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Mr. Smith had 4 daughters puzzle: Here’s how to find the answer to the viral challenge

Mr. Smith has 4 daughters puzzle
Can you solve the Mr. Smith has 4 daughters without looking at the answer? Pic credit: Puzzle Adda/ YouTube

With everyone practicing social distancing these days, many of us are holed up in our homes looking for something to do.

And there’s one puzzle that started doing the rounds on Facebook that has lots of us tearing our hair out in frustration; its the one with Mr. Smith and his four daughters.

Lots of us are attempting to get through the coronavirus pandemic by binge-watching TV shows and movies; however, there’s only so much Netflix some of us can take.

Some of us have taken to reading books while others have resorted to blowing the dust off the board games and jigsaw puzzles that have been stuck in the cupboard since the ’90s.

Social media has done its bit for the terminally bored by providing us with continual challenges and brainteasers.

What is the Mr. Smith and his 4 daughters riddle?

The riddle read like this:

Mr. Smith had 4 daughters, each of his daughters had a brother. How many children does Mr. Smith have?

Take a moment, if necessary, to have a little ponder over it.

So, how many children does Mr. Smith have?

The answer to the riddle is five. Mr. Smith has four daughters and one son; therefore, he has five children in total.

The question is confusing because of the way it plays around with words. It puts too much emphasis on the word “had.” The use of the past tense makes it sound like Mr. Smith no longer has any children.

But simply put, we know Mr. Smith had four daughters (4) and one son (1), which equals five children in total.

In reality, this question has nothing to do with math; it’s just a riddle based on clever wordplay.

There have been lots of puzzles, teases, and challenges flooding social media in recent weeks as we attempt to keep our bodies and minds active while social distancing.

Another fun brain teaser doing the rounds at the moment is the Spot the Cat challenge, which involves a cartoon picture of a woman with a broom and bucket standing in front of a wooded door and brick wall.

All you have to do is spot the cat in the pic. It’s not as easy as it sounds. Follow the link to have a go and find the answer.

Another challenge that involves having a good knowledge of classic and cult movies is the 66 Movies in a Picture Challenge, which is all about spotting and naming the movie references in a cartoon picture of a garage.

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