A Viral Chinese Riddle That Will Stump You

For hundreds of years, people from all over the world have been solving riddles by using logic and critical thinking. But what if solving a riddle only leads to more questions? Do you possess the same logic skills that 1st graders in China have to explain this complicated riddle? Or will it leave you scratching your head for all eternity?
Riddles are often used in schools to help youngsters develop their logic skills. But even adults still enjoy solving riddles as they’re thought to help people keep their memories and overall brain power strong. If you search online, it’s easy to find a multitude of fun riddles to stump even the most logical of thinkers. But recently, one particularly interesting riddle that’s used to test the logic skills of 1st graders in China has been taking the internet by storm. And here it is.
TIMESTAMPS:
The riddle 1:56
The answer 3:35
Music by Epidemic Sound
SUMMARY:
- The oldest riddle we know of dates back to ancient Mesopotamia and the city of Lagash (circa 2350 BCE), and it was written down on a clay tablet. It reads: “Its canal is A; its god is B; its fish is C; its snake is D. You are looking for a city that lies on canal A whose local god is B and whose symbolic animals are C and D.”
- Here’s the riddle: “If a ship had 26 sheep and 7 goats onboard, how old is the ship's captain?”
- While these young Chinese children couldn’t necessarily solve the riddle, they tried their hardest by manipulating numbers and using critical thinking.
- This riddle didn’t originate in China! It was first used in France back in 1979 to test the problem-solving skills of 1st and 2nd graders. And according to past accounts, these children who were asked this riddle nearly 40 years ago actually took mathematical steps to solve it!
- The researchers who first proposed this riddle to 1st and 2nd graders back in 1979 expected most, if not all, of the kids to say there wasn’t enough information to solve the riddle.
- People are continually fascinated by the fact that children innately use mathematical reasoning to solve the riddle instead of admitting that there’s not enough information provided.
- China’s official response to those concerned was that the asking of the riddle was, in fact, not a mistake at all! It was meant to invoke critical thinking in students.
- It’s important and just as logical to take a step back from a problem and ask, “Does this really make sense?”
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