History
The name of this city is linked to a natural feature associated with a pleasantly warm temperature. According to a historical legend, its founding is connected with a hunter. Which city is it?
Tbilisi.
The sum of two numbers is 20, and their difference is 4. What are the two numbers?
12 and 8.
A pencil is lying on the floor. Several people are asked to jump over it, but none of them can. Why?
It is lying right against a wall.
What comes at the end of both 'morning' and 'evening'?
The letter 'g'.
In a standard football match, how many people are on the pitch, including the referee?
23: 22 players and one referee.
During the 20th century, this state consisted of many republics. Its abbreviated name referred to a union of republics. It broke up in 1991. Which state was it?
The USSR (the Soviet Union).
There are 10 students in a class. The teacher gave each student two stickers, but one student ended up with three. How is this possible if the teacher handed out only 20 stickers?
One student gave one of their stickers to another student.
A man lives on the 10th floor. Every day, he takes the lift down to the first floor. When he returns, he takes the lift only to the seventh floor and walks the rest of the way. Why?
He is too short to reach the button for the 10th floor.
How can you share five apples among five children so that each child gets one apple and one apple still remains in the basket?
Give one child an apple together with the basket.
Which country won the 2018 FIFA World Cup?
France.
This person built one of the largest empires of his time, but it broke apart soon after his death. He is especially associated with strengthening links between Greece and the East. Who was he?
Alexander the Great.
Dito has three boxes. One contains only apples, one contains only pears, and one contains both. All three boxes are labelled incorrectly. How many boxes do you need to open to label all three correctly?
One.
You have one match. In a dark room, there is a candle, a gas stove and an oil lamp. What do you light first?
The match.
Which year in the 20th century looks the same when turned upside down?
1961.
A standard football match has two halves of 45 minutes. Why can the total playing time exceed 90 minutes?
The referee adds stoppage time (also called added time or injury time).
This sailor set out westwards, hoping to reach Asia, but instead reached a continent across the Atlantic that was largely unknown to Europeans at the time. Who was he?
Christopher Columbus.
If three cats catch three mice in three minutes, how many cats will catch 100 mice in 100 minutes?
Three cats.
Which person is the odd one out: George Washington, Sherlock Holmes, William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven, Napoleon Bonaparte or Nero?
Sherlock Holmes. He is a fictional character; the others were real people.
Twelve candles are burning. Five are blown out. How many candles will eventually remain?
Five. The other seven will burn down.
Which club has won the UEFA Champions League the most times, counting only the Champions League era and not the earlier European Cup?
Real Madrid.
This major event began in France in the late 18th century. It grew out of people's dissatisfaction with the king and eventually changed the country's system of government. It also influenced many other countries. What was it?
The French Revolution.
There are five people in a room. Each person shakes hands with every other person exactly once. How many handshakes are there altogether?
5 × 4 ÷ 2 = 10 handshakes.
You have two ropes. Each takes exactly one hour to burn, but neither burns at a steady rate. How can you use them to measure exactly 45 minutes?
1. Light both ends of the first rope and one end of the second rope at the same time.
2. The first rope burns out after 30 minutes. At that moment, light the other end of the second rope.
3. The second rope burns out 15 minutes later.
Total time: 30 + 15 = 45 minutes.
There are three switches outside a room and one traditional filament light bulb inside. You may enter the room only once. How can you work out which switch controls the bulb?
Turn on the first switch for a while, then turn it off. Turn on the second switch and enter the room.
- If the bulb is on, the second switch controls it.
- If it is off but warm, the first switch controls it.
- If it is off and cold, the third switch controls it.
In a football match, one team puts all 11 of its shots into the net. The other team takes only three shots and puts all three into the net. Yet the second team wins. How is this possible?
Accepted explanations:
1. Own goals or goals that were disallowed.
2. A 3–0 forfeit awarded against the first team.