How Do You Put a Giraffe in the Refrigerator?

Here’s a test that’s been floating around the tubes. It’s a four-question management test, apocryphally attributed to Anderson Consulting (now Accenture). Don’t cheat!

Question 1: How do you put a giraffe in the refrigerator?

Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe and close the door.

This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.

Question 2: How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?

Wrong answer: Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant and close the door.
Correct answer: Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.

This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your actions.

Question 3: The Lion King is hosting an animal conference; all the animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend?

Correct answer: The elephant. He’s in the refrigerator.

This tests your memory.

Question 4: There is a river you must cross. But it is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you manage it?

Correct answer: You swim across. All the crocodiles are attending the animal conference.

This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.

The claim is that about 90% of the professionals tested got all questions wrong, but pre-schoolers tended to get several correct answers.

How’d you do?