Support for Car Talk is provided by:
Become a Car Talk Sponsor

2001 Puzzlers


12-15 Job Interview Tiebreak
How did the job applicant know the color of his hat even before they took off his blindfold?
Read Question      Read Answer

12-8 PUZZLER: Dividing Time
Where do you place the two lines on the clock face to create segments that have the same sums?
Read Question      Read Answer

12-1 PUZZLER: Cars in the Will
How did Krusty divide the cars amongst the boys and why did it work?
Read Question      Read Answer

11-24 PUZZLER: Match Stick Math
What is the fewest number of moves needed to make the equation true?
Read Question      Read Answer

11-17 PUZZLER: Bogus White House Letter
What about the letter tipped it off as being a fake?
Read Question      Read Answer

11-10 PUZZLER: Tommy's Flat Tire Trauma
Why didn't Alex's great idea get Tommy's car back on the road?
Read Question      Read Answer

11-3 PUZZLER: Drag Race Dilemma
Who will win the race -- Tom or Ray -- and why?
Read Question      Read Answer

10-27 PUZZLER: Buying House Number Letters
How much will it cost to buy the letters that spell the number 12?
Read Question      Read Answer

10-20 PUZZLER: Eavesdropping Enigma
What kind of store were our eavesdroppers in, and what product were the customers buying?
Read Question      Read Answer

10-13 PUZZLER: Buying a Motorcycle in Europe
What would have to be changed on the motorcycle before it would be legal to drive in the USA?
Read Question      Read Answer

9-29 Geezers and Old Cars Puzzler
What did the old men miss that they could see almost yearly on their old cars?
Read Question      Read Answer

9-22 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Special Limerick Edition Puzzler (2000)
Can you come up with the missing four lines of this limerick?
Read Question      Read Answer

9-15 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Case of Melting Sorbet (2000)
Couple is transporting sorbet to a wedding. What happened on the way?
Read Question      Read Answer

9-8 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Case of the Whacked Out Clock (2000)
Can you figure out if the clock is broken?
Read Question      Read Answer

9-1 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Brass Bar Puzzler (1999)
What was this building that Ray had entered that had this particular door?
Read Question      Read Answer

8-24 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Gastrointestinal Puzzler (1999)
How did Ray take the correct dosage to ease his stomach trauma?
Read Question      Read Answer

8-17 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Manny the Miracle Worker (1999)
How did Manny know how to fix her car without looking at it?
Read Question      Read Answer

8-11 ENCORE PUZZLER -- The Story of John and John (1998)
How did John grow younger from 1982 to 1987?
Read Question      Read Answer

8-4 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Stop to Talk (1998)
Why did the couple in the car only converse at redlights?
Read Question      Read Answer

7-28 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Frank's Party of Five (1998)
How can half of Frank's five children be boys?
Read Question      Read Answer

7-21 ENCORE PUZZLER -- What Do These Famous Men Have in Common? (1997)
What do Ulysses S. Grant, Rudyard Kipling, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, and Calvin Coolidge have in common?
Read Question      Read Answer

7-14 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Holding a Finger at the Moon (1997)
Why can't you block out the moon with your index finger at night?
Read Question      Read Answer

7-7 ENCORE PUZZLER -- Gone Fishing (1996)
How did the boy get on the bus with the fishing pole?
Read Question      Read Answer

6-30 False Positive Puzzler
What is the percentage chance that you actually have the
Read Question      Read Answer

6-23 The Stakeout
How did the policeman know that the "Big Kahuna" had arrived just by looking at the car parked outside?
Read Question      Read Answer

6-16 Magnifying Glass Mystery
What item on the piece of paper was not enlarged by the magnifying glass?
Read Question      Read Answer

6-9 Hat in the River Puzzler
What is the speed of the river current?
Read Question      Read Answer

6-2 Backwards Engine Enigma
Why would anyone want or need an engine to run backwards?
Read Question      Read Answer

5-26 Heads Up Pennies
How do you separate the pennies so that there are a equal number of pennies heads up in each group?
Read Question      Read Answer

5-19 Captured Spy Puzzler
What did the spy do that gave him away to the enemy?
Read Question      Read Answer

5-12 Rambler's Alternator Light Mystery
What dashboard control made the alternator light go off?
Read Question      Read Answer

4-28 No Accidents Puzzler
What time of year is the safest time to drive nationwide?
Read Question      Read Answer

4-21 Ray's Vacuum Cleaner Repair
What purpose did the big hunk of lead serve in Ray's vacuum cleaner?
Read Question      Read Answer

4-14 Will Shortz's Automotive Word Play
What make of car can you add a letter to, scramble, and come up with another make of car?
Read Question      Read Answer

4-7 The Lawnmower Mystery
What changed to make the same lawn require more gas to mow?
Read Question      Read Answer

3-31 Building's Mysterious Name
What type of product was sold in the building but could not be demo'ed there?
Read Question      Read Answer

3-17 American Pilot in France
What gave away the pilot as an American in a room full of Frenchmen?
Read Question      Read Answer

3-10 1000 $1 Bills and 10 Envelopes
What combination of $1 bills -- placed in the ten envelopes -- can combine to form any dollar amount between $1 and $1000?
Read Question      Read Answer

3-3 What Do These Words Have in Common?
What common "thing" links these very different words?
Read Question      Read Answer

2-12 The Mango Tree with Seven Gates
How many mangos must the man have to pay the seven guards?
Read Question      Read Answer

2-5 B Following the City Bus
Why does Ray look forward to following the bus?
Read Question      Read Answer

1-29 Frank's Vacuum Cleaner Repair
What repair on Frank's car required a vacuum cleaner?
Read Question      Read Answer

1-8 Great Grasshopper Race
Can a short-legged grasshopper beat his long-legged friend in a speed race?
Read Question      Read Answer

1-1 Rocco & Throckmorten Locked in the Trunk
How could Throckmorton possibly have survived for hours
Read Question       Read Answer

Search Car Talk