Definition of Lateral Thinking – Lateral thinking is a term coined by Edward de Bono, a Maltese psychologist, physician and writer. It first appeared in the title of his book The Use of Lateral Thinking, published in 1967. De Bono defines lateral thinking as methods of thinking concerned with changing concepts and perception. Lateral thinking is about reasoning that is not immediately obvious and about ideas that may not be obtainable by using only traditional step-by-step logic. Source: Wikipedia
Lateral Thinking Puzzle for the Week
An old man read a report in the newspaper about a wealthy woman who had died of old age. “She was murdered!” he thundered. Then carried on reading the rest of the newspaper How did he know that it was a murder and why did he do nothing about it?
While you are at it, why not read about the 10 Strangest Unsolved Murders in History
Update on the Lateral Thinking Puzzle
The Answer I was looking for
The old man was priest. He was sitting alone while reading the newspaper (some lady once said, before marriage my husband promised to lay down his life for me but after marriage he doesn’t even lay down his newspaper!). Only the previous day a man had confessed to him that he had murdered his aunt for money. The priest realized that the woman mentioned in the newspaper was the murder victim. The ‘seal of confessional’ (priests aren’t allowed to reveal what is said during a confession) meant that he couldn’t report the murder to the police.
Other Good Answers That Came Up
Answer 1: The old man reading the paper had murdered her (probably for her money) and thats how he knew it was a murder! And that is also why he din’t do anything about it.
By Ambiga
Answer 2: The old man reading the newspaper might have given a “supari” to a professional killer, who had succeeded in making it look like a natual death.
By Wrong One
Answer 3: The old man must have been the person who had done post mortem on this wealthy woman. But before the post mortem report was given out the press assumed and declared that she had died of old age. He might have discovered during the postmortem analysis that she was murdered and didn’t die of natural causes. However, he did nothing about it because the investigation (or the post mortem analysis) was going on and he was looking for some conclusive evidence to be given to the police as solid proof.
Answer 4: The old man was reading one headline after another to his short sighted and hard of hearing wife. “She was murdered” was probably another headline he read out aloud.
23 replies on “Lateral Thinking – 3”
Mm…he was the one who murdered her (probably for her money) and thats how he knew it was a murder! (And thats also why he din do anything about it?)
I agree with Ambiga …
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Ambiga: Damn neat…that could be one correct answer.
But that is not the answer I am looking for. Sorry. There is one more answer to this.
Hariharan: Sorry mate…u will have to think again!
probably cos the report also added that she was murdered and that they caught the murderer.
Just because it wasn’t mentioned in the first sentence, doesn’t mean it wasn’t there at all, yes?
she must be his wife, so he did nothing about it… 🙁
nAL : Nope…the report only said that the old woman died of old age. It never had the word “murder” or “murdered” in it.
nina: Nope…she wasn’t his wife.
OK here is a hint – He hadn’t about her till the previous day….
Arguing it out logically:
1) The old man hasn’t heard of her before that day (ref. one of your comments). This means even though she is wealthy, she is not a notable person in the society.
2) Newspaper doesn’t report natural death of general people. It reports only murders and natural death of celebs/notable people.
So keeping those two in mind, when he read about some arbit old lady dead, he knew it had to be murder. And he didn’t do anything about it, cauze he didn’t give a shit about it 😛
even if he had not killed her himself, he might have given a “supari” to a professional killer to kill her.. and who knows he himself wasn’t a contract-killer.. u really can’t trust an old man who is interested in (atleast) reading news about rich old woman. he..he..
Maybe the old man is just senile? haha
Ok here’s another (farfetched) shot.
He heard about the previous day because he was at the place where she died and although it was a natural death nobody attempted to resuscitate her and stuff (maybe cause her kids were waiting for her to die soon). So being the indignant old man he is, he feels that is murder!
And he doesn do anything about it because…well what can he do right?
Since you had mentioned a clue that he hadnt known about her until about the previous day this was what I came upto – That old man might have been a doctor and the wealthy woman might have come to him for some medication the previous day. When he came to know that she was wealthy, jealous of her money and trying to steal her fortune he might have given her some killer drug (sophisticated drug such that the traces of the drug cannot be found) and ppl thought that the person died of natural causes which is – in this case old age. This made the old man comment “She was murdered” and of course, for fear of being caught he did nothing about it.
Ok, another probable case. The old man must have been the person who had done post mortem on this wealthy woman. But before the post mortem report was given out the press assumed and declared that she had died of old age. He might have discovered during the postmortem analysis that she was murdered and didnt die of natural causes. However he did nothing about it because the investigation (or the post mortem analysis) was going on and he was looking for some conclusive evidence to be given as solid proof that she was murdered.
The old man was reading one headline after another to his short sighted and hard of hearing wife??! “she was murdered” was probably another headline written out in BOLD!!
The murder happened many years ago and whoever murdered her had died by now.
“indira gandhi died”…
he read it in 2005..
he knows what really happened .. so he is not bothered
chriz, who will write in newspaper that India Gandhi had died because of old age even in 2005?
it was a 1984 newspaper..
our HERO read it very late in 2005…
LATE-ral thinking indeed
she did not die when she was in her teens..
Mahesh Nayak are you a doc?
The ans. to the ques cd. be the man would have been an eyewitness to her murder. He dint want to get involved with the police work and he remains calm….
“had died in old age” and “had died because of old age” are two very different things. no?
script writers in 1984 were very WEAK in grammar
-LATE-ral thinker