I recently came across this multiple-choice question and haven't been able to determine a clear cut answer. This is the question, and the four answers, as far as I can remember.



Here is my answer. However, it is still bugging me. What do you think?

I chose C on the logic that falling ill was statistically unlikely; being reasoned out of depression in a short time is also unlikely and D is unlikely for the same reason. Only C would remove the reason for his depression and stop the suicide.

I think this question would be much more interesting if you provided the context of who was asking it.

EDIT: See, like that. Shaddus' answer is way more likely if this is someone asking you trying to catch you out and not a..."suicide awareness" campaign or whatever.

The answer is D, because it covers all the other answers as well.

It was a Cattell III B IQ test. EDIT: So my assumption is there is one correct answer.

Ok, wikipedia makes that sound like an IQ/intelligence test, the way I searched it, so I'll go on that assumption. (it also has hints of personality test though so ignore this if so) EDIT: Oh, ok, you clarified "IQ test" so that helps.

Unless the test is just bad and it's actually about knowledge people can't reasonably be expected to have unless they have experience with it, like how easy it is to reason people out of suicide when they're depressed, or how depressed you are when you "lose all your money," or how likely people would be to even know he needed to be reasoned out of it, I'm forced to conclude the best answer is to treat it like a lateral thinking exercise and pull Shaddus' answer on the basis that it subsumes B and C any way you look at it and A isn't a reason not to commit suicide at all unless you immediately go into a coma and die unconscious, I guess.

Hmmm, ok that sounds good. Thank you for that, it's been bugging me.

I've been asked a similar question before...

But then, the answer was

"because the river was frozen."

EDIT: The reason for that explanation was because, that specific question was designed to test how you think outside the box. I'm not sure if that's how it is meant to be in this instance though.

I agree with Shaddus.

.....so he goes to a bridge over a river to drown himself.

Implication is his mind is made up. By being multiple choice, one of those has to be correct (in normal fashion, at least). None of those allow the fact that he was forced out of it, so it had to be by choice. Thus, even if the river was frozen, or any other such thing, he would have had to CHOOSE not to drown himself (In fact, the question implies he did not commit suicide period, implying that the death, if there was any at all, did not occur by his own hand). As long as force is discounted, any choice to the contrary of what you set out to do could be considered changing your mind. Thus D is a broad reaching answer allowing for 50% of all occurrences, which is 100% of the set allowed for the question.

Hehe, I think Shaddus' explantion wins.

Actually, reading it over it could quite likely be A, on account that "drown" can refer to the double meaning of "to drown your sorrows". It's only implied that he will commit suicide, but not outright stated. Therefore, he could very well have fallen ill from overdrinking whatever alcohol he brought.

Who goes to a bridge over a river to drown themselves in alcohol? Unless that is some random pub name right next door to the place where they are doing the IQ test and they are testing people's observational skills.

"The Bridge over the River, cocktail hour just starting!"

Don't blame me for it not making sense. I still maintain it tests your ability to think outside the box. That's how it functioned when I was subject to a similar test.

I really think Shaddus' answer is the correct one in this case. It is the only one that makes sense in the context of the situation in which it was asked. I knew my answer was likely to be wrong, I just couldn't figure out how to pick the correct one, but if you exclude all external knowledge (Because it was not a general knowledge quiz!) then it's the only answer you can be sure of from the information given in the question alone.

The question has been at the back of my mind since December and when I remembered it again the other day I figured if there was a bunch of people who could come up with the answer it would be Lusternians I did better in the non-verbal tests