old brain cells

4. One day Kerry celebrated her birthday. Two days later her older twin
brother, Terry, celebrated his birthday. How?

5. Why is it better to have round manhole covers than square ones? This is
logical rather than lateral, but it is a good puzzle that can be solved by
lateral thinking techniques It is supposedly used by every well-known
software company as an interview question for prospective employees.

6. A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early
Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently died of
poisoning. The man was an innocent guest and did not himself poison
the punch. Why did the he not die?

7. A man died and went to Heaven. There were thousands of other people
there. They were all naked and all looked as they did at the age of 21.
He looked around to see if there was anyone he recognized. He saw a couple
and he knew immediately that they were Adam and Eve. How did he know?

8. 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?

9. A man walks into a bar and asks the barman for a glass of water.
The barman pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says ‘Thank
you and walks out. This puzzle claims to be the best of the genre. It is
simple in its statement, absolutely baffling and yet with a completely
satisfying solution. Most people struggle very hard to solve this one yet they
like the answer when they hear it or have the satisfaction of figuring it out

SOLUTIONS

1.The man is very, very short and can only reach half way up the
elevator buttons. However, if it is raining then he will have his
umbrella with him and can press the higher buttons with it.

2. The surgeon was his mother.

3. It was day time.

4. The celebrations in question take place in a leap year. At birth they
were traveling by boat. The older twin, Terry, was born first early on
March 1st. The boat then crossed the date line and Kerry, the younger
twin, was born on February the 28th. Therefore, in leap years the
younger twin celebrates her birthday two days before her older brother.

5. 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.

6. 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.

8. They were two of a set of triplets (or quadruplets, etc.). This 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?

9. The man had hiccups. The barman recognized this from his speech and
drew the gun in order to give him a shock. It worked and cured the
hiccups–so the man no longer needed the water. Th is a simple puzzle
to state but a difficult one to solve. It is a perfect example of a
seemingly irrational and incongruous situation having a simple and
complete explanation.  Amazingly this classic puzzle seems to work in different
cultures and languages