Looking for something to liven up a party? Try situation puzzles!
What are Situation Puzzles
The Internet is full of them as they provide a source of endless fun for children and adults alike. A situation puzzle is usually presented by a host who reads the little story to the other players who can ask simple questions, usually Yes/No questions to explain the mystery in the puzzle. This involves both logical thinking, as well as lateral thinking, that is looking for a creative solution that is not obvious right away.
There can be more than one answer to a puzzle as very creative players can come up with perfectly valid explanation to the original mystery. It must be said that not all the situation puzzles you can find online are credible. In many cases, yes, the provided solution makes perfect sense, but for others the solution can be a little far-fetched.
How to Solve a Situation Puzzle
Sometimes you are allowed only a certain number of questions, but that depends on the rules you agree to play by. If you’re having fun you can ask questions until there’s literally nothing else you can think of. With Yes/No questions, the host is usually allowed small variations to his answer. For instance, Yope means that the full answer to that question would look something like: ‘Yes, but…’. Not applicable or irrelevant means that the question has nothing to do with the solution. Finally, the host can answer ‘Irrelevant, but assume yes’.
Types of Situation Puzzles
Many puzzles present perfectly realistic scenarios and the solution makes perfect sense. Here is an example:
‘An avid birdwatcher sees an unexpected bird. Soon he’s dead.’You might try to find an obvious answer, like the guy being attacked by a bird of prey, but the point of situation puzzles is to make you look for unconventional answers.
The solution to the puzzle is that the birdwatcher was in an airplane, hence the ‘unexpected’ bird. Then, the bird gets sucked into an engine and the plane crashes.
Here is an example of puzzle which is not very realistic and involves a lot of guessing.
‘A man is born in 1972 and dies in 1952 at the age of 25.’
And the solution is He’s born in room number 1972 of a hospital and dies in room number 1952.