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7 Puzzles to Challenge Your Critical Thinking

Can you spot the connections and sort these items.

Posted March 5, 2015 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

The theme of this post is critical thinking—and the kinds of puzzles that can be constructed around it. This term is used frequently in psychology and education . There are various definitions, but the one that best suits our purpose and which is, in the end, perhaps the best, is the ability to comprehend the logical connections among ideas, words, phrases, and concepts . In the relevant scientific literature, of course, the term is used much more broadly as a framework for understanding human cognition . But in my opinion, the best way to understand things is to construct puzzles to illustrate their basic essence.

Critical thinking involves skill at recognizing a pattern in given information and especially recognizing how the information is connected to the real world. Here are a couple of very simple examples. First, consider the five words below:

• Cruise ship
• Walking on foot
• Automobile (not a race car)

Now, put them in order from the slowest to the fastest, when they are going at maximum speed. The solution, of course, is: 4-2-5-1-3.

As with all such puzzles, there might be slightly different solutions—one could claim that some automobiles go faster than cruise ships. This “indeterminacy” characterizes this kind of thinking. However, some puzzles are straightforward. For instance, what do the following five things have in common?

The answer? These are all words referring to shades of blue.

The seven puzzles below are to the ones above, though hopefully more challenging. Some involve knowledge of facts, but critical thinking is still involved in such cases because the organization of the facts according to some principle is always involved—for example, a puzzle may ask you to put five items in order of their dates of invention.

The following tongue-in-cheek definition of critical thinking by Richard W. Paul, a leading expert on critical thinking theory, says it all: “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”

I. What do the following 5 things have in common?

• Orange juice

II. Put the following buildings or structures in order of height, from the shortest to the tallest.

• Typical camping tent

III. What do the following animals have in common?

IV. Put the following inventions in order from earliest to most recent.

V. What feature do the following words have in common?

• Imagination

VI. Put these bodies of water in order in terms of volume, from smallest to largest .

VII. What do the following landmasses have in common?

I. They are all drinkable liquids. II. 5-1-4-3-2 III. They all have a tail. They are also all quadrupeds. IV. To the best of my knowledge: 5-4-3-1-2 V. They start with a vowel: a, e, i, o, u VI. 4-2-1-5-3 VII. They are all peninsulas.

Marcel Danesi, Ph.D. , is a professor of semiotics and anthropology at Victoria College, University of Toronto. His books include The Puzzle Instinct and The Total Brain Workout .

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Critical thinking puzzles for adults (with answers)

Critical thinking can help to better navigate the information-dense and complex world we live in. By thinking critically we can better identify priorities, take a sensible approach to problem-solving and reach conclusions logically in line with evidence. Puzzles are an excellent way both to learn and practice critical thinking skills.

If you’d like to learn more about critical thinking or simply practice your skills with some puzzles, then this is the article for you. Read a little bit more about critical thinking skills and how to apply them first, or just skip straight to the puzzles and see how you get on.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a broad approach to problem solving and analysis based on logic and evidence. It brings together a wide range of intellectual competences and the ability to combine and cross-reference them. Some of the most important elements of a critical thinking approach include:

Analytical skills:

• understanding of questions and concepts
• differentiation of relevant / irrelevant evidence and information
• identification of similarities, connections and differences
• use of metaphors or analogies to communicate ideas

Powers of inference:

• extraction of meaning from data using inductive or deductive reasoning
• extrapolation of data or abstraction into concepts and patterns
• correct identification and deployment of analogies and assumptions
• grasp of causal relationships, allowing development of conclusions and theories.

Data and theory evaluation:

• assessment of how strong, important or credible a theory might be
• taking on board new data and new arguments which alter understanding of ideas and theory

Rational decision-making:

– application of all the skills and competences above in order to come to a rational conclusion.

Problem-solving attitude: In addition to being able to think critically, you must also be personally inclined to think critically when facing a difficult or complex challenge. Developing qualities including curiosity and fairness, while distancing yourself from ideologies and group-think, should all help to create the kind of psychological landscape where critical thinking can flourish.

How can I learn critical thinking?

Critical thinking skills are hard to develop from only reading books or listening to lectures. The most effective way to sharpen and deepen critical thinking faculties is to practice critical thinking . Critical thinking puzzles offer a fun way to learn and the eight critical thinking puzzles we’ve chosen for this article should help you make a good start.

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Eight critical thinking puzzles – with answers

Puzzle 1 – letter puzzles.

What common feature do the following words share?

Answer: All of these words begin with a vowel. This type of puzzle may send your mind off in the wrong direction, thinking about the objects or concepts described by the words, and the properties they might share. In fact, the solution lies in a far more simple consideration of the alphabet. Puzzle 1 is a simple example of a common type of letter or word puzzle.

Puzzle 2 – Commonalities and differences

What do the following items have in common and which is the odd one out?

Orange Juice

Answer: These items are all liquids and the odd one out is petrol, since all the others are drinkable liquids.

Puzzle 3 – Falling on his feet

A man who lives in a high-rise building decides to exit through the window one morning rather than using the door. Somehow he survives the fall without a scratch and walks away to work. How did this happen?

Answer: The man lived on the ground or first floor and merely stepped or jumped down to the pavement outside. By stating early on that the building in question was a high-rise building, it’s easy for someone reading quickly to assume that the man jumped from a window on a high store but this it s not necessarily the case.

Puzzle 4 – Walk this way

A group of five people enter a windowless meeting room together. An hour later when the meeting ends, four walk out of the door, leaving the room empty. What has happened to the fifth member of the group?

Answer: The fifth person was in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room rather than walked. Solving this puzzle requires you to think laterally about the question and the possible solutions. The answer can be found by asking yourself whether the emphasis of the question is on the emptiness of the room or the means by which the other four people left.

Puzzle 5 – Shapes and symbols

When lying on my side, I am everything, but when cut in half, I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8. This puzzle requires that you think about a shape being repositioned or cut in a way that can change it to “everything” or “nothing”. Number 8 on its side is the mathematical symbol for infinity (i.e. everything) and also shaped like two small number 0s put together.

Puzzle 6 – Three hard options

The hero is escaping the lair of an evil super-villain and is faced with three possible exits:

• Door A leads into a pit of bubbling lava
• Door B leads to a room housing a deadly hitman
• Door C leads to the den full of lions that haven’t had a meal for a year.

Which door should the hero choose?

Answer: Door C. If the lion hasn’t eaten in a year, it will definitely be dead by now. This type of puzzle requires you to consider the full implications of the information given, rather than being drawn into a comparison of the relative dangers of lava, hitmen and lions…

Puzzle 7 – The bus driver’s eyes

You are a bus driver. Today the bus is empty at the start of your route but at the first stop, four people get onto the bus. Eight people get on at the second stop, while three alight. When the bus reaches the third stop, one more gets off, and three get on.

At the fourth stop, two people get off the bus and one gets on. The bus is traveling at an average speed of 30mph and its tires are new.  What color are the bus driver’s eyes?

Answer: You are the bus driver so the color will be the color of your own eyes. This type of puzzle tries to confuse you and obscure the single piece of relevant information by presenting large quantities of irrelevant information.

Puzzle 8 – Losing weight

A man walks into a room, closes the doors behind him and presses a button. In a matter of seconds the man is 20lb lighter. Despite this, he leaves the room at the same weight he entered it.

Answer: The room in question is actually an elevator. When the man gets in and presses the button, the elevator moves downwards with an acceleration that reduces the effect of gravity and makes the man temporarily 20lb lighter. Once the lift stops moving, the man’s weight is subject to normal gravity, just the same as before. Solving this puzzle requires a small piece of general physics knowledge.

A final word…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our critical thinking puzzles for adults and that your critical thinking skills are feeling refreshed and sharpened after reading our article. Whether at school, in the workplace, or in general life, critical thinking can be a valuable tool for success and anyone can learn to use it.

Get more critical thinking puzzles on our Youtube channel:

20 Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles That Are Harder Than They Seem

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Playing Puzzles: A Guide for Teachers

How to play puzzles To play a puzzle, have students enter their names and then select the Play One of Ours tab. Students can choose a puzzle from the drop-down list, click Play, and start entering their words directly into the puzzle. Or, if you prefer, you can print the puzzle and give it to students to fill out.

Note: Students cannot save their work online; make sure they print their puzzles before exiting the tool.

Suggestions for classroom use For more information about using the Crossword Puzzles tool including lesson plans that use it, see the Crossword Puzzles Tool Card . You might also want to visit Tips for Using Crossword Puzzles With Children and Tips for Using Crossword Puzzles With Teens . These printer-ready handouts are designed for parent and tutor use and can be sent home with your students. And if you want to help your students make their own puzzles, see Creating Puzzles: A Guide for Teachers .

• To enter a word, click on a box anywhere in the word.
• Click the Check Puzzle button on the top left to indicate which letters are correct and which are not. Boxes for letters that are correct will be shaded green; boxes for incorrect and blank letters will be shaded red.
• Change the scale of the puzzle by clicking on the + and – buttons on the screen.
• You can grab the puzzle and move it around on the screen. The Center button moves the puzzle back to the middle.
• The Tips & Hints button on the bottom left of the puzzle links to a page that has information to help solve the puzzle.
• You can turn the sound off and on using the sound icon.
• You can print the puzzle by clicking Print. Options include printing the puzzle with any filled-in answers, printing a blank puzzle, and printing an answer key.
• You cannot save your puzzle online.

Image © 2009 JUPITERIMAGES, and its licensors. All rights reserved.

Critical Thinking Crossword

Description.

A teacher tells a student to use a pattern to solve a problem A math student uses the "guess and check" method" the premake of a model how you view an object whether it is abstract or concrete when you think about your thoughts wolfgang koehler theory johnny has a mental shortcut to help him add numbers in math, but it isn't always the right answer luke reacts to the fight really sad while andy was happy to see the results. this is an example of if something happens more frequently than normal during a given period, it will happen less frequently in the future anna thinks that she did well on her test, so she goes to her parents to see what they think

Thinking and Problem Solving

Mental Jump Games!

thinking and problem solving

Unit 5 AB Review

Chapter 8 Intelligent

Nina Simone

Christmas Jollity 2021

Frequently asked questions, what is a crossword.

Crossword puzzles have been published in newspapers and other publications since 1873. They consist of a grid of squares where the player aims to write words both horizontally and vertically.

Next to the crossword will be a series of questions or clues, which relate to the various rows or lines of boxes in the crossword. The player reads the question or clue, and tries to find a word that answers the question in the same amount of letters as there are boxes in the related crossword row or line.

Some of the words will share letters, so will need to match up with each other. The words can vary in length and complexity, as can the clues.

Who is a crossword suitable for?

The fantastic thing about crosswords is, they are completely flexible for whatever age or reading level you need. You can use many words to create a complex crossword for adults, or just a couple of words for younger children.

Crosswords can use any word you like, big or small, so there are literally countless combinations that you can create for templates. It is easy to customise the template to the age or learning level of your students.

How do I create a crossword template?

For the easiest crossword templates, WordMint is the way to go!

Pre-made templates

For a quick and easy pre-made template, simply search through WordMint’s existing 500,000+ templates . With so many to choose from, you’re bound to find the right one for you!

Create your own from scratch

• Log in to your account (it’s free to join!)
• Head to ‘My Puzzles’
• Click ‘Create New Puzzle’ and select ‘Crossword’
• Select your layout, enter your title and your chosen clues and answers
• That’s it! The template builder will create your crossword template for you and you can save it to your account, export as a word document or pdf and print!

How do I choose the clues for my crossword?

Once you’ve picked a theme, choose clues that match your students current difficulty level. For younger children, this may be as simple as a question of “What color is the sky?” with an answer of “blue”.

Are crosswords good for students?

Crosswords are a great exercise for students' problem solving and cognitive abilities. Not only do they need to solve a clue and think of the correct answer, but they also have to consider all of the other words in the crossword to make sure the words fit together.

Crosswords are great for building and using vocabulary.

If this is your first time using a crossword with your students, you could create a crossword FAQ template for them to give them the basic instructions.

Can I print my crossword template?

All of our templates can be exported into Microsoft Word to easily print, or you can save your work as a PDF to print for the entire class. Your puzzles get saved into your account for easy access and printing in the future, so you don’t need to worry about saving them at work or at home!

Can I create crosswords in other languages?

Crosswords are a fantastic resource for students learning a foreign language as they test their reading, comprehension and writing all at the same time. When learning a new language, this type of test using multiple different skills is great to solidify students' learning.

We have full support for crossword templates in languages such as Spanish, French and Japanese with diacritics including over 100,000 images, so you can create an entire crossword in your target language including all of the titles, and clues.

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Wordplay, The CROSSWORD COLUMN

Get Cracking

Looking for an intricate diversion? Pick this puzzle by Michael Schlossberg — what’s inside pays off.

By Caitlin Lovinger

Jump to: Tricky Clues | Today’s Theme

SUNDAY PUZZLE — Joel Fagliano, in his print introduction to this grid, writes: “Michael Schlossberg, of Bend, Ore., is a doctor specializing in internal medicine. This is his 11th crossword for the paper, and his fifth Sunday.”

Mr. Schlossberg makes a mean Sunday puzzle, and the concept of this one is over-the-top fun to work through. It’s a great example of a visual element that took intense skill to execute, but the payoff is worth it.

Today’s Theme

The mechanisms in this grid look intimidating, don’t they? Seven round structures, each three squares in diameter, and each with a keyhole at its center, beneath a box containing a circle. Those keyholes indicate locks, and the title of the puzzle, “Get Cracking,” is a hint to the solver’s task. Fortunately, this imposing theme isn’t too hard to “break into,” but prepare yourself for some suspense!

Each of the seven mechanisms is the cylinder of a lock, formed by four squares that connect to other entries in the puzzle at 90-degree increments. None of the connecting entries are hard to figure out, thank goodness. The complexity here is primarily in the construction, which is quite a tour de force.

Take the “lock” in the northwest corner of the puzzle, which is formed by the last letters of 28-Across and 19-Down and the first letters of 29-Across and 33-Down. At 28-Across, “Unimpressed” solves to BLAS E , and at 19-Down, “Channel with on-air fund-raising” solves to PB S . At 29-Across, “Sheet under a tent” is T ARP, and at 33-Down, “Taunt” is J EER. The circled square that I mentioned, which sits right above the center “keyhole,” is the final square in 19-Down. For now, that square contains the S in PB S . Those four letters — E , S , T and J — are the critical elements in this puzzle’s revealer.

As the grid fills in, so will each lock and its set of four letters. The clues involved are not terribly difficult, but they are vague enough that they might solve rather slowly. For example, I thought that 30-Across, “Sharp pain,” was “pang” instead of STAB, and I needed hints from two crossing letters to understand that 107-Across, “Letters that sound out a sentence,” was IOU (which is clever and simple, in retrospect). Once your locks have all their letters, the magic begins.

As the note on this puzzle (and at the top of this column) indicates, each of those seven cylinders must rotate, or tumble, in order for the lock to open. When it is turned correctly — with a crank of 90, 180, or 270 degrees — four new words are created in the entries around the lock. In the northwest corner example, the key is turned 180 degrees, which puts the bottom letter at the top, the left-hand letter at the right and so on. This turns T ARP into E ARP, J EER into S EER, BLAS E into BLAS T and, at the top of the cylinder, PB S into PB J . Remember the circled square? J is its correct occupant.

Gradually, new letters land in all the circled squares. When all the tumblers are in the correct positions, those circled squares in the grid spell an appropriate prize for cracking this safe wide open: Everybody hits the JACKPOT.

Tricky Clues

51A. Did anyone else misread this entry the way I did? For “Small Southwestern birds of prey,” I eventually deduced EL FOWLS, como “ el pollo loco ,” and nearly missed learning of the enchanting ELF OWLS that live in dry thorn forests and sound like they’re giggling . Back to remedial Spanish for me!

111A. This is a puzzle debut that’s new to me, too. The “Speculative fiction subgenre that envisions a sustainable-energy future” is SOLARPUNK, a term that apparently originated in 2008 as an adaptation of steampunk with real-life plausibility .

77D. “Distracted Boyfriend, e.g.” falls into the “if you know, you know” category. It’s a photographed moment that became a MEME template for all manner of temptations .

85D. Old English major here, confessing that this clue sneaked up on me. “What Tom and Daisy embody in ‘The Great Gatsby’” solves to OLD MONEY. This entry and a couple of others are probably winks to today’s theme.

Constructor Notes

Happy Sunday, everybody! Let’s rob a casino! I started the construction by placing the circles. Seven was the most I could fit. All had to be placed at least three squares from any border, and none of the theme answers could connect with another. I settled on JACKPOT as the 12 o’clock word. Then I started on one of the dial’s four theme words and branched out from there. To make solving easier, I constructed the grid so that no matter how each dial was turned, there was only one possible alternate answer for each theme word. So for ARK, I made sure that ARC was the only option, and not “are,” “arm,” “art,” etc., when turning the dial. This had a knock-on effect that made the other dials and the surrounding grid progressively more difficult to fill — the entire process took days. I did the best I could to avoid clunky entries (NEGATRON) and tricky crossings. Thanks for doing my puzzle!

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Subscribers can take a peek at the answer key .

Trying to get back to the puzzle page? Right here .

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Ready to play? Try Wordle , Spelling Bee  or The Crossword .

USA Today Crossword April 25 2024 Answers (4/25/24)

O ur USA Today Crossword April 25, 2024 answers guide should help you finish today’s crossword if you’ve found yourself stuck on a crossword clue. USA Today Crossword is a popular daily puzzle that tests the player’s vocabulary, spelling, and general knowledge skills. The puzzle is available in print and digital format and is enjoyed by people of all ages. The clues can range from easy to challenging and the player must use their critical thinking abilities to solve the puzzle. It is a great way to pass the time and challenge oneself.

USA Today Crossword April 25, 2024 Answers

If you need help solving the USA Today Crossword on 4/25/24, we’ve listed all of the crossword clues below so you can find the answer(s) you need. You can search for the clue and then select the appropriate clue to get the answer. We have done it this way so that if you’re just looking for a handful of clues, you won’t spoil other ones you’re working on!

Looking for answers to another USA Today Crossword puzzle? Check out our archive of USA Today Crossword Answers .

• The ___ of March
• Pet rescue org.
• The Dalai ___
• Bitter beer
• U-turn from WNW
• Result of addition
• Pro's counterpart
• Solemn promise
• Jury members
• Droplets on grass
• Pottery oven
• Vehicle pulled by huskies
• Poetic tributes
• "Things aren't looking good"
• Highest peak in North America
• Book of maps
• Main arteries
• Involuntary movement
• "Fountain" tool
• Health org. based in Atlanta
• Fire pit residue
• Sparrows' homes
• Actress de la Garza
• Informal get-together
• Bear who says "Oh, bother"
• "Watermelon Sugar" singer Harry
• Wins every game
• Royal decree
• Nueve menos uno
• Musician's ability
• Vaccine molecule
• The grid just went live, and we are still publishing the answers! If you’re not seeing the clue you need, check back in a couple of minutes!

The USA Today Crossword is a daily crossword puzzle that is published in the USA Today newspaper and on its website. The puzzle is known for its contemporary and pop culture references, as well as its accessibility to solvers of all skill levels.

The USA Today Crossword was first introduced in 2002, and has since become a popular source of entertainment and mental stimulation for crossword enthusiasts of all ages. The puzzle is created by a team of experienced crossword constructors, who are known for their creativity and skill in the field of crossword puzzles.

One of the unique features of the USA Today Crossword is its use of a non-standard grid, which can include circles or other shapes. This can make the puzzle even more challenging and interesting to solve. The puzzle also includes a variety of themed sections, which can add an extra layer of complexity to the solving experience.

If you’ve enjoyed this crossword, consider playing one of the other popular crosswords we cover, including: New York Times Crossword (and Mini ), Daily Themed Crossword (and Mini ), LA Times Crossword , and WSJ Crossword .

The post USA Today Crossword April 25 2024 Answers (4/25/24) appeared first on Try Hard Guides .