I LOVE riddles. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE them.
If you ask me a riddle I'll never give up. It's sort of infuriating when the kids ask because often the answer makes no sense OR worse, by the time I think I've figured it out they've COMPLETELY forgotten the question.
Anyway, yesterday I was reminded of this riddle and I thought I'd share it with you...
You are walking through the woods when you come to a fork in the path. You have heard that down one path lives a village of murderers and thieves and that everyone who lives in this village always lies. Down the other path you have heard that there is a nice, safe village and everyone who lives in this village always tells the truth.
You are eager to find a nice safe place to spend the night but you are afraid to choose the wrong path and find yourself in trouble so you wait. After a short while a man comes walking up behind you headed home.
What one question could you ask the man to determine which path you should take to safety?
(Good luck!)
Update: I've turned on comment moderation which means that you should be able to leave your comment to get credit for being clever without ruining the riddle for anyone else. I'll reveal the answers later today.
I would ask this person where they're from. The honest villager will point to the safe village and the lying villager will point to the same place.
Posted by: Rob McGuire | July 26, 2011 at 09:11 AM
Theoretically you could ask him any factual question. For example: What color is my shirt? or What time is it? If he answers dishonestly, you know you don't want to follow him.
Posted by: Misty @ The Family Math | July 26, 2011 at 09:36 AM
"Are you a male or female?" You already stated a MAN is headed home, so it would be the simplest question to determine if he lies or tells the truth.
Posted by: Meghan | July 26, 2011 at 09:47 AM
What day of the week is it?
Or any other question that isn't a yes or no that you know the correct answer to ;)
Posted by: Nicci @ Changing the Universe | July 26, 2011 at 09:53 AM
"If you lived in the other village and I were to ask you which is the safe path, what would you tell me?" Then, whichever path he indicates, take the other one.
Posted by: Jeff Majchrzak | July 26, 2011 at 10:04 AM
Can you point me to the town where you live? (If he is lying, he will point to the safe town. And if he is telling the truth, he will point to the safe town!)
Posted by: Kristen | July 26, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Excuse me sir, but where can I find the beer?
Posted by: Mrs. MidAtlantic | July 26, 2011 at 10:10 AM
If I ask you if I should go left/right, would you say yes?
Posted by: Tiffani | July 26, 2011 at 10:29 AM
Being of Italian descent, I would ask him if the glasses I'm wearing make my nose look big. If he says, "No your nose makes your nose look big," I know he's from the safe, truth-telling village and will ask if he knew a place where I could spend the night.
If he says no, I'll ask which way to a safe village for the night...and then take the opposite path.
Posted by: Robert Minicucci | July 26, 2011 at 10:51 AM
"Which village do you come from?"
If he tells the truth, he'll point to the safe village of truth tellers.
If he lies, same thing =)
Posted by: Cara | July 26, 2011 at 11:05 AM
Which path should I take to get to your home. That is the path to the nice safe village since if he is from the bad village he will lie and tell you the path for the good village and if he is from the good village he will tell the truth and say the same path.
Posted by: Dan Isaac | July 26, 2011 at 11:11 AM
You should ask him "Which way to your village?"
Posted by: Farbot | July 26, 2011 at 12:12 PM
I hate riddles. The guys a liar, he wouldn't answer my question right anyway. I would turn around and go home!
Posted by: Carol | July 26, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Um, ask him if he's a man? That's the best I could come up with.
Posted by: Megan | July 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM
"Where do you live?"
Posted by: ABC | July 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM
I would ask the man to tell me which village he is from.
If he is from the good village, he will tell me the truth and point to the good village.
If he is from the bad village, he will lie and tell me he is from the good village.
Either way, he will point me towards the good village and I would go that direction!
Posted by: Kate Hodges | July 26, 2011 at 02:02 PM
"If I follow you, will you lead me back to your village?"
Assuming he is really going home, the truth-teller will say yes and the liar will have to say no. You either follow the guy if he says yes, or take the other path.
Posted by: aem2 | July 26, 2011 at 03:15 PM
"Which village would someone from the other town say is the town full of liars?"
A truth-teller would point to the truth town (as a liar would lie and point there). A liar would point to the truth town (as a truth teller would actually point to the town of liars). Thus, you go wherever way the person points whether they be a liar or truth-teller.
Posted by: TechyDad | July 26, 2011 at 03:55 PM
"If I were to ask you, "Is this the path to the safe village, would you say 'Yes?'""
Posted by: chuck | July 26, 2011 at 06:26 PM
Ask him, "Do you think I'm a female?" (I'm a female.) If he says yes, follow him since he's telling the truth. If he's a liar he will have to say no. Any other question that has a definitive answer can be asked in the same way to get the truth.
I'm sure this isn't the real answer...but it would work :)
Posted by: Just K | July 26, 2011 at 08:32 PM
Are you headed home?
Posted by: joann | July 26, 2011 at 09:25 PM
Are you a man?
Posted by: Chris | July 26, 2011 at 09:26 PM
My question would be "How many is 1 + 1?"
Love your blog! Thanks for sharing your life with us!
Posted by: Heather | July 26, 2011 at 09:53 PM
“If I asked someone from the other village which path leads to the truth tellers, what path would I be told to take?”
Then, whatever he said, I’d take the opposite path. Here’s why. If he were a truth teller, he’d know that I’d asked how a liar ("someone from the other village") would answer the question, so he’d answer truthfully by telling me which lie they would tell, and he would therefore point to the path to the liars’ village. If he were a liar, he’d know that the truth tellers would tell me the correct path and that he must therefore lie about what they would say, so HE would tell me the wrong path.
Basically, no matter which village he’s from, that question is going to get you an answer that points you to the liars village.
Assuming, of course, that neither the liar nor the truth teller is too unworldly to understand such a confusing question in the first place.
Posted by: Jessie | July 26, 2011 at 10:13 PM
Something that has an obvious answer--Is the sky blue? are you a man? am I female? If he tells the truth, you follow him.
Posted by: Ms Dreamer | July 26, 2011 at 10:50 PM
What's the weather like today?
Posted by: Paulette | July 27, 2011 at 02:30 AM
What's the weather like today?
Posted by: Paulette | July 27, 2011 at 02:30 AM
Do these pants make my butt look big?
If he answers, "oh no, you look fabulous" then I know for sure he's
a big fat fibber. I'd be tempted to follow him, but probably go to safe
old truth-telling village. Truth hurts, and I have an ample rear end.
Posted by: Jeannie B | July 27, 2011 at 03:30 AM
I would just grab him and have hot sex with him. Scratch this riddle, let's have an orgy!
Posted by: Miss Ellie | July 27, 2011 at 01:59 PM