Hard to get right on the first try! A quiz you’re guaranteed to get tripped up by.
A trick quiz that’s hard to get right just by reading the question as is.
In this article, we’ll introduce some of the trickiest riddles—ones so difficult you’re almost guaranteed to get tripped up.
Many of the quizzes have simple wording, but even when you think you’ve figured out the answer, you might find yourself saying, “I thought I got it right, but I got tricked!” So it’s important to think carefully.
With flexible thinking and a rich imagination, you can reach the correct answer.
Try to find the hidden hints in the question text and think carefully about the meanings of the words as you give it a try.
Hard to get right on the first try! A quiz you’ll definitely get snagged by (1–10)
What was the highest mountain in the world before Mount Everest was discovered?
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Everest
Because it was the world’s highest mountain even before it was discovered. If you read the question literally, you tend to picture a different mountain, but the answer is actually hidden within it—this kind of riddle.
Aimi practiced the piano every day. However, no matter how much she practiced, she didn’t get any better. Why on earth was that?
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Because I had only been practicing 'Do' and 'Re'.
From the word “dore dake” (meaning “how much/how many”), you can tell they were only practicing the notes Do and Re. It’s a trick question you can solve by noticing the hidden hint in the problem statement.
A person swam from one end of a 25-meter pool to the other in 5 seconds. However, why was no one surprised?
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Because (someone) swam across the course.
When you hear that someone swam in a pool, you probably imagine they swam a full 25 meters. However, if it’s just crossing the pool widthwise, you can get across in five seconds. The key is to pay attention to the phrase “from end to end” in the problem statement.
Which was built first, the Great Buddha of Nara or the Great Buddha of Kamakura?
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Neither of them is standing.
Since both Great Buddhas are seated, neither of them is standing. One might be inclined to think about the Great Buddha that was built earlier, but the key here is to read the question carefully. Use the word 'stood' as a hint to picture a seated Great Buddha and solve the problem.
There are eight types of shogi pieces; how many types of Othello pieces are there?
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1 type
Shogi has different types of pieces like the king (ōshō) and the gold general (kinshō), but Othello is played with just one type of piece. Many people might think of the white and black pieces and say there are two types. The key is realizing that it’s actually a single type of piece with two sides, front and back.
Spring, summer, autumn, winter—which is the longest in a year?
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1 year
It's easy to assume there are four choices given, but the point is that “one year” is actually included among the options. Instead of thinking about which of the four seasons is the longest, you need to read the question carefully and answer accordingly.
Who was the first one Momotaro, who fights demons with three animal companions, met?
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Grandfather and grandmother
Momotaro, who was born from a peach, first meets the old man and the old woman. He doesn’t meet the dog, monkey, and pheasant who become his companions until after he sets out to defeat the ogres, so they are not the first ones he encounters.