Forbes posted yesterday about “10 brainteasers to test your mental sharpness”. Most of the riddles were the trick/”false premise” type of questions with crucial information that tend to sneak by the testee.
Riddles like these focus on ambiguities of language rather than actual problem-solving. When we hear a riddle or problem we tend to pick out the important words/phrases and let the contextual words slide by, assuming we know what they mean or “completing” their meaning while actually ignoring them. It takes only a few seconds of effort to detect the key word(s) but to me they don’t qualify for rigorous intellectual engagement…although how much can you fit into a sentence or two?
We assume, sometimes rightly so, that people don’t intend for us to take their language completely literally. When we read number seven on the list: “In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?”, we consider “take” as a synonymous verb for “photograph”, not “steal”. That’s because the common usage, given the context, and most people aren’t enough of a jerk (maybe) to slip a different meaning.
Of course, going into these you’re told that they are brainteasers, so we’re tipped off to look for a linguistic trap. It’s not a matter of the degree of intelligence that helps with solving these, but a simple shift in perception.
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Jay, the issue with number seven is not the usage of the word “take” but the meaning of the preposition “with.” In the teaser, “with” means “by means of” but we naturally assume that it means “possessing” (because it almost always does when referencing a wooden leg).
Mike! Ugh. I misread the question…or rather the answer. Both really. Or I didn’t read the answer. I think it was MY answer I was explaining, where I thought the riddle was saying you “can’t” (as in, “not allowed”) take the photo because the man with the wooden leg owns it…so it would be stealing the picture.
Can I rent you to follow me all day so I don’t make weird mistakes like this?