Tom Swifty | Lincoln Hamilton Polk | High IQ Society | Abbie F. Salny

Mensa Quiz-3/15/2006

by American Way Staff
The following questions are provided by the folks at American Mensa, the High IQ Society. Without seeking the assistance of fellow passengers, can you provide the answers? If you find that you do need some help, scroll down for the answers. By Dr. Abbie F. Salny


1. In this two-word rhyme made famous in a presidential speech, the first word is one-fifth the second, and the numbers added together total 24.


2. Work out the simple cryptogram below to solve a problem.

18-21 2-12-6 4-26-13-7 7-12 16-13-12-4 4-19-26-7 7-12 23-12 4-18-7-19 15-18-7-7-15-22 20-9-22-22-13 14-12-13-8-7-22-9-8 4-26-18-7 6-13-7-18-15 7-19-22-2 9-18-11-22-13


3. The following letters occur in these sequences in English words. What are the words?

CKKN WKW YZY


4. Find the number that best completes the following sequence.

3 9 4 16 5 25 6 ____


5. Unscramble the letters in each word below, then unscramble the order of the words to create a Tom Swifty sentence.

YLSPUERIFCIAL DIAS MOT VEI RNVEE
NESE HSCU A YRVE EGLRA LMSANO


6. For a wedding reception, the caterer found that six sandwich makers made 36 sandwiches in two hours. However, the caterer needed 216 sandwiches. How many sandwich makers will he need to make the 216 sandwiches in one hour?


7. What two-word combinations, each formed from different arrangements of the same 10 letters, can be used to complete the sentences below?

The doctor prescribed a ________ ________ for the French gourmand, who became so upset by this change in his lifestyle that he ignored the ________ ________ while driving home and had an accident.


8. Which of the following is the odd man out? It has nothing to do with letters or syllables.

Washington Lincoln Hamilton Polk


9. Each sentence below can be completed with two words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently. (There is a different set of words for each sentence.)

The Foreign Legionnaire was strongly tempted­ to _________ but was all too aware of the dangers in the __________.

“________ my shoes, please,” said the tourist in the ________ shoe-shine shop.


Bonus Question: In 1888, he “brought photography to the man on the street.” Who was he, and what two products did he introduce?


scroll down for answers













1. Four score
2. If you want to know what to do with little green monsters, wait until they ripen. (26 = A, 25 = B, etc.)
3. Jackknife or knickknack, awkward, syzygy
4. The number is 36. (Two interleaved series: numerical order and numerical order of squares.)
5. “I’ve never seen such a very large salmon,” said Tom superficially.
6. Each sandwich maker can make three sandwiches an hour, so 72 makers are needed.
7. Simple diet, speed limit
8. Hamilton. (The only one of the four who was never a U.S. president.)
9. Desert, desert; polish, Polish


Bonus Answer



George Eastman, who invented roll film ant the box camera





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ISSUE: Mar 15, 2006
American Way Cover - 3/15/2006