Kick start your neurons at Level 1 with puzzles involving hidden words, math calculations, and logical conundrums. At Level 2, fire up your synapses with cryptograms, scrambled sentences, and visual challenges. And activate your brain at Level 3 with fill-in-the-blanks, search-a-words, magic squares, and much more. If you get stumped, an answer key with complete solutions appears at the end.
Kick start your neurons at Level 1 with puzzles involving hidden words, math calculations, and logical conundrums. At Level 2, fire up your synapses with cryptograms, scrambled sentences, and visual challenges. And activate your brain at Level 3 with fill-in-the-blanks, search-a-words, magic squares, and much more. If you get stumped, an answer key with complete solutions appears at the end.
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Overview
Kick start your neurons at Level 1 with puzzles involving hidden words, math calculations, and logical conundrums. At Level 2, fire up your synapses with cryptograms, scrambled sentences, and visual challenges. And activate your brain at Level 3 with fill-in-the-blanks, search-a-words, magic squares, and much more. If you get stumped, an answer key with complete solutions appears at the end.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780486810577 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Dover Publications |
| Publication date: | 02/29/2016 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| Pages: | 160 |
| File size: | 19 MB |
| Note: | This product may take a few minutes to download. |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
The Big Brain Puzzle Book
By Terry Stickels
Dover Publications, Inc.
Copyright © 2016 Terry StickelsAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-486-81057-7
CHAPTER 1
level 1
KICK START YOUR NEURONS!
Mentally stimulating activities strengthen brain cells and the connections between them, and may even create new nerve cells.
Puzzle 1
WORDPLAY
Below are the names of six states with their vowels removed. How fast can you figure out their full names?
1. KLHM
2. NDN
3. H
4. LLNS
5. W
6. RGN
Puzzle 2
WORDPLAY
The six words below share an unusual characteristic that's not found in many English words. What is it?
HINT: Look at these words from a different perspective.
animal
deliver
looter
diaper
drawer
straw
Puzzle 3
WORDPLAY
Below are 16 letters that form a common, everyday word. Using each given letter just once, can you figure out what the word is?
Puzzle 4
CREATIVE THINKING
Puzzle 5
VISUALIZATION
How many cubes are missing from the following stack that was originally 5 × 5 × 5? All rows and columns run to completion unless you actually see them end.
Puzzle 6
LOGIC
You are a prisoner sentenced to death. The Emperor offers you a chance to live by playing a simple game. He gives you 50 black marbles, 50 white marbles, and 2 empty bowls. He then says, "Divide these 100 marbles into these 2 bowls. You can divide them any way you like as long as you use all the marbles. Then, I will blindfold you and mix the bowls around. You then can choose one bowl and remove ONE marble. If the marble is WHITE you will live, but if the marble is BLACK ... you will die."
How do you divide the marbles up so that you have the greatest probability of choosing a WHITE marble?
Puzzle 7
LANGUAGE
The words below share an interesting feature that is common, basic, and known to all. What is it?
HINT: Sound?
abuse
contest
permit
produce
rebel
use
convert
Puzzle 8
WORDPLAY
Five of the six words below share a characteristic not present in the sixth word. Which word is the odd one out?
HINT: Look closely
physiography
ingratiating
entertainment
underground
hotshot
tenement
Puzzle 9
WORDPLAY
You will find out this paragraph is unusual. Why? You'll find out soon, if you don't know by now. Think about what's right in front of you. Don't rush — you can sit for days or months to think about this. But, I know you won't drag this out for too long. You won't fail. I know you. Your brain will finally find a solution. By now, you probably know what's wrong with this paragraph, right? What do you think? I await your solution. I'll wait as long as you want to wait. So, what's your logical mind say about this paragraph? I know you know by now.
Puzzle 10
KNOWLEDGE
All but one of these states has a panhandle. Which is the odd one out?
Alaska
Colorado
Florida
Idaho
Oklahoma
Texas
Puzzle 11
WORDPLAY
Below is a puzzle I call a Trickledown™ puzzle. These types of puzzles were made famous by Lewis Carroll and have different names — from doublets to word ladders. Regardless of what they're called, they're fun.
In my version, you are to change one letter per word, starting with the second word. When you change a letter, the resulting word must be a word found in the dictionary. You keep changing one letter, per line until you reach the final word. Here's an example:
Example: Answer:
FULL
FULL
__________
FILL
__________
PILL
__________
PILE
PINE
PINE
Try your skill with these:
BORN
DINGY
SENSOR
__________ __________ __________
__________ __________ __________
__________ __________ __________
CAPE __________ __________
PALES __________
TASTED
Puzzle 12
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 13
WORDPLAY
Below is a scrambled 15 letter word known to all. It begins with "S" and ends with "S". See how long it takes you to come up with this simple, straightforward word.
answer: ___________________________________
Puzzle 14
LOGIC
Mike's father-in-law has only one daughter. The daughter's mother-in-law has a son named Robert who has a son named Tyler. Tyler is Mike's:
A) cousin
B) nephew
C) uncle
D) son
E) father
Puzzle 15
WORDPLAY
Unscramble the words in the column at the right to form the names of common animals. Fill in the properly spelled animal names in the spaces in the left column. The first letters of the correctly solved animal names, reading down, spell out the name of another animal.
Puzzle 16
MATHEMATICS
How many days are in 5,000,000 seconds?
Puzzle 17
KNOWLEDGE
Many surnames originated from people's occupations. The name Cooper came from the job of making or repairing barrels, casks, and tubs. A Drover was a person who drove cattle and sheep to market. A Porter was a doorkeeper.
Match the names on the left with their respective occupations on the right.
1) Turner a) Cleaner of cloth goods
2) Lardner b) Forest warden
3) Wainwright c) Lathe worker
4) Woodward d) Keeper of fences
5) Tucker e) Keeper of the cupboard
6) Hayward f) One who made bows and arrows
7) Fletcher g) Wagon maker
Puzzle 18
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 19
WORDPLAY
Below are three words that have more than one anagram each. See how many you can find.
earring
tacos
user
Puzzle 20
KNOWLEDGE
Fifth, fourth, third, second, first, _____________?
A) zero
B) zeroed
C) zeroth
D) zerost
Puzzle 21
WORDPLAY
Below is a common word used in everyday language. See how long it takes you to unscramble it. Some people can solve this unbelievably quickly.
ybevalnuilbe
Puzzle 22
LANGUAGE
One of the following five words does not fit with the others. Which word is it? HINT: It has to do with the words' meanings.
Magnanimity
Penury
Profusion
Largesse
Munificence
Puzzle 23
CREATIVE THINKING
I saw this curious note one day and had no idea what it meant.
"My very educated mother just served us nine pizzas."
When I asked a passing science professor what it meant, he smiled and said, "Oh, that slogan is being changed as we speak. It will now read,
"My very educated mother just served us nachos (no potatoes)."
He left in a hurry and I still had no idea what it meant, but I did find out later the professor I met briefly was an astronomer.
Can you help me out and solve this riddle for me? By the way, this happened in 2006.
Puzzle 24
LOGIC
How creative are you? Can you solve for the missing letter in the last triangle and solve the triangle word game below? There is a certain logic in and around the triangles that will point you to the right answer.
Puzzle 25
LANGUAGE
One of these words is misspelled. Which one?
A) sedulous
B) repoire
C) napery
D) grommet
Puzzle 26
WORDPLAY
There is something unusual about this sentence. What is it?
"Doc note: I dissent. A fast never prevents a fatness. I diet on cod."
Puzzle 27
MATHEMATICS
Ten former classmates meet for dinner and each shakes hands with the others one time. How many total handshakes will take place among the 10 friends?
A) 100
B) 50
C) 45
D) 23
E) 11
Puzzle 28
KNOWLEDGE
One of these four sided figures, known as quadrilaterals, is different from the rest for a simple, straightforward reason. Which is the odd one out?
parallelogram rhombus trapezoid square rectangle
Puzzle 29
KNOWLEDGE
If I were to ask you on which side of the sink you'd find the cold water, I'll bet you'd have to think a few seconds before you gave me an answer. ... or maybe longer. Try your luck with the following similar teasers ... things we've seen a million times ... but we're just not quite sure ...
1. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, and the seventh dwarf is?
2. Do books have their even-numbered pages on the left or right?
3. Name the five colors on a Campbell soup label.
4. There are two one-eyed Jacks in a typical deck of cards. Which suit faces right?
5. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
Puzzle 30
LANGUAGE
Here is a scrambled quote from one of America's best and funniest, Johnny Carson. See how long it takes you to unscramble this gem.
"Nothing I do as sneak barn was the so a naive I to used kid behind and."
— Johnny Carson
Puzzle 31
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 32
LANGUAGE
Match the words below with the word search puzzle to the left.
recipe
milk
refrigerator
salmon
popcorn
carrot
snack
weight
cooking
grocery
chocolate
vegetable
chicken
shrimp
hazelnut
coffee
dessert
apple
spaghetti
onion
Puzzle 33
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 34
MATHEMATICS
Debbie walks by a dish where she throws her loose change. She knows there are three coins in the dish and those three coins are either dimes or nickels but she can't see them. She also knows that there is an equal chance they could be any combination of the two coins. In other words, no one has done anything to prejudice the probabilities. Her dad walks by and she tells him she'll buy him a dinner if he can tell her what the chances are that at least one dime is in the dish. He answers ¾. No dinner for Debbie's dad. Can you tell Debbie what the correct answer is?
Puzzle 35
LOGIC
You have been selected for a game show because of your keen mind. You can solve almost any logic problem. You can win $100,000 if you can solve a logic puzzle in 30 seconds with no help. You will be given four clues, three of which are false. Are you ready?
Pete: Kevin or Rachel has the check for $100,000 hidden in a shoe.
Kevin: Pete or Martha has the $100,000 check hidden in a shoe.
Martha: I don't have it.
Rachel: I have it.
Who has it?
Puzzle 36
LOGIC
Nine identical sheets of paper are used to create the design below. If "D" were placed first, "F" placed 7th and "I" placed 9th, what order would "B" be placed in?
Puzzle 37
KNOWLEDGE
Which of the following countries is closest to the International Date Line?
Japan
New Zealand
New Guinea
The Netherlands
Sri Lanka
Puzzle 38
KNOWLEDGE
If it is 8:00 p.m. on a November Tuesday in Rochester, New York, what time is it in Darby, England?
8:00 p.m., Wednesday
1:00 a.m., Tuesday
1:00 a.m., Wednesday
1:00 p.m., Tuesday
12:00 p.m., Thursday
Puzzle 39
KNOWLEDGE
Here is some interesting trivia for things you see all the time but may not know their official names.
1) The name for the dots on dice?
2) The dot above the "i"?
3) The pound sign #?
4) The attachment of the top of a lamp that usually screws into the lamp to hold the shade in place?
5)The plastic tip of a shoelace?
Puzzle 40
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 41
CREATIVE THINKING
Here's a new type of tic-tac-toe. Well call it cit-cat-cot, because in this version, three in a row loses! Below is the start of a game and it's X's turn to move.
Where is the best square to place your X?
Puzzle 42
MATHEMATICS
Two fathers and three sons found six coins on a walk. They split the coins evenly among them. How was this possible?
Puzzle 43
KNOWLEDGE
Besides Kentucky and Virginia, what are the states adjacent to West Virginia?
Puzzle 44
WORDPLAY
Match these abbreviations with their respective meanings on the right.
1) i.e. a) for example
2) e.g. b) the same place
3) vis-a-vis c) that is
4) ibid d) therefore
5) ergo e) face to face
Puzzle 45
WORDPLAY
Below are the names of countries with the vowels removed. See how quickly you can find the countries.
1) Thlnd
2) Rgntn
3) Strl
4) Srnm
5) Pkstn
Puzzle 46
MATHEMATICS
30 heads plus 100 feet
Both bucks and ducks are there to meet.
But is there a way to count these things?
The thought of it spins my head in rings.
So, tell me my friends, if you think you can.
The number of each animal in this band.
Puzzle 47
WORDPLAY
Believe it or not, only one number is spelled with all of its letters in alphabetical order in the English language ... and only one number has all of its letters in reverse alphabetical order. See how long it takes you to come up with both numbers. Better yet, once you know the answers, try this puzzle at a party or gathering of people. You may be surprised how much fun this can generate.
Puzzle 48
MATHEMATICS
A group of journalism graduate students were asked to write down what newspapers they read from a Large city. 69% were reading the Sun-Times, 21% were reading the Tribune, and 12% were reading both. What percentage of the students were not reading any newspaper?
Puzzle 49
WORDPLAY
Here's an example of a word puzzle called the "Front end add on" puzzle. It works like this: Pick a three-, four- or five-letter word to add on to the front of another word so that the end result creates a brand new word.
Example:
___ ___ ___ roll ___ ___ ___ ___ frame ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ clean
___ ___ ___ master ___ ___ ___ ___ stay ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ boat
___ ___ ___ able ___ ___ ___ ___ sail ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ broken
Answers:
p a y roll m a i n frame h o u s e clean
p a y master m a i n stay h o u s e boat
p a y able m a i n sail h o u s e broken
Now, try these:
___ ___ ___ pole ___ ___ ___ ___ loose ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ power
___ ___ ___ flower ___ ___ ___ ___ hills ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ laugh
___ ___ ___ hem ___ ___ ___ ___ bridge ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ whip
Puzzle 50
WORDPLAY
There are supposed to be more than 25 parts of the body which are spelled with four letters. Don't worry about being too technical. It's strictly for fun, so anything goes.
Example: Iris, Nose, Lung, Neck, Knee, Face, etc.
How many can you find?
Puzzle 51
CREATIVE THINKING
A spy needs to get a secret document to Rome and the only way he can travel is by train. The security at the depot has been tipped off to be on the lookout for people trying to board trains with items over four feet long. They are measuring all carry-on luggage that looks close. The dilemma: the spy has been transporting 5-foot-long maps and needs to deliver another one by tomorrow morning. He can't hide it in his clothing, nor fold it in half, and his attaché is exactly four feet long by three and a half feet wide. Can you help to get him and his map on the train?
Puzzle 52
LOGIC
Below is a letter square with the letter Q missing so as to make a 5 × 5 square. Now, here's the puzzle: Find the letter that comes just above the letter that comes between the letter just before the letter just below G and the letter just before the letter just above T.
Puzzle 53
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 54
LANGUAGE
Put this sentence back into everyday English:
It is highly inadvisable and certainly a waste of time and possibly money, to use a calculator or other device, including fingers to enumerate a certain, well-known worldwide avian species while those to be tallied are not yet in existence.
Puzzle 55
LOGIC
What number comes first in the sequence below?
? 1 8 6 13 11 18 16 23 21 28
Puzzle 56
CREATIVE THINKING
Mrs. Periwinkle left on a trip the day after the day before yesterday and she will be back the eve of the day after tomorrow. How many days is she away?
Puzzle 57
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 58
CREATIVE THINKING
Find the hidden word or phrase!
Puzzle 59
LANGUAGE
Which of the following words is misspelled?
1) connoisseur
2) sergeant
3) necessarily
4) repertoire
5) supercillious
6) cemetery
Puzzle 60
MATHEMATICS
Two-thirds of a pound of cheese is balanced perfectly by one-third of a block of the same cheese. What is the weight of the whole block of cheese?
Puzzle 61
MATHEMATICS
If you have a full glass of water, pour out half, then pour back in half of what you poured out, pour out a third of what you now have and pour back in a third of a glass, what fraction of the glass is full?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from The Big Brain Puzzle Book by Terry Stickels. Copyright © 2016 Terry Stickels. Excerpted by permission of Dover Publications, Inc..
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Give your brain a series of workouts that'll make it bigger and better! This colossal collection of more than 200 puzzles simultaneously provides a relaxing atmosphere for mental play and stimulates brain activity. Created by an internationally renowned puzzle-maker, the challenges involve creative thinking, mathematics, logic, language and wordplay, visuals, and general knowledge.
Kick start your neurons at Level 1 with puzzles involving hidden words, math calculations, and logical conundrums. At Level 2, fire up your synapses with cryptograms, scrambled sentences, and visual challenges. And activate your brain at Level 3 with fill-in-the-blanks, search-a-words, magic squares, and much more. If you get stumped, an answer key with complete solutions appears at the end.
Dover (2016) republication of the edition originally published in 2009.
See every Dover book in print at
www.doverpublications.com