10 lateral thinking questions as brain teasers for teams
Test your team’s lateral thinking skills with these ten brain-teaser questions. Let your team ask questions to get on the right track. The results may surprise you…
Question 1:
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A man lives in an apartment on the tenth floor of a building. Every day, he takes the elevator down to the first floor to go to work. When he comes back, he takes the elevator to the seventh floor and then walks up the stairs to reach his apartment on the tenth floor. He hates walking, so what causes the "extra steps"?
ANSWER: The man has dwarfism.
Question 2:
A man goes into a bar and asks the bartender for a glass of water. The bartender pulls out a gun and points it at the man. The man says ‘Thank you’ and leaves.
ANSWER: The man suffers from bad hiccups. The barman didn’t hesitate to help and drew the gun in order to give him a shock. Since that worked instantly, the water was no longer necessary.
Question 3:
A dead man is hanging from a roof of a large wooden barn with a rope around his neck. The rope is ten feet long, and still his feet are three feet off the ground. The walls are more than twenty feet away from the man, and there is no way to climb to the roof. It is clear: the poor man hanged himself. But how did he do it?
ANSWER: He was standing on a large block of ice which melted.
Question 4:
One day, a man received a parcel in the post. Carefully packed inside was a human arm. He examined it, repacked it and then sent it on to another man. The second man also carefully examined the arm before taking it to the woods and burying it. Why did they do this?
ANSWER: Three men were stranded on a desert island with no food. To survive, they agreed to amputate their left arms and eat them. They each swore an oath to do this. Since one of them was a doctor, he cut off the arms of the other two men. They were finally rescued, but the oath was still binding, so the doctor had to have his arm amputated and sent to his companions..
Question 5:
A man is pushing his car. When he reached a hotel, he stops and declared his bankruptcy. What is going on?
ANSWER: He is playing a game of monopoly.
Question 6:
A man rides into town on Friday. After a three nights stay, he leaves. It is Friday. How come?
ANSWER: His horse’s name is Friday.
Question 7:
Mike gets bound to a chair by a dearest loved one, and he doesn’t seem to mind. Why?
ANSWER: Mike is a kid, and his mom puts on the seatbelt.
Question 8:
You find yourself in a pitch black room. All you have is a match, a fireplace and an oil lamp. Which would you light first?
ANSWER: First thing to light is the match.
Question 9:
A woman giving birth to two brothers, born at the same time, day and place. But these two boys aren’t twins. How come?
ANSWER: The woman gave birth to two sets of triplets.
Question 10:
A plane crashes exactly on the border of the United States and Canada. How would you determine where to bury the survivors?
ANSWER: You better not bury any survivors!!!
What are lateral thinking questions?
Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono. It refers to a way of thinking that is different from the traditional, logical way of thinking.
In general, lateral thinking is seen as more creative and open-minded, and it is often used to solve problems that cannot be solved by traditional thinking. Especially for people not used to it, this kind of thinking can be quite challenging, since it deviates from deeply internalized thinking patterns.
Lateral thinking is based on the idea that the best way to solve a problem is to look at it from a different angle. To do this, lateral thinkers use a variety of techniques, such as brainstorming, asking questions, and looking at the problem from different perspectives. It is an important skill for anyone who wants to be more creative, open-minded and effective when it comes to solving problems.
It can be used in a variety of situations:
- you’re trying to come up with a new idea
- you’re stuck in a rut
- you need to find a new solution to a problem
And here comes the good news: Lateral thinking can be trained and will improve over time. Allowing your brain to take other routes than the ones already taken is a process, and it will become a habit if done regularly.
Interesting reads:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/phillewis1/2020/03/20/the-most-valuable-skill-in-difficult-times-is-lateral-thinking-heres-how-to-do-it/?sh=3a5a948b57a9
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/lateral-thinking
Lateral thinking questions FAQs
What is a lateral thinking question?
A lateral thinking question requires the recipient to “think outside the box”. Answering those questions usually forces a creative thinking process rather than a logical.
What makes someone a lateral thinker?
A Lateral Thinker is a person who is able to tackle a problem with creativity rather than logic. This thought process is usually very individual and rarely follows a pattern.
What is a good example of lateral thinking?
An example of lateral thinking is to challenge the first idea that comes up while thinking about a problem. E.g.: You are gaining weight. Instead of thinking “I really need to go on a diet” you could think “I need to incorporate more exercise in my daily routine”.