Situation puzzle

Situation puzzles, often referred to as minute mysteries, lateral thinking puzzles or yes/no puzzles, are puzzles in which other participants are to construct a story that the host has in mind, basing on a puzzling situation that is given at the start.

These puzzles are inexact and many puzzle statements have more than one possible fitting answer. The goal however is to find out the story as the host has it in mind, not just any plausible answer. Critical thinking, reading, logical thinking, as well as lateral thinking may all be required to solve a situation puzzle.

The term lateral thinking was coined by Edward de Bono in the 1960s and 1970s, to denote a creative problem-solving style that involves looking at the given situation from unexpected angles, and is typically necessary to the solution of situation puzzles. The format resembles traditional riddles but gained popularity in the 20th century through puzzle books and magazines. Paul Sloane's Lateral Thinking Puzzlers series and Raymond Smullyan's collections helped popularize the format in print. In the 1990s, archives such as the rec.puzzles Usenet group widely disseminated situation puzzles online.

Conceptual reviews in English language teaching recommend lateral thinking strategies as a pathway for fostering higher-order thinking skills (HOTS). Analyses of teaching practice note that lateral thinking enables cognitive restructuring and idea generation, fundamental to solving situation puzzles. Critics note that some puzzles rely on arbitrary details or cultural knowledge, leading to a 'guess what the author is thinking' dynamic that can frustrate solvers.

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