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Funny Trick Questions: 8 Brain Teasers That Actually Catch You Out

Eight classic trick questions designed to make you read twice. Score above 80% to claim real lateral-thinker status.

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About this quiz

Trick questions are one of the most-searched trivia categories online, partly because the best ones are funnier than puzzles have any right to be. The whole genre depends on the gap between how the question sounds and what it's actually asking — the answer is almost always sitting in plain sight, you just have to slow down enough to see it. This eight-question quiz collects classic riddles that have caught people out for generations. Read each one twice before answering. Score above 80% to call yourself a real lateral thinker.

Results

What you'll discover

  • 01

    Lateral Thinker

    You read carefully and you don't fall for the obvious-looking answer. Most of these tricked your friends and didn't trick you, which means you've got the rare ability to notice when a question is asking something other than it appears to ask — and to slow down enough to catch the actual hook before you commit to an answer.

  • 02

    Caught a Few

    You spotted the obvious traps and missed a few of the sneakier ones. That's normal — trick questions get harder the more confident you are about your read, and even careful readers occasionally take the bait. Read the next batch slower; the answer is almost always sitting in the question itself, hiding in a word you skimmed past.

  • 03

    First Reader's Bias

    You answered with your gut and the trick questions did exactly what they were designed to do. That's not a verdict on your intelligence; it's a verdict on the speed of your reading. The next time you see a question that seems too easy, that's your cue to slow down and ask 'what is it actually testing me on, here?' before you commit.

Inside

Questions in this quiz

  1. 01How many months have 28 days?
  2. 02A doctor gives you three pills and tells you to take one every 30 minutes. How long does the supply last?
  3. 03If a rooster lays an egg on the peak of a triangular roof, which side does it roll down?
  4. 04A man builds a house with four walls, all facing south. A bear walks past. What color is the bear?
  5. 05What gets wetter the more it dries?
  6. 06I'm tall when I'm young and short when I'm old. What am I?
  7. 07What has hands but cannot clap?
  8. 08Which is heavier: a pound of feathers or a pound of bricks?

Photo by Tanja Tepavac on Unsplash.

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