Main      Site Guide    
Brain Food

Groaners

Be careful with these tricky word problems. All is not what it seems!

#1

I have two U.S. coins that add up to fifty-five cents. One is not a nickel. What coins are they?

Solution

#2

A farmer had nine sheep, and all but seven died. How many did he have left?

Solution

#3

Three large people try to crowd under one small umbrella, but nobody gets wet. How is this possible?

Solution

#4

You are a bus driver. At the first stop of the day, eight people get on board. At the second stop, four get off, and eleven get on. At the third stop, two get off, and six get on. At the fourth stop, thirteen get off, and one gets on. At the fifth stop, five get off, and three get on. At the sixth stop, three get off, and two get on. What color are the bus driver's eyes?

Solution

#5

If you take two apples from three apples, how many do you have?

Solution

#6

A certain five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it. What is the word?

Solution

#7

An electric train is traveling northwest at 95 miles per hour, and the wind is blowing southwest at 95 miles per hour. In which direction does the smoke blow?

Solution

#8

Some months have 30 days. Some months have 31 days. How many months have 28 days?

Solution

#9

A train leaves from New York City heading toward Los Angeles at 100 mph. Three hours later, a train leaves from Los Angeles heading toward New York City at 200 mph. Assume there's exactly 2000 miles between Los Angeles and New York City. When they meet, which train is closer to New York City?

Solution

#10

A woman gave birth to two sons who were born on the same hour of the same day of the same year but were not twins. How is this possible?

Solution