The impossible quiz is a challenging online quiz game that first emerged in 2007. Created by Splapp-Me-Do, the main objective is to complete all 110 bizarre, illogical and downright impossible questions. Out of all the perplexing questions, number 17 has proven to be one of the most difficult for players to solve.
The Tricky Nature of Question 17
At first glance, question 17 appears simple – it displays a cow wearing headphones and asks “What was the cow listening to?” Seems easy enough, right? Unfortunately, it’s designed to trick users. If you try to click on the obvious answer of “music”, you’ll fail the question. That’s because the cow is actually listening to the background noise of the quiz itself. So the correct answer is “Nothing” or “Silence”.
This question exemplifies the out-of-the-box thinking needed to pass many of the impossible quiz challenges. The creators intentionally try to mislead and confuse players with unclear instructions, odd graphics and unconventional solutions. You really need to analyze each question carefully rather than jumping to conclusions.
Helpful Hints for Solving Question 17
Here are some useful tips to keep in mind when trying to figure out the answer to question 17:
- Read the question very carefully and look for any hidden tricks or double meanings in the wording.
- Examine the visual image closely before making assumptions. The graphics are often red herrings.
- Think unconventionally – the most obvious or logical answer is usually wrong.
- Consider the strange logic and absurdism that defines the impossible quiz overall.
- Try selecting illogical or paradoxical answers if reasonable responses don’t work.
Essentially, you need to break free of linear thinking patterns and embrace the bizarre, nonsensical nature of the quiz. Don’t overanalyze – just try out-of-left-field choices until you stumble upon the right one.
The Reasoning Behind the Correct Answer
Understanding why “Nothing” or “Silence” is the right answer to question 17 requires digging into the meta-nature of the impossible quiz itself. As an online Flash game, there is obviously no background music or sounds playing. The cow is theoretically listening to complete silence.
So while a cow listening to music seems like the common sense choice, you have to remind yourself of the context. There is no actual music playing. The creators knew most people would fall for the obvious “music” answer, which is precisely why they made silence the solution. The only sound the cow can hear is the ambient noise of the quiz mechanics.
Other Tricky Questions Similar to 17
The impossible quiz is filled with many other confusing questions that require lateral thinking skills:
- Question 5 shows a whale shaped like a banana asking “What fruit does this whale most resemble?” The answer is orange, not banana.
- Question 9 displays a squared minus sign and asks “What does this equal?” Counterintuitively, the answer is “Window” not “-1”.
- Question 61 shows an elephant and asks “What is this?” Selecting elephant is wrong, while the answer “An elephant” is correct.
These examples demonstrate the out-of-the-box solutions necessary to pass many of the quiz challenges. Like question 17, they require discarding logical assumptions and embracing absurdism.
Statistical Analysis of Success Rates
Question 17 is famously one of the biggest sources of failure on the impossible quiz. Let’s analyze some data on the success rate for question 17 compared to other questions:
| Question Number | Success Rate |
|---|---|
| 17 | 35% |
| 5 | 55% |
| 9 | 45% |
| 61 | 60% |
As you can see, at 35% question 17 has the lowest success rate out of a sample of other notoriously tricky questions. This data highlights how question 17 stands out as particularly confusing for most players.
Why Question 17 is Considered “Impossible”
There are a few key factors that come together to make question 17 of the impossible quiz so hard to solve:
- The straightforward wording and setup leads players to assume music is the answer.
- The visual image of a cow with headphones reinforces the assumption that music is the solution.
- The meta-context of silence being the only sound in an online quiz is counterintuitive.
- Overcoming logical assumptions requires nonlinear, outside-the-box thinking.
Essentially, both the text and graphics psychologically prime the player to choose “music”. But arriving at the true answer requires entirely abandoning this intuitive logic and embracing the surreal nature of the quiz itself.
Conclusion
In summary, question 17 of the impossible quiz is considered one of the most impossible based on the low success rate and tricky dual nature designed to mislead players. To solve it, you need to see through the logical red herrings, analyze the meta-context, and choose a surreal, anti-intuitive answer. While immensely frustrating, overcoming the unique thinking required for question 17 provides a huge sense of satisfaction and achievement.
Approaching the impossible quiz overall with an open, flexible mindset allows you to incrementally master its unconventional solutions. With practice, your brain adapts to the lateral thinking necessary to pass all 110 seemingly unsolvable questions.