Lateral Thinking Puzzles

Puzzle 1.
A man is found dead alone in a desert wearing a backpack. There are no footprints around him. What happened?
Answer at page bottom.
Puzzle 2.
A man commits murder. He is found guilty and brought before a judge. The judge decides morally that he cannot sentence the murderer, despite his incontrovertible guilt. The murderer is sane, healthy, and legally culpable. Why must the judge set him free?
Answer at page bottom.
Puzzle 3.
A man is afraid to go home, because he knows waiting for him there is another man -- wearing a mask. What's the situation?
Answer at page bottom.
Puzzle 4.
A man goes into a pharmacy and talks to the pharmacist. The pharmacist pulls out a gun and points it at the man. They both shake hands and later the man departs satisfied. What happened?
Answer at page bottom.
Puzzle 5.
A boy and his father are caught in a traffic accident, and the father dies. Immediately the boy is rushed to a hospital, suffering from injuries. But the attending surgeon at the hospital, upon seeing the boy, says "I cannot operate. This boy is my son." How is this situation explained?
Answer at page bottom.
Puzzle 6.
Susan and Ralph are found dead on the floor, amidst a small puddle of water and some broken glass. What happened?
Answer at page bottom.

Puzzle 1: The backpack holds a parachute which failed to open. The man had fallen to his death.

Puzzle 2: The murderer is a Siamese (conjoined) twin. The judge cannot jail him without also jailing his innocent twin.

Puzzle 3: It's during a game of baseball. The man is wearing a catcher's mask, and is standing at home plate.

Puzzle 4: The man was suffering from hiccups. The pharmacist pulled out a gun to scare him, and the hiccups were cured.

Puzzle 5: The surgeon is the boy's mother.

Puzzle 6: Susan and Ralph are goldfish. Their goldfish tank had fallen and smashed on the floor.

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