Question: Two mothers and two daughters sit down to eat eggs for breakfast. They ate three eggs and each person at the table ate an egg. Explain how.

Alternative Question Phrasing:

Follow-up questions:

How did you come to that conclusion?

Question Details:

Question Type:

Unconventional

Skills:

Basic – Critical Thinking,Complex Problem Solving

Abilities:

Cognitive – Category Flexibility (Mental Flexibility),Cognitive – Flexibility of Closure (Pattern Detection),Cognitive – Speed of Closure (Thinking Speed),Cognitive – Visualisation

Work Activity (Task):

Mental Processes – Analyzing Data or Information,Mental Processes – Thinking Creatively (Creativity)

Work Style (Person-Job Fit):

Analytical Thinking,Innovation

Question Frequency

Question Difficulty

What to look for in an answer:

You are looking for either the logic to solve the puzzle, or creativity to think of the answer.

Warning: This question has been overused or become popular enough that a large number of people know the answer to the question without having to work out the answer on their own. Therefore, caution is advised against using this question as it may not be able to measure what it was originally intended to measure.

Red Flags to Watch For:

A red flag is if the interviewee gives up and does not attempt to figure out an answer and simply says ‘I don’t know’.

Sample Answer:

There are only three people. A grandmother, mother, and daughter.

The mother is both a mother and a daughter at the same time. The mother is the mother of the daughter, and also the daughter of the grandmother.

Question Source: Unknown