Are you ready for Mensa?

Think you’re the smartest person in the room? Prove it. Each month, we feature a fresh batch of brain-bending puzzles from American Mensa — the high-IQ society known for separating the curious from the truly clever. From tricky word games to number logic, these five questions will test your wit, patience and maybe even your ego. No Googling allowed.

Questions

1. Find the word that fits the definitions below when it’s 1) a whole word and 2) divided into separate two words. 

     1) Whole word:  someone seeking an office
     2) Two words: a. frank and open     b. consumed

2. Choose the correct letter from each clue in the rhyme below. When put in order, the four letters will spell the answer to the riddle.

     My first is in spot but not in hot.

     My second in soap also sot.

     My third in never you will find.

     My last in sign and also grind.

     My whole is joyful, you will hear.

     Forever pleasure to the ear.     _ _ _ _ 

3. Nick decided to test his new bicycle for the upcoming endurance race. He rode his bike at six miles per hour and arrived in the next town one hour earlier than if he had ridden at five miles per hour. How far did he ride?

4. Andrea found a jar with many coins in it. The coins added up to $8.50. There was an equal number of dimes, quarters and half-dollars. How many of each coin did she find?

5. A palindrome is a word, sentence or group of words that reads the same backward or forward.

What you do when you call 911?     _ _ _ _     _ _ _ 

Answers

1. 1) candidate 2) a. candid  b. ate 

2. SONG

3. 30 miles (a five-hour trip at six miles per hour; a six-hour trip at five miles per hour)

4. 10 ($1.00 + $2.50 + $5.00 = $8.50)

5. DIAL AID

Just for LocalLife readers: Take the Mensa Practice Test for just $5! Visit americanmensa.org/mht and use offer code: Local21. Quiz © 2018 Dr. Abbie F. Salny. Mensa provides official tests and answers to LOCAL Life as part of an exclusive license agreement.