Enter your email address:


December 1, 2009

Last words of the soldier...



A soldier has been captured by the enemy and is sentenced to die.
His captors say: "You may make a statement. If you tell a lie, you will
be shot. If you tell the truth, you will be hanged."
He makes a statement and goes free. What could he have said?

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will be shot.

Secret Squïrrel said...

He could also have said "This statement is false" or "I am lying".

I would have added that if he makes an indeterminate statement, he will ritually sodomised.

Anonymous said...

i will shot

Roopa said...

i will be shot

avi said...

i will be shot

Secret Squïrrel said...

Actually, just saying "I will be shot" is not water-tight. His captors could then shoot the person in the leg, and since they had told the truth (about being shot) then hang them.

Better is "I will be executed by being shot".

Anonymous said...

He says, "I will be shot." Either that statement is true or false. If it is true, he will be hanged. But then being shot wouldn't be true. Thus the statement must be false. But if it is false, he will be shot. But if he is shot, the statement is true. So there is a contradiction; his statement was neither true or false. They can't shoot him or hang him. So they set him free.

Anonymous said...

Actually if he says 'i will be shot', he would be telling the truth and could be hanged, and then shot. The enemies do not say whether he will be shot after being hanged...therefore he can't say that...

Anonymous said...

he wud've said," I'm a liar, believe me."

Anonymous said...

The soldier doesn't make a statement... He "may" but he didn't. So he didn't lie or tell the truth

Anonymous said...

Good answer, or in the captive's case, good non-answer.

Shelby said...

Good answer, or in the captive's case, good non-answer.

Prabal Goel said...

"You will not hang me"