Puzzles and Brain Teasers

By; Rebecca Clark

Puzzle 1; “The London Scholar” This is a word puzzle, or riddle, which is most effective

when used verbally. It goes as follows;

“As I was crossing London Bridge, I met a London scholar. He took out his pen, an’ drew his name- what was the London scholar’s name?”

“The London Scholar” Solution The solution to this puzzle lies in the listeners ability

to relate or change words, i.e. to think outside the immediate parameter of the riddle.

In this case, the scholar’s name is Andrew;

“He took out his pen, ANDREW his name…”

Listeners may reach this solution by allowing themselves to analyse the problem in a more abstract way, and looking for a solution which may not be immediately obvious.

Puzzle 2; “How Many Triangles?” The aim of this puzzle is to find as many triangles as

possible within the larger triangle. The quicker you finish the puzzle, the better!

“How many triangles can YOU find?”

“How Many Triangles” Solution This puzzle relies on speed and the ability of the player

to break down the image into a series of smaller images. The larger the number of triangles, the harder the puzzle becomes.

In this case, there are 30 different triangles to

consider.

These solutions depict 20 of the possible 30 triangles.

Puzzle 3; “Which Word Fits?” In this puzzle, the player must choose which word best

fits into the space left in the sequence.

“The word sequence is: Bloat

Race

______

Inspects

Niece.

Of the following words, which should fill the space provided?

Animal, Piranha, Anaconda, Pizzeria.”

“Which Word Fits?” Solution The solution to this puzzle has nothing to do with relating

the words; instead, the solution is found in the positioning of the words.

The correct answer, in this case, is ANACONDA.

This is because, when arranged in the correct order, the words spell out BRAIN and TEASE.

BloaT

RacE

AnacondA

InspectS

NiecE