is still 12.

     

How did you do?

Brainteaser Quiz #4

Quiz for people who know everything:

1. There's one sport in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends. What is it?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Boxing.

    
2. What famous North American landmark is constantly moving backward?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Niagara Falls. The rim is worn down about 2 and a half feet each year because of the millions of gallons of water that rush over it every minute.

    
3. Of all vegetables, typically only two can live to produce on their own for several growing seasons. Most other vegetables must be replanted every year. What are the two vegetables that are most commonly considered perennials?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Asparagus and rhubarb

    
   
   
   Note: At the suggestion of a visitor, we checked with Oregon State University's Horticulture Department and learned that in addition to the two most common vegetable perennials, we should probably also consider the Jerusalem artichoke (as it is perennial everywhere) and the globe artichoke since it can be a perennial in areas with mild winters. Plus there are many of the solanaceous crops, such as tomato and pepper, that can be perennials given the right variety and a tropical climate; and horseradish and several herbs might be called vegetables as well. So do not be surprised if you hear other answers to this question!
4. Name the only sport traditionally played in America which the ball is always in possession of the team on defense, and the offensive team can score without touching the ball.
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Baseball. In some other countries, the answer could also be cricket

    
5. What fruit has its seeds on the outside?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Strawberry

    
6. In many liquor stores, you can buy pear brandy, with a real pear inside the bottle. The pear is whole and ripe, and the bottle is genuine; it hasn't been cut in any way. How did the pear get inside the bottle?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   The pear grew inside the bottle. The bottles are placed over pear buds when they are small, and are wired in place on the tree. The bottle is left in place for the whole growing season. When the pears are ripe, they are snipped off at the stems.

    
7. Only four words in Standard English begin with the letters "dw". They are all common. Name two of them.
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   "Dwarf", "dwell", "dwindle", and "dweeb"

    
8. There are fourteen punctuation marks in English grammar. Can you name half of them?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   Period, comma, colon, semicolon, dash, hyphen, apostrophe, question mark, exclamation point, quotation marks, brackets parenthesis, braces, and ellipses.

    
9. Where are the lakes that are referred to in the "Los Angeles Lakers"?
   
   
   Reveal Answer

   In Minnesota. The team was originally known as the Minneapolis Lakers and kept the name when they moved west.

    
10. There are seven ways a baseball player can legally reach first base without getting a hit. Name them.
    
    
    Reveal Answer

    1. walk, 2. hit-by-pitch, 3. defensive interference, 4. fielders choice, 5. dropped third strike, 6. being designated as a pinch runner, and 7. error.

     
11. It's the only vegetable or fruit that is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh. What is it?
    
    
    Reveal Answer

    Lettuce.

     
12. Name ten or more things that you can wear on your feet that begin with the letter "s".
    
    
    Reveal Answer

    1. Shoes, 2. socks, 3. sandals, 4. sneakers, 5. slippers, 6. skis, 7. skates, 8. snowshoes, 9. stockings, 10. stilettos, and 11. stilts