How Creative are You?

Creativity is a real talent - the ability to think 'outside the box' is a must for success in many areas. Psychologists have used many different tasks to test how creative people are. For example participants might be presented with an item such as a brick and given a limited time to suggest as many uses as possible. Alternatively they could be given an A4 sheet divided into squares and asked to make each square into a different object (such as a television, pair of curtains or kite). Some researchers use lateral thinking puzzles to test creativity. Have a go at the following questions and see how you get on:

1.Can you add a single line to this equation to make it correct - there is one rule - you are not allowed to put a line through the = sign to convert it into a 'not equals' sign! 10 10 11 = 10.50

2. Joanna and Jackie were born on the same day of the same month of the same year. They have the same mother and father and yet they are not twins. How is this possible?

3. A man has married twenty different women in the same town. All are still alive and he never divorced any of them. Polygamy is unlawful, yet the man has not broken the law. How is this possible?

4. A man walks into an antique shop and offers to sell an impressive bronze coin. One side of the coin contains an image of a Roman emperor's head, while the other shows the date as 500 B.C. The dealer instantly knows the coin is a fake - why?