Brain Teasers
Marriage
Situation
Situation puzzles (sometimes called lateral thinking puzzles) are ones where you need to ask lots of yes or no questions to figure out what happened in the situation. These are good puzzles for groups where one person knows the puzzle and answers the questions.Situation
There are two princesses-the virtuous Amanda, who always tells the truth, and the wicked Jessica, who always lies. One is married, and one is not, but the king has kept the details of the marriage a secret, even down to who is married.
The king has organized a joust. The winner gets to name which of the daughters he wishes to marry; if she is available, they will wed the next day. The man who wins asks the king if he may talk to the daughters. The king says he may ask one of the daughters one question, but it can be no longer than three words. What question should he ask?
The king has organized a joust. The winner gets to name which of the daughters he wishes to marry; if she is available, they will wed the next day. The man who wins asks the king if he may talk to the daughters. The king says he may ask one of the daughters one question, but it can be no longer than three words. What question should he ask?
Answer
The question: "Are you married?" Regardless who answers his question, he knows that a yes means that Amanda is married and a no means Jessica is married. Virtuous Amanda will tell him the truth-yes if she is, no if Jessica is-no matter what, and wicked Jessica will say no if she is married and yes if Amanda is married.Hide Answer Show Answer
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