(last updated: 18 July 1999.)<\/p>\n
In the game of situation puzzles, a mysterious situation is presented
\nto a group of players, who must then try to find out what’s going on by
\nasking further questions. The person who initially presented the situation
\ncan only answer “yes” or “no” to questions (or occasionally
\n“irrelevant”).<\/p>\n
My list of situation puzzles consists of two sections. Section 1
\nconsists of puzzles which are set in a realistic world; the situations could
\nall actually occur. Section 2 consists of puzzles which involve double
\nmeanings for one or more words and those which could not possibly take place
\nin reality as we know it, plus a few miscellaneous others. Note that a
\npuzzle’s number in this edition may not be the same as its number in earlier
\neditions.<\/p>\n
See the end of the list for more notes and comments.<\/p>\n
The answers to these puzzles are available in a separate file, most
\nlikely very close to where you found this puzzle list.<\/p>\n
1.1<\/strong>. A man goes into a restaurant, orders abalone, eats 1.2<\/strong>. A man lives on the twelfth floor of an apartment 1.3<\/strong>. A man sitting on a park bench reads a newspaper 1.4<\/strong>. A man lets go of a bowling ball. A short while 1.5<\/strong>. Two men enter a bar. They both order identical 1.6<\/strong>. A man walks into a bar and asks for a drink. The 1.7<\/strong>. Two women are talking. One goes into the 1.8<\/strong>. Beulah died in the Appalachians, while Craig died 1.9<\/strong>. An avid birdwatcher sees an unexpected bird. Soon 1.10<\/strong>. He was killed by breakfast. (JM original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1.11<\/strong>. Two brothers are involved in a murder. Though 1.12<\/strong>. A woman in France in 1959 is waiting in her room, 1.13<\/strong>. A man lies dead next to a cactus. Stuck to the 1.14<\/strong>. Passing by a window, you see two dead men in a 1.15<\/strong>. There are a carrot, a pile of pebbles, and a pipe 1.16<\/strong>. Two dead people sit in their cars on a street. 1.17<\/strong>. A man is found shot to death in the front seat of 1.18<\/strong>. A man is sitting in a room. Another person 1.19<\/strong>. There is blood on the ceiling of my bedroom. (MI 1.20<\/strong>. A man in uniform stands on the beach of a 1.21<\/strong>. A woman is heating her coffee in a small 1.22<\/strong>. A man tries the new cologne his wife gave him for 1.23<\/strong>. A man takes a two-week cruise to Mexico from the 1.24<\/strong>. A man is lying face down, dead, in the desert, 1.25<\/strong>. A man is lying, dead, face down in the desert 1.26<\/strong>. She lost her job when she invited them to dinner. 1.27<\/strong>. A man tells his boss, “Don’t take your planned 1.28<\/strong>. A man finishes getting dressed, lies down and 1.29<\/strong>. Every day a man drinks his breakfast and drinks 1.30<\/strong>. A car without a driver moves; a man dies. (EMS) 1.31<\/strong>. A man gets onto an elevator. When the elevator 1.32<\/strong>. A man is killed on a train. He is found to have 1.33<\/strong>. A man lies dead next to a feather. (PRO) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1.34<\/strong>. A man ran into a fire, and lived. A man stayed 1.35<\/strong>. Four people are on a grass-covered island. A 1.36<\/strong>. A flash of light, a man dies. (ST original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1.37<\/strong>. A man is running along a corridor with a piece of 1.38<\/strong>. Mr. Browning is glad the car ran out of gas. 1.39<\/strong>. A dying man gives another man a gift, and then 1.40<\/strong>. A man is lying dead in a room. There is a large 1.41<\/strong>. A man enters the elevator of a high rise 1.42<\/strong>. A woman came home with a bag of groceries, got 1.43<\/strong>. The king dies and two men both claim to be his 1.44<\/strong>. An old man gets the hiccups. Soon, he is rushed 1.45<\/strong>. A man is found dead outside a large building with 1.46<\/strong>. A man dies in his own home. (ME original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1.47<\/strong>. A body is discovered in a park in Chicago in the 1.48<\/strong>. Three men die. On the pavement are pieces of ice 1.49<\/strong>. If he had wanted chocolate ice cream, his brother 1.50<\/strong>. A man kills his wife, then goes inside his house 1.51<\/strong>. If he’d turned on the light, he’d have lived. 1.52<\/strong>. A man is found dead on the floor in the living 1.53<\/strong>. A man went into a restaurant, had a large meal, 1.54<\/strong>. A U.S. Navy sailor on the deck of a cruiser 1.55<\/strong>. A man leaves a motel room, goes to his car, and 1.56<\/strong>. As I drive to work on my motorcycle, there is one 1.57<\/strong>. A man opens his mouth and dies shortly 1.58<\/strong>. A married couple goes to a movie. During the 1.59<\/strong>. Music stops and a woman dies. (DVS) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n 1.60<\/strong>. Abel walks out of the ocean. Cain asks him who 1.61<\/strong>. A man is riding a subway. He meets a one-armed 1.62<\/strong>. An ordinary American citizen, with no passport, 1.63<\/strong>. A man is sitting in bed. He makes a phone call, 1.64<\/strong>. A man tries to buy poison to kill his wife. The 1.65<\/strong>. A man was walking down a road when a stone lodged 1.66<\/strong>. A man is sitting suspended over two pressurized 1.67<\/strong>. A man is dead in a puddle of blood and water on 1.68<\/strong>. A man is found hanging in a locked room with a 1.69<\/strong>. Mr. H meets Mr. X in a hotel bar; after a heated 1.70<\/strong>. A man driving his car turns on the radio. He 1.71<\/strong>. A man is driving his car. He turns on the radio, 1.72<\/strong>. She grabbed his ring, pulled on it, and dropped 1.73<\/strong>. A riverboat filled with passengers suddenly 1.74<\/strong>. A woman walks into a small room and screams. 1.75<\/strong>. A rope breaks. A bell rings. A man dies. (KH) 1.76<\/strong>. Joe leaves his house, wearing a mask and carrying 1.77<\/strong>. A woman buys a new pair of shoes, goes to work, 1.78<\/strong>. A woman has incontrovertible proof in court that
\none bite, and kills himself. (TeM and JM wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nbuilding. Every morning he takes the elevator down to the lobby and leaves
\nthe building. In the evening, he gets into the elevator, and, if there is
\nsomeone else in the elevator — or if it was raining that day — he goes
\nback to his floor directly. However, if there is nobody else in the
\nelevator and it hasn’t rained, he goes to the tenth floor and walks up two
\nflights of stairs to his room. (MH, from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\narticle headlined “Death at Sea” and knows a murder has been committed.
\n(from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nlater, he is rushed to the hospital. (JC original?) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ndrinks. One lives; the other dies. (CR; partial JM wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nbartender pulls out a gun and points it at him. The man says, “Thank you,”
\nand walks out. (DVS; from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nbathroom, comes out five minutes later, and kills the other. (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nat sea. Everyone was much happier with Craig’s death. (JM, originally from
\nHow Come — Again?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhe’s dead. (RSB original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nit’s clear that one of them actually committed the crime, neither can be
\npunished. (This is different from #1.78.) (from “Unreasonable Doubt,” by
\nStanley Ellin) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwith all the doors locked from the inside, for her husband to come home.
\nWhen he arrives, the house has burned to the ground and she’s dead. (JM,
\noriginally from How Come — Again?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ncactus is a slip of paper. (TO) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nroom, with a gun and a deck of cards. (KK2) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nlying together in the middle of a field. (PRO; partial JM wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(AG) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhis car; a gun lies out of his reach in the back seat. All the windows are
\nclosed and the doors are locked; there are no bullet holes anywhere in the
\ncar. (SP, from The Next Book of OMNI Games<\/cite>; partial AC
\nwording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nenters, carrying a closed cardboard box, and sits down nearby. Though the
\nfirst man can’t see, hear, or smell the box’s contents, he knows what’s in
\nthe box. (ES original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\noriginal) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ntropical island. He takes out a cigarette, lights it, and begins smoking.
\nHe takes out a letter and begins reading it. The cigarette burns down
\nbetween his fingers, but he doesn’t throw it away. He cries. (RW) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nmicrowave oven. She puts it in for exactly two minutes. She then opens the
\ndoor, closes it, then heats her coffee for two more seconds. (JC original?)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhis birthday. He goes out to get some food, and is killed. (RW original)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nU.S. Shortly after he gets back, he takes a three-day cruise which doesn’t
\nstop at any other ports. He stays in his cabin all the time on both
\ncruises. As a result, he makes $250,000. (MI, from “The Wager”) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwith a match near his outstretched hand. (This is different from #1.25,
\n#2.2, and #2.12.) (JH; partial JM wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwearing a backpack. (This is different from #1.24, #2.2, and #2.12.) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(DS original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nflight today! I had a dream last night that if you do, your plane will
\ncrash and you’ll die.” The boss fires the man. (From How
\nCome?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ndies. (CH original?) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhis lunch. When his boss finds out, he is immediately fired. The man moves
\nto another job and begins doing the same thing; this time, when his boss
\nfinds out, the boss jokingly tells him that he’ll be fired if he stops.
\n(RSW) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nstops, he knows his wife is dead. (LA; partial KH wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwritten “elf” on the floor in his own blood. (MB, from “The Problem of the
\nLocked Caboose,” by Edward D. Hoch) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwhere there was no fire, and died. (EW original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nfire burns from one end of the island to the other, but no one gets severely
\nburnt. (BJ) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\npaper in his hand. The lights flicker and the man drops to his knees and
\ncries out, “Oh no!” (MP) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(JM, originally from How Come — Again?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nthe dying man dies. Shortly after that the second man dies. (HJS) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\npile of gold and jewels on the floor, a chandelier attached to the ceiling,
\nand a large open window. (DVS; partial JM wording) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\napartment building, takes off one glove, and pushes the button for the tenth
\nfloor. The next day, the same man enters the elevator, puts on<\/em> one
\nglove, and pushes the button for the tenth floor. (RA original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nthe mail, and walked into the house. On the way to the kitchen, she went
\nthrough the living room and looked at her husband, who had blown his brains
\nout. She then continued to the kitchen, put away the groceries, and made
\ndinner. (partial JM wording; from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nlong-lost son. One of the king’s advisors proposes a test to determine the
\nidentity of the true heir. One claimant agrees to the test; the other
\nrefuses. The one who agreed is sent packing; the one who refused is
\nidentified as the rightful heir. (SP, from The Next Book of OMNI
\nGames<\/cite>; earlier from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nto the hospital. (JC original?) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\na hole in him. (JM, modified from PRO) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nmiddle of summer. It has a fractured skull and many other broken bones, but
\nthe cause of death was hypothermia. (MI, from Hill Street
\nBlues<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nand broken glass. (JJ) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nwould be alive today. (TiM original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nand kills himself. (DH original, from “Nightmare in Yellow,” by Fredric
\nBrown) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(JM) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nroom. (ME original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nand paid nothing for it. (JM original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nnoticed an explosive mine in the water directly in the path of the ship.
\nWith no time to communicate the situation to the captain of the ship, the
\nsailor saved the lives of the crew and the ship. (BB) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhonks the horn. (AS original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ncorner which I go around at a certain speed whether it’s rainy or sunny. If
\nit’s cloudy but not raining, however, I usually go faster. (SW original)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nafterwards. (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nmovie the husband strangles the wife. He is able to get her body home
\nwithout attracting attention. (from Beyond the Easy Answer<\/cite>;
\nearlier from How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nhe is, and Abel answers. Cain kills Abel. (MWD original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nman, who pulls out a gun and shoots him. (SJ; from How Come?<\/cite>)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nvisits over thirty foreign countries in one day. He is welcomed in each
\ncountry, and leaves each one of his own accord. (PRO) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nsaying nothing, and then goes to sleep. (SJ; from How Come?<\/cite>)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\npharmacist figures out what he’s up to and finds a way to ensure that he
\ncan’t kill his wife. (CB, from Flitterwochen in der Hoelle<\/cite>)
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nitself between his foot and his sandal. He leaned against a pole and, with
\nhis head down to watch, he shook his foot to dislodge the stone. Another
\nman came up and broke the first man’s arm in three places. (RB) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ncontainers. Suddenly, he dies. (NK original) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nthe floor of a locked room. (This is different from #1.68.) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\npuddle of water under his feet. (This is different from #1.67.) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ndiscussion, they leave the bar and head upstairs. Partway up the stairs,
\nMr. X clutches his chest, then punches Mr. H in the face. (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nthen pulls over to the side of the road and shoots himself. (This is
\ndifferent from #1.71.) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nlistens for five minutes, turns around, goes home, and shoots his wife.
\n(This is different from #1.70.) (From How Come?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nit. (JM, from Math for Girls<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\ncapsized, drowning most of those aboard. (originally from How Come —
\nAgain?<\/cite>) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(NP) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n(answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nan empty sack. An hour later he returns. The sack is now full. He goes
\ninto a room and turns out the lights. (AL) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\nand dies. (DM) (answer<\/a>)<\/p>\n