Situations

1. A Truly Gifted Teacher

Last week, the local Primary school was visited by the Government School Inspector who was there to check that teachers were performing well in their respective classes.

He was very impressed with one particular teacher. The Inspector noticed that each time the class teacher asked a question, every child in the class put up their hands enthusiastically to answer it.

More surprisingly, whilst the teacher chose a different child to answer the questions each time, the answers were always correct.

Why would this be?

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1. Hint: (Highlight below for hint)

Hint1. The class teacher asked many questions.

2. All the children were normal kids and all of them raised their hands.

3. The children were not prompted beforehand with the questions or answers.

4. Not all the children knew the answers, but they still put up their hands.

1. Answer: (Highlight below for answer)

The children were instructed to ALL raise their hands whenever a question was asked. It did not matter whether they knew the answer or not.
If they did not know the answer, however, they would raise their LEFT hand.
If they knew the answer, they would raise their RIGHT hand.
The class teacher would choose a different child each time, but always the ones who had their RIGHT hand raised.

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2. Do Not Tap on the Glass

A man works at an aquarium. Everyday he spends a large chunk of his time trying to stop people from tapping on the glass at the shark tank.

Finally, fed up with it, he comes up with a solution.

The solution works perfectly; the next day no one taps on the glass.

However, he is fired for it.

What was the man's solution?

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2. Hint: (Highlight below for hint)

The plan took some effort to do and not everyone could accomplish it.

2. Answer: (Highlight below for answer)

The man painted a crack on the glass. Fearing it would break, no one touched it. However, since it made the aquarium seem unsafe and it scared the patrons, he was fired.

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3. After Dinner Car Troubles

This teaser is based on a weird but true story from a few years ago.

A complaint was received by the president of a major car company:

'This is the fourth time I have written you, and I don't blame you for not answering me because I must sound crazy, but it is a fact that we have a tradition in our family of having ice cream for dessert after dinner each night.

Every night after we've eaten, the family votes on which flavor of ice cream we should have and I drive down to the store to get it.

I recently purchased a new Pantsmobile from your company and since then my trips to the store have created a problem.

You see, every time I buy vanilla ice cream my car won't start.

If I get any other kind of ice cream the car starts just fine.

I want you to know I'm serious about this question, no matter how silly it sounds:

'What is there about a Pantsmobile that makes it not start when I get vanilla ice cream, and easy to start whenever I get any other kind?''

The Pantsmobile company President was understandably skeptical about the letter, but he sent an engineer to check it out anyway.

He had arranged to meet the man just after dinner time, so the two hopped into the car and drove to the grocery store.

The man bought vanilla ice cream that night and, sure enough, after they came back to the car it wouldn't start for several minutes.

The engineer returned for three more nights.

The first night, the man got chocolate.

The car started right away.

The second night, he got strawberry and again the car started right up.

The third night he bought vanilla and the car failed to start.

There was a logical reason why the man's car wouldn't start when he bought vanilla ice cream.

What was it?

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3. Hint: (Highlight below for hint)

The man lived in an extremely hot city, and this took place during the summer.
Also, the layout of the grocery store was such that it took the man less time to buy vanilla ice cream.

3. Answer: (Highlight below for answer)

Vanilla ice cream was the most popular flavor and was on display in a little case near the express check out, while the other flavors were in the back of the store and took more time to select and check out.
This mattered because the man's car was experiencing vapor lock, which is excess heat boiling the fuel in the fuel line and the resulting air bubbles blocking the flow of fuel until the car has enough time to cool.
When the car was running there was enough pressure to move the bubbles along, but not when the car was trying to start.
Moral of the story: Sometimes even insane sounding problems are real. A better moral: Chocolate ice cream cures vapor lock.

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4. A Leather Purse

A beggar found a leather purse that someone had dropped in the marketplace.

Opening it, he discovered that it contained 100 pieces of gold.

Then he heard a merchant shout, 'A reward! A reward to the one who finds my leather purse!'

Being an honest man, the beggar came forward and handed the purse to the merchant saying, 'Here is your purse.

May I have the reward now?'

'Reward?' scoffed the merchant, greedily counting his gold.

'Why the purse I dropped had 200 pieces of gold in it.

You've already stolen more than the reward!

Go away or I'll tell the police.'

'I'm an honest man,' said the beggar defiantly.

'Let us take this matter to the court.'

In court, the judge patiently listened to both sides of the story of a leather bag lost and a leather bag found.

He counted the coins; 100 gold coins in total.

Then said, 'If all was said is true then it's clear that no reward is necessary.'

How did the judge rule on this case?

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4. Hint: (Highlight below for hint)

What was found, and what was lost?

4. Answer: (Highlight below for answer)

The judge then said, 'Merchant, you stated that the purse you lost contained 200 pieces of gold.
Well, that's a considerable loss, but the purse this beggar found had only 100 pieces of gold.
Therefore, it couldn't be the one you lost.' With that, the judge gave the purse with 100 pieces of gold to the beggar, and told the merchant that he did not have to pay a reward.
There might just be a leather bag out there somewhere still with 200 pieces of gold in it, but don't ask the merchant, the beggar, or me.

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5. For the Smell of Soup

A beggar was given a piece of bread, but nothing to put on it.

Hoping to get something to go with his bread, he went to a nearby inn and asked for a handout.

The innkeeper turned him away with nothing, but the beggar sneaked around to the kitchen window where he saw a large pot of soup cooking over the fire.

He held his piece of bread through the window and over the steaming pot, hoping to thus capture a bit of flavor from the good-smelling vapor.

Suddenly the innkeeper seized him by the arm and accused him of stealing soup.

'I took no soup,' said the beggar. 'I was only smelling the vapor.'

'Then you must pay for the smell,' answered the innkeeper.

The poor beggar had no money, so the angry innkeeper called for the magistrate.

Now at that time an elder knight named Chistpin was serving as magistrate, as most able bodied men were with the Baron in the Holy Land on yet another crusade, and came over and heard the innkeeper's complaint and the beggar's explanation.

'So you demand payment for the smell of your soup?' summarized Chistpin after listening to both men.

'Yes my lord!' insisted the innkeeper.

'My soup is good and it is costly to make, so the rich smells must also be costly and have a value too.'

'Payment for the smell? Indeed all things have value, but what would be a fair value for just the smell of a pot of soup? That is the problem here.'

Just then something behind him caught Sir Chistpin's attention as a customer paid for his ale and was leaving.

'Ah, yes. Yes indeed, there is a fair payment for just the smell of your soup'.

How could there be a fair value for just the smell of cooking soup?

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5. Hint: (Highlight below for hint)

Would the value be less for bad cooking?

5. Answer: (Highlight below for answer)

The elder knight looked at both the beggar and the innkeeper, and then back to where the sound of a coin, tossed on a table as a customer paid for his ale and left, had caught his attention.
'Innkeeper, I, Sir Chistpin, acting magistrate of Lincolnshire, have found a just and fair payment for the smell of your soup, and I will pay it to you myself,' said Chistpin.
Taking two large gold coins from a small leather pouch, the Innkeeper's eye sparkled, and Chistpin said, 'I will pay for the rich smell of your costly soup with the rich sound of money.'
Thus Sir Chistpin rang the two coins together loudly, and then he put them back into his pouch; with the price of justice paid, sent the beggar on his own way and left the innkeeper to his own means.

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