John’s father has five sons named Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty. Can you guess what would be the name of the fifth?
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is John.
This riddle is a classic example of a question designed to mislead through patterns and assumptions. It initially presents a numerical pattern: Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty. This pattern suggests a progression by tens. Naturally, many people are tempted to guess “Fifty” as the fifth son’s name because it continues the numeric sequence. However, that would be incorrect in this context.
The riddle begins with a very important piece of information that is easy to overlook: “John’s father has five sons…” This clearly states that John is one of the five sons. The rest of the sentence lists four of them: Ten, Twenty, Thirty, and Forty. That leaves the fifth son, who must be John himself. Therefore, John is the fifth son.
This type of riddle is not about mathematics or completing a sequence but about paying close attention to the wording. The key lies in the very first part of the question, which provides the answer outright. Many riddles of this kind are designed to test reading comprehension and critical thinking rather than pattern recognition alone.
It is easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the list of names and ignoring the initial information provided. This demonstrates how our brains often jump to patterns and assumptions without fully processing the entire sentence. This riddle reminds readers to pause and reflect before answering, especially when the question seems to follow an obvious pattern. By doing so, we avoid being tricked by our own expectations and learn the value of careful reading. In conclusion, the fifth son’s name is John.