Test your Lateral Thinking skill with some challenges
The are challenges at different skill levels for you to practice your Lateral Thinking. Use this as an opportunity to reflect on how you think. Don't simply solve the challenges and be satisfied (or dissatisfied!) with the result.
The purpose of these challenges is to help you develop more awareness of your thinking and to improve your skill in thinking. This is the value of the challenge, so resist the temptation to jump to the solution as soon as you get stuck.
Treat frustration with a challenge as an opportunity to ask yourself what approach you are taking and what alternatives there might be. Many of the challenges appear easy to solve with hindsight, so why are they difficult to solve on first attempt? This is because they require a change of perception, rather than better logic. These challenges are an opportunity to improve how you change your perception.
As you work on the challenge write down your approach to solving it. Observe your own attitude of mind, what you choose to focus on and why?
You can improve your skill in thinking through practice and self observation. You will be more aware of thinking traps, how to challenge assumptions and consider alternatives.
What you might learn from the Challenges
The willingness to consider alternative ways of looking at a situation is an important attitude and skill in Lateral Thinking.
There are many challenges to solve. Here is a preview of five of them.
What is this? How many alternative explanations can you think of?
Skill level: Easy
In the Oil and Vinegar Challenge you will learn that if your starting point (premise) is wrong then excellent logic is insufficient.
Skill level: High
