35 Extremely Difficult Brain Teasers Most People Will Struggle To Pass
- by Ursula Nizalowski
- – on
- in Mind Twisters
As we all know, a Mind Trick is one of the many abilities that the Jedi are capable of using in the Star Wars universe. It’s a subtle form of hypnosis that acts on the brain of a feeble-minded subject, such as a Stormtrooper, and persuades them to do something they normally wouldn’t do. However, it’s a very difficult skill to master and doesn’t always work except for Masters such as Obi-Wan or exceptionally gifted Jedi like Rey. In either case, the Jedi Mind Trick is in some ways like a Brain Teaser in that it tricks the mind through a series of words and while the feeble-minded succumb to it the smart ones prevail.
Now a Brain Teaser is nothing mystical in origin, as they’ve been around for many centuries since the earliest philosophers liked to use them as a type of lesson. For instance, Archimedes who was a Greek mathematician and the one who supposedly invented the word “Eureka” would often create various math problems for his colleagues to solve that were Brain Teasers in of themselves. But most Brain Teasers require thinking outside of the normal thought process, and these 35 examples are certainly primed for anyone who thinks they can tackle them!
Jimmy's Mother
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Jimmy. His mother had given birth and raised four children in total, though whether she was a single mom or had a husband is unclear. The first child born was given the name Monday. After that, the second child was born and named Tuesday. Then a third child came along and was named Wednesday by the mother. So therefore, what was the name given to the fourth child that was born?
The Bus
Imagine driving a bus, no matter if it is school-related city or cross-country-related. At the first stop the bus approaches, two women get on. Then at the next stop, three men get on the bus while one of the two women gets off. At a third stop, three children accompanied by their mother get on while one man gets off from the bus. While the bus is grey in color and it’s raining, what color is the bus driver’s hair?
The Dog
Somewhere out in the wilderness, there is a man who stands next to a river. Across the river, though, stands the man’s dog. It is unclear how the dog got over there in the first place without the owner noticing his dog leaving him. But regardless, the man decides to call his dog over. In response, the dog immediately runs across the river and returns to his owner without using either a bridge or a boat. So how did the dog cross the river?
The Pear
In various stores the world over, there exists a special type of beverage. In particular, it is a very strong drink that has a pear inside it. Now this isn’t a plastic pear or anything, but a real one. It’s completely grown and ripe inside the bottle with no visible cuts. Even the bottle itself is real, with no apparent openings or indication that it is made from a different material. So how did the pear get in the bottle?
The Tractor
Imagine being on an island in the middle of a large lake, located in a remote part of the countryside. However, there is currently no bridge that connects the mainland to the island nor has such a thing ever existed before. Yet every single day, a tractor and an attached wagon give hay rides to people around the island. Now according to the locals, the tractor was never transported onto the island by a boat or from the air nor was it built on the island itself. So how did it get there?
The Cabin
In the middle of the woods, there is one cabin. Upon entering it, there is no apparent light source. As a result, the place is completely dark. Of the various items on your person, there is only one match. There are also several other objects in the cabin, such as: a newspaper, a lamp, a candle, and a fireplace. The sun is not visible from the outside, whether the curtains are drawn or the sun has gone down. In either case, which item should be lit first?
The Class
In a classroom full of kids of an unspecific age, fourteen of them are identified as girls by gender. Now eight of the kids in the class in general are wearing blue shirts of an unspecific style. However, two of the kids are not girls nor do they wear blue shirts for that matter. Yet five of the kids are girls who do wear blue shirts. So the question is this: how many kids are in the class in total?
The White House
In a place of distinct geography and time, there are three houses present. One of them is painted red in terms of color, while the second house is painted blue, and the third is painted white. Now picture this: assuming that the red house is to the left of the house that is located in the middle, and the blue house is located to the right of the house that is in the middle, where is the white house situated?
The Jailbreak
Inside an unnamed prison, two convicts are locked in a jail cell together. High above the cell, there is an unbarred window. However, neither of the convicts can reach the window to escape the cell regardless if they stand on the one bed that’s available or stand on top of each other’s bodies. So they try to tunnel out instead, but give up due to the long amount of time it would take. Then, one of the convicts comes up with a bright idea for how they can escape. What is his plan?
The Sharks
Out in the middle of the ocean, there is a boat. In this boat sits one person, and that happens to be yourself. The circumstances leading up to this predicament is a mystery, whether it involved abandoning a sinking ship or boating out to sea and going too far. Regardless, there are no boats in sight nor any sign of land for that matter. Just then, a group of sharks start swimming around the boat and they’re very hungry. What’s to be done about it?
The Lift
One day, a lift (or elevator) is situated on the ground floor of a building. There are four people inside the lift including myself. The lift then rises and reaches the first floor. One person gets off the lift while three people get in. On the second floor, two people get off while six get in and then on the third floor twelve more people get in but no one gets off. Halfway up to the fourth floor, the cable snaps and so the lift crashes to the ground floor. Everyone perishes except for me, so how did I survive?
No Voice
I may have no voice of my own, but I can speak. I’m able to tell the various things that people do throughout the world without being there. Though I have leaves, I’m not a tree by nature. The pages I have aren’t those of a bride. My spine is not that of a man’s. A door has hinges and so do I, but they are not the same kind that the door has. I’ve told everything and cannot tell more, so what could I possibly be?
The Apartment
In a tower-style apartment building with ten floors in total, there lives one particular family. The son of this family leaves the apartment each day from its location on the tenth floor and takes the elevator down to the ground floor. From there, the son heads off to school. Then in the afternoon once school is over, he returns to the apartment and uses the elevator again. This time, he takes it to the fifth floor and then uses the stairs to get up to the tenth floor. Any idea why that is?
The Bear
After leaving my campsite to go hiking, I went in a southern direction for about three miles straight. Then after that, I turned to the East and hiked in that direction for three miles. Later, I decided to go northward hiking for three miles as well. Eventually, I reached my camp. But to my surprise, there was a large bear that was inside of my tent. On top of that, it was also eating my food. What was its color?
The Camel Race
Due to his old age, an Arab Shiekh has to consider making a will to pass his fortune onto one of his two sons. Instead, he decides to propose a race involving camels. The objective is that if one of the two camels crosses the finish line last, the owner will inherit the father’s fortune. But instead, the two brothers wander through the desert for days unwilling to cross the finish line. So they seek out a wise man who tells them something which spurs them into heading for the finish line, therefore what did the wise man say?
The Photograph
At some undisclosed location and time, a man decides to look at a photograph. In the photograph, there is person whose identity is unknown at the moment. Then the man decides to speak. He says that while he doesn’t have any brothers, or sisters for that matter, he does know the person in the photograph’s identity. What he claims is that the person’s father is his father’s son. So with that in mind, who could this man be talking about in reference to the person depicted in the photograph in his hands?
The Fishing Trawler
For those unaware, a trawler is a type of fishing boat that uses a specific method for catching fish using a seine or trawl-style net that hangs vertically in the water. So a trawler boat with a ladder is leaning against the wall of a harbor. Inside the trawler, there are five oars and two fish nets. Also, the steps on the ladder are one meter apart. So if the waves rise half a meter every hour, how many of the six steps on the ladder will go under the waves?
Certain Vegetables
Of the multitude of vegetables that are raised and cultivated every year, there are two that can continue to produce themselves for several seasons and years. Now normally, most vegetables have to be replanted by the farmers once they’ve been fully cultivated during the harvest. As a result, these two unique vegetables are called perennials which means they can live for several years without dying nor needing to be replanted with fresh seeds in order to be properly harvested. Which vegetables are these?
The Party
While parties are generally meant to be enjoyable for a multitude of people, we can’t ignore the fact that bad parties can happen where things get completely out of hand and it ruins the night for everyone. In one such scenario, a man goes to a party and drinks some of the punch that’s available. He then decides to leave early, while others drink the punch as well. Afterward, all the people become sick due to the punch being poisoned yet the man was spared. Why?
Running Man
One day, a man named Forrest (who was not Tom Hank’s character from the movie Forrest Gump) left home at a breakneck pace which developed into a run. As Forrest was running, he went straight for a few paces before turning sharply left. Then he ran the same distance as before and turned left again. After that, Forrest repeated the same process for a third time. But by the time he got back home, there were two masked men waiting for him. Who were they?
Sorrow and Sickness
I am at the beginning of sorrow in general as well as at the end of sickness in general. One cannot express the feeling of happiness without me, yet I appear within the midst of crosses both audibly and on record. Though I am always at risk, I am never truly in danger in any shape or form. You might certainly find me in the sun, but I am not out of darkness either. Therefore, what could I possibly be?
The Rain
During a rainstorm, though whether it is light or heavy or somewhere in between is anybody’s guess, a man is stuck walking through it. In terms of his location, he is in the middle of nowhere and does not appear to be carrying an umbrella with him. As a result, he has nothing to protect him from the rain and nowhere to hide either. So when he got home, he was soaking wet and yet no hair on his head was affected. Why is that?
The Honeymoon
For their honeymoon, a newly wedded couple decide to book a trip for Hawaii together. But sometime later, the man returns home all by himself. The reason for this is because his wife didn’t make it out of a boating accident that occurred during the trip. So the police contacted the travel agent that the man booked the trip with. Afterwards, they arrested the travel agent for being responsible for the accident that took the man’s wife. How did the police know the travel agent was the culprit?
Pills and Water
Someone kidnaps five people and takes them to an unknown location. There, the person presents each hostage with two pills and a glass of water. He tells them to take one pill each, but warns them that while one pill is poisonous the other isn’t. Also, he will take whichever pill the hostage doesn’t take. Of the five hostages who do this, they all somehow choose the poisonous pill while the person who kidnapped them doesn’t. How is that possible?
The Boxers
At a public boxing ring with crowds and everything, there are two boxers that are scheduled for a match that is supposed to last twelve rounds total. Now keep in mind this is a purely boxing-related match, with no kicking involved UFC-style takedowns or anything of the sort allowed. After the match begins, one boxer gets knocked out after only six rounds have happened. But, no man threw a punch during that time. So how was the boxer knocked out?
Colored Pencils
In the palms of my hands right now, I have a bunch of colored pencils (though whether they’re new or used is uncertain). But of the various colors I have, none of the pencils are purple. Yet all but three are green in color. I also have all but three that are pink, along with all but three that are orange and all but three that are blue color-wise. Therefore, how many colored pencils do I actually have in my possession at this very moment?
The Soldier
Within a certain park somewhere in the world at a non-particular time, there is a little boy (who’s face is cut off in this picture here). There is also a soldier dressed in a particular though non-distinct uniform (shown here holding the boy up) in the park as well. As far as their connection goes, the boy is the soldier’s son. However, the soldier who is in uniform is not the boy’s father. So how exactly are these two related?
The Sharpshooter
One day, a self-proclaimed sharpshooter decided to put his skills to the test. First, he hangs up his hat and then he puts on a blindfold to cover up his eyes. Next, he walks about 100 yards in distance. Turning around, the sharpshooter shoots his gun and the bullet goes right through his hat. Now keep in mind that the sharpshooter’s blindfold was perfectly functional as it completely blocked his vision, so how was he able to shoot his hat?
The Departed
As a man approached a large field from a certain distance, he knew his time was coming to an end. Later, the man is found in the middle of the field having perished. There is nothing located around his body like a weapon or a note. Also, there are no footprints that are either his someone else’s or an animal’s for that matter. However, there is an unopened package next to him. So what could have led to the man’s demise?
True or False
When it comes to true or false statements, it often depends on the logic of the statement itself. For example, one of the following statements is true while the rest are false. 1. Only one of these statements is false. 2. Actually, two of these statements are false. 3. To be honest, only three of these statements are false. 4. Four of these statements are false. 5. Now that I think about it, all five of these statements are false and that’s final. Which of these statements is true, and which ones are false?
Like vs. Love
Of the eight people who are together named Will Tom Rhonda Katie Jim Amber Cameron and Britney, they not only know each other but they also like each other. For instance, Rhonda does like Jim. Meanwhile, Tom likes Amber. As for Cameron, he likes Britney. Then Will likes Katie. While none of them know who specifically likes who, they all know that they’re liked by at least one person in their group. So the question is: who among them is loved?
The Computer
At an ordinary store, a sale occurs. Of the various products that are on sale, there is a computer that doubles as a word processor which is small enough to fit into a pocket. This computer is not only capable of adding, but also subtracting multiplication division as well as being able to write in any language imaginable. It also comes with a device that can delete things and correct any error that’s made. There is no electricity required to operate it, and it only costs a few cents. How can the store get away with selling it so cheaply?
The Parcels
After a day of shopping at the mall, Mr. and Mrs. Smith return home with their purchases. Just then, Mr. Smith complains that his load is too heavy. So Mrs. Smith turns to her husband and says, “I don’t know what you’re complaining about because if you gave me one of your parcels, I would have twice as many as you do right now. And if I gave you just one of my parcels, our loads would be equal.” How many parcels were they carrying?
The Clock
On any given clock, there are usually two hands. Of course, there are sometimes extra hands to count the milliseconds and digital clocks don’t have hands at all. But nonetheless, each clock goes up to twelve numbers to signify noon and midnight respectively. So how many times does the long hand of the clock pass the short hand of the clock between midnight one day and midnight of the next day? Now considering that both hands are together at the stroke of midnight, this does not count as a pass.
The Cat
Here is a riddle that can be solved by a six-letter word: I am a monument, which most men seem to agree, in all sincerity regarding my shape and importance. In nature, I am half cat and half a hinderance as a result. If my head and tail are removed as is necessary sometimes, then most people will eventually strengthen me in turn. First, my head will be replaced. Then I will be placed in a standing position where my tail will go. What is this?