We know you are smart. But are you Mensa smart? The following questions are provided by the folks at American Mensa, the High IQ Society. That is, every one of them has an IQ of 130 or higher. Similar to those on the Mensa admission test, can you provide the answers? If you find that you do need some help, the answers are below.
American Mensa Limited is an organization for individuals who have one common trait: a score in the top two percent on any supervised, standardized intelligence test. If you want take the Mensa Home Test or learn more about American Mensa, you can.
What is the number that is one-tenth of one-half of one-tenth of one-half of 3,600?
A simple substitution code has been used to conceal an odd quote. Work out the code to decipher the original words.
Archimedes: DSL UROOVW NB YZGSGFY HL UFOO RG LEVIUOLDVW?
Palindrome pals: What did the dishwasher say when he wanted to eat lunch at exactly 12?
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
What do the words understudy and overstuffed have in common? It has nothing to do with the number of letters, syllables, or vowels.
A song title has been put into very fancy language. Put it back into its original form.
These individuals are totally unacquainted with each other at the time of day that is usually considered late p.m. or early a.m.
Complete the word below.
_ N _ H _ K _ _ L _
What two words, formed from different combinations of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
When our dog suddenly __________, the driver __________, just in time to avoid a live wire on the road.
A city just put a 13 percent tax on hotel rooms. This is on top of a 2 percent sales tax and a 10 percent luxury tax. A room now costs $100 a night. How much would it be without the tax?
Each of the following definitions can be answered by two words that rhyme.
A fastening in a type of tree
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A brand of car suffering from ennui
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A time-out from a meat meal
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
A tardy dinner
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
The poem below can be completed by finishing each couplet with words that sound the same but have different meanings.
I do not know how well I’ll __________
If I go off to the cooking __________.
I guard a 26-inch __________
But won’t leave all the food to __________.
I hate to think what I will __________
Before I homeward wend my __________.
Identify the original work from which each of these fictional characters came. Also provide the name of the author of each work in question.
A. The Wife of Bath
B. Oliver Mellors
C. Queequeg
D. Frodo Baggins
E. Jim Hawkins
F. Willy Loman
Samantha likes peanuts but not walnuts. She likes potatoes but not peas, and she likes beets but not eggplant. Following the same rule, will she like carrots or string beans?
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
When you are __________, the actual amount of time that can __________ has very little to do with the events that occur in your dreams.
A. Replace the first letter of a word that means "puzzle over” to find a word meaning "amazement.”
B. Replace the first letter of a word that means "hazard” to find a word for a forest official.
Here is a word ladder. Make your way from LOSE to FIND in exactly five steps, changing one letter at a time to form the interim words.
LOSE
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
_ _ _ _
FIND
A common saying has been put into very fancy language below. Can you put it back into everyday English?
This particular meteorological subject is a matter of discussion by the totality of the population; however, although there is a plethora of conversation, there is a complete absence of activity on the subject.
Letters have been removed from each of the country names below. (Some may be former names of countries.) Put back the letters to make the countries whole.
_ E _ I _ _
_ _ A _ E _ _ _ A
_ K _ A _ _ E
S _ _ V _ _ _ _
L _ T _ _ _ N _ _
A _ S _ _ _ _
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same seven letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
As he was _____________ the huge turkey, the father of the large family said, "I really have a _____________ for this drumstick.”
If six equally skilled painters can paint six pictures in two days, how many pictures can one painter paint in a non-leap-year February?
Unscramble the 10 letters below to form a polite, four-word greeting that sounds like a question but rarely involves any curiosity on the part of the asker.
D D H O O O O U W Y
Which of these is not an event of the Olympic Decathlon?
A. Javelin
B. Discus
C. Shot put
D. Hammer throw
E. Pole vault
What is the number that is one-fifth of one-sixth of one-tenth of one-half of 3,000?
If Shakespeare could have met Columbus, cross out all the As, Bs, and Ds; if not, cross out all these letters plus Q. If Benjamin Franklin could have met Abraham Lincoln, cross out all the Fs, Gs, Hs, and Is, as well as J and K; if not, cross out all these letters plus M, N, P, and S. The remaining letters form an anagram. Unscramble the letters to form a word.
ABBCCDDEFFGHIJKMNOPQRRST
An eight-letter word is hidden in the box below. Find it by beginning with the correct letter and moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the box, using each letter only once.
V
E
A
I
B
T
A
L
Choose the correct letter for each clue in the rhyme below. When put in order, the four letters will spell the answer to the riddle.
My first is in some but not in all.
My second in into but not in tall.
My third in little but not in big.
My fourth in pork but not in pig.
My whole is made in nature’s way.
For clothing, rugs used every day.
How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all five letters only once in each word?
E S T A M
To the best of our knowledge, only one other word can be made from all of the letters in the word entailments. Can you figure out what it is?
Start with the number of legs on a spider. Add the number of feet in a fathom. Divide by the square root of 4. Add the number of King Cole’s fiddlers. What do you have?
Complete the word below by filling in the missing letters.
H _ _ L _ _ I _ A _ _R _
What three words, formed from different arrangements of the same 10 letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
Often a manufacturer who ____________ a less-than-successful product will sell it to a ____________ or make substantial ________ in the price to other stores.
Susan’s age is four-fifths of her brother Sam’s age. Nine years ago, Sam was twice as old as Susan. Three years from now, Susan will be five-sixths as old as Sam. How old are they now? (Hint: One is a teenager.)
Identify these Shakespearean plays:
A. Concerns Petruchio and Katharina’s strange courtship and honeymoon.
B. In a subplot, a man is changed into an ass.
C. Continues for two acts after the title character dies.
D. Includes a shipwreck, a monster, and a magician.
E. Comedy that showcases Sir John Falstaff.
Fill in each blank below with a word that has the same meaning as the words on either side.
Billiard stick _________ signal for an actor
Short jumps _________ plant used for beer
Safety fastening _________ bowling target
Neckwear _________ part of a railroad track
In the local beauty contest, all contestants received prizes based on their standing. Zenia was neither last nor in the middle. Jane was not first. Carol scored below Zenia but above Betty. Sally beat Jane. Betty beat Alice. Alice scored higher than Sally but lower than Betty. Who won?
Some letters have been removed from each of the flower names below. Put back the letters and "smell the roses.”
_ A _ T _ _ T _ _ M
A _ _ L _ A
_ Y _ _ A _ _ _ A
_ O _ _ Y _ _ _ K
Find the word that best completes the following sequence:
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same eight letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
________ to say, the tension at the small shop ______ a great deal when the missing check turned up.
"Why did the witch have to buy special software for her computer? The answer to this question is coiled in the grid below. To spell it out, start with one letter and move to an adjacent letter in any direction. (Hint: Start with an "S.”)
R
L
L
E
D
E
N
E
C
E
D
E
Y
L
K
H
P
A
E
R
L
C
E
S
S
H
E
A
Matty and Mark bought several kinds of candy. Half were gumdrops, one-tenth were candy canes, 20 percent were chocolate bars, and five percent were lollipops. They also bought 15 caramels. How many gumdrops did they have?
Find the five-digit number in which the last digit is two less than the fourth, the fourth is two less than the third, the third is two less than the second, and the second is two less than the first. The sum of all of the digits is 25.
An eight-letter word is hidden in the box below. Find it by beginning with the correct letter and moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the box, using each letter only once.
L
L
A
A
Y
G
M
I
What is the useful metal extractable from each of these ores?
A. Bauxite
B. Malachite
C. Hematite
D. Pitchblende
E. Galena
There is a sentence coiled in the grid below. To spell it out, start with one letter and move to an adjacent letter in any direction. (Hint: Start with the "C” at the lower left. Two nulls.)
I
N
V
I
F
O
M
A
V
S
I
E
T
T
R
D
N
E
E
G
B
A
P
I
C
H
I
N
H
L
C
E
N
A
E
N
C
A
E
E
X
G
M
X
X
Complete the word below by filling in the missing letters.
I _ _ R_ S _ _ O _ _ B _ _
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
The ballerina can __________ to the very top of her career if she __________ the starring roles in the major ballets.
The title of a well-known book has been put into very fancy language below. Can you put it back into its original form?
The objects, or people, have been removed from their previous localities through the power of a naturally moving phenomenon.
The names of three trees are hidden in the sentences below. Can you find them? (Hint: The letters are in consecutive order.)
On this farm, we can get ham
from a hog anytime.
The farmer will help in every possible way.
He faced two very similar choices, both bad.
The boxes below have numbers in a certain pattern. Find the pattern and solve the question of the missing number.
1
4
25
16
9
1
8
125
64
27
1
16
?
256
81
Jerry has three times as many brothers as he has sisters, and his sister Annie has seven times as many brothers as she has sisters. How many siblings in all? (Hint: There aren’t more than 10.)
How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all six letters only once in each word?
A E B E R T
First unscramble the letters in each word below, then unscramble the word order to create a Tom Swifty sentence.
YLIPTRPING DTREI TNO TMO DIAS EHT KTOO VLTWEE TUB MI YAVOEG RVOE SUROH
Identify the countries that these provinces, regions, or geographic features are currently part of:
A. Cumbria
B. Jutland
C. New South Wales
D. Alsace-Lorraine
E. Tuscany
F. Skikoku
Decode the following simple substitution cryptogram containing the statement of a newsman when he located the party photographer for a national magazine.
Humpty is twice as old as Dumpty. Six years ago, Humpty was three times as old as Dumpty. Six years from now, Dumpty’s age will be three-fifths of Humpty’s age. How old are they now?
Marcy likes bread but not cookies. She likes peas but not carrots, and she likes leaves but not bushes. Following the same rule, will she like pears or corn?
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
As the explorer __________ into the cavern’s recesses, he was actually afraid to go __________ without special equipment.
An eight-letter word is hidden in the box below. Find it by beginning with the correct letter and moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the box, using each letter only once.
R R O
I R
M D E
To the best of our knowledge, only one other word can be made from all of the letters in the word shattering. Can you figure out what it is?
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
A great many __________ who are judged on productivity tend to __________ about hourly speed.
Fill in the following word square using six A’s, four S’s, three P’s, two each of the letters N, T, Y, L, and E, and one each of the letters B and M (for a total of 25 letters) so that each word can be read across and down.
P A N S Y
A
N
S
Y
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same nine letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
The student wished to acquire a double major, so he had to be very ___________ in the wide choice of __________ offered
by the college.
Identify the mythological characters described below:
A. The man condemned to roll a rock up a hill forever in the Underworld, only to have it roll to the bottom again.
B. Her 10 sons and 10 daughters were slain by the gods because she taunted one of them.
C. He and his two sons were killed by a giant serpent sent by Athena before he could warn the Trojans about the Trojan Horse.
D. His musical skill enabled him to enter the underworld in a quest to recover his dead wife Eurydice.
Fill in the correct number in the series.
2 3 4 6 8 12 ? 24
What two words, formed from different arrangements of the same 10 letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
The student had the erroneous ____________ that the principal had given ____________ for a party in the school gym.
How many common English words can you make from the letters below, using all six letters only once in each word?
Y B N R I A
There is a question coiled in the grid below. To spell it out, start with one letter and move to an adjacent letter in any direction. (Hint: Start with a "D”.)
N I D G G
D M E L O
D Y E R B
I O V S A
D U E E E
Choose the correct letter for each clue in the rhyme below. When put in order, five letters will spell the answer to the riddle.
My first is in pink but not in kind.
My second in mart but not in mind.
My third is in ran but not in span.
My fourth in sink but not in swam.
My last in song and chorus you’ll find.
My whole a city with fashion in mind.
_ _ _ _ _
An eight-letter word is hidden in the box below. Find it by moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the rim of the box, using each letter only once.
L A S
G S
E N I
A line from a well-known song has been put into fancy language below. Can you put it back into its original form?
I desire the gift of residence of my own on a site where a certain native American animal grazes without restriction.
The partial names of five states are listed. Fill in the missing letters to complete the names.
_ _ _ A _ S _ _
M _ _ _ _ _ AN
_ _ _ C _ _ S _ _
_ _ _ H_ _ _ _ _ N
_ D _ H _
Change the first letter of each pair of words with the same letter to make two new words, then put that letter on the line. When you’re done, you will have a new word reading down.
MINT ____ TRIM
BARGE ____ BABEL
LISLE ___ ELL
BELLOW ___ MOUTH
Complete the word below by filling in the missing letters.
C _ _ S _ _ T _ T _ _ N _ L _ _
Identify the director of each of the following films:
A. The Seven Samurai
B. The Seventh Seal
C. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
D. Stagecoach
E. The 39 Steps
Fill in the missing letters to complete the word.
D _ _ T _ _ O _ _ A _
What two words, formed from different combinations of the same six letters, can be used to complete the sentence below?
The people of that country were unable
to understand why their
leader __________ certain facts, which
were __________ proved to be true.
A palindrome reads the same letters in two directions. Can you guess this one? What is the use of a salve recommended for shoulder pain?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
What would you call ugly bumps on dry grass?
S _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S
There is a question coiled in the grid below. Start with a letter and move to an adjacent letter in any direction. (Hint: Start with W. One null.)
N U L F O T S
T R B A T H T
E R K I N E A
M A X O P H W
A single four-letter word can be placed before each of the following words in the first group. A different four-letter word can serve the same purpose in the second group. Find both words.
______WALK ______TOWN
______BURNS ______FALL
______SLIP ______TURN
An eight-letter word is hidden in the box below. Find it by beginning with the correct letter and moving clockwise or counterclockwise around the box, using each letter only once.
N A S
A M
G R A
Decode the moral hidden in the simple substitution cryptogram below.
3-15-14-19-3-9-5-14-3-5 9-19
23-8-1-20 8-21-18-20-19 23-8-5-14
5-22-5-18-25-20-8-9-14-7 5-12-19-5
6-5-5-12-19 7-15-15-4
Some letters have been removed from the following last names of movie stars past and present. Put back the letters and let the stars shine.
T _ _V _ _ _ _
_ T _ _ W _ _ K
_ E _ _ Y
A _ _ A _ _ _
_ A _ L _ _ _
T _ _P _ E
V _ _ E _ _ _ N _
F _ _ R _ _ _K _
Identify the following art techniques and terms.
A. A painting executed on fresh plaster B. A paint in which the pigment has been mixed with egg or other similar glutinous material C. Literally "stone writing”: etching or chemically treating a reverse image into a stone or metal plate so ink only sticks to the parts to be printed D. A painting, typically depicting scraps of cloth or paper nailed to a bare wall, intended to produce a startling three-dimensional realism
What did Alice eat from her Greek salad?
_ T _ _ _ _ _
What is the four-digit number, including no zeros, in which the first digit is the number of Muses, the second digit is the number of planets between the earth and the sun, and the third and fourth digits are the sum of the first two? The sum of all the digits is 13.
A boat is moored with three ladder rungs a foot apart, starting one foot down out of the water. The tide rises four feet. How many rungs are now out of the water?
What word logically comes next in the following sequence?
SAME MEAT ATTACH CHIME
a) WORD b) CHURCH c) MEASURE d) LIKE
Fill in the blanks to make one good 12-letter word.
_ M _ _ _ E _ R _ B _ E
Start with the number of aces in a bridge deck, add the number of the U.S. cross-country route that provides "kicks,” and divide by the only even prime number. What’s the answer?
Sally has twice as many sisters as she has brothers. Her brother Patrick has five more sisters than he has brothers. (Hint: There are no more than 10 children.) How many boys and girls are in the immediate family?
Delilah likes carrots but not peas, potatoes but not lettuce, and peanuts but not pecans. Following the same logic, will she like radishes or cucumbers?
Three American cities have been interlettered below. Figure out the pattern and find the cities.
DEFOSATRRTCROIWAAMTYNEENTO
Take the number of Graces, add the number of players in a sextet, and multiply by the witching hour. What’s the answer?
What animal, person, or object is each of the following star constellations named for? (Example: Pisces = Fish)
A. Camelopardalis
B. Cetus
C. Cygnus
D. Mensa
E. Monoceros
The following breeds
of dogs have had letters omitted. Fill in the letters.
B _ _ L _ O _
_ L _ O _ H _ _ _ D
H_ _ R _ _ R
Following the pattern shown in
the number sequence below, fill in the missing number.
1 27 125 __ 729
What is the word that means the
same as the definitions below?
an act of overturning
an emotional disturbance
Jack swims upstream 3 miles out
to an island at 1 mph and later, downstream at 3 mph to return. What is his
average speed?
What is the number that is one-tenth
of one-fifth of one-fifth of one-half of 8,000?
Each number shown has a certain
rule. Figure out the rule and fill in the missing number.
Tuesday, the 14th
Wednesday, the 18th
Saturday, the 16th
Sunday, the 12th
Monday, the __ th
Bonus Questions
When they are unscrambled, which
of the following words is the odd man out?
ETELPANH
MENYKO
GPIONE
BREAZ
CCLERI
What word best completes the following
series? Album, banana, candy, ____, egg.
A. bear
B. basket
C. dollhouse
D. bean
You have the same number of nickels,
dimes, and half-dollars. You have a total of $6.50. How many of each coin do
you have?
What is the 9-letter word that
all smart people spell correctly?
