trick question
Inquiry designed misleadingly
A trick question is designed to elicit a wrong answer by exploiting ambiguity, misdirection, or hidden assumptions.
The asker already knows the answer and wants to catch the respondent off guard: Is it legal to marry your widow's sister?
The trick is that a man with a widow is dead.
Trick questions appear in riddles, logic puzzles, and interrogations.
Causing false beliefs
- deceptiveCreating false impressions
- trapDevice for catching animals
- gotchaExclamation upon catching someone
- catchSeize or snag
red herring · misdirection · feint · ambiguity · double meaning · wordplay · sophistry · equivocation
Unanswerable question
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
- head-scratcherPerplexing problem or question
- puzzlerDifficult problem to solve
- conundrumPerplexing problem or question
riddle · poser · toughie · mind-bender · lateral thinking · logic puzzle · paradox · dilemma
Playful trick on someone
- jokeHumorous statement seeking laughter
- gagMouth restraint or jest
- setupHow something is arranged
- punchlineHumor's final delivery
riddle · wit · cleverness · wordplay · dad joke · groaner · icebreaker · rhetorical
Formal knowledge assessment
- quizBrief informal test
- interviewFormal questioning session
- oral examSpoken academic assessment
- multiple-choiceFormat offering preset options
assessment · SAT · GRE · LSAT · bar exam · trivia · competition · qualifying
misleading
Causing false beliefs
- deceptiveCreating false impressions
- trapDevice for catching animals
- gotchaExclamation upon catching someone
catch · red herring · misdirection · feint · ambiguity · double meaning · wordplay · sophistry · equivocation · false assumption
stumper
Unanswerable question
- brainteaserPuzzle demanding clever thought
- head-scratcherPerplexing problem or question
- puzzlerDifficult problem to solve
conundrum · riddle · poser · toughie · mind-bender · lateral thinking · logic puzzle · paradox · dilemma · curveball
prank
Playful trick on someone
punchline · riddle · wit · cleverness · wordplay · dad joke · groaner · icebreaker · rhetorical · sarcasm
exam
Formal knowledge assessment
multiple-choice · assessment · SAT · GRE · LSAT · bar exam · trivia · competition · qualifying · screening
- riddlesriddles, riddle, conundrums, conundrum, enigmas
- examination questionsmultiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, short answer, matching
- questionsinquiry, questions, query, interrogatives, what
- mind tricksoptical illusion, mind games, riddles, puzzles, illusion