Are You Really a Genius?: Timeless Tests for the Irritatingly Intelligent

In 1938, two authors embarked on a mission for the greater good of the country: to find more geniuses. They set about compiling fiendish brain-teasers, tortuous trick questions and complex numerical challenges and tested them thoroughly on some unsuspecting pupils.

The most robust tests were collected into a quirky and ingenious puzzle book which allows you to discover whether you are a genius through a variety of verbal tests, story puzzles, hard sums and tricky spellings. Questions are grouped into a series of test papers, followed by ‘brain-twisters’ and a ‘moron’s morgue’ to catch those not quite up to the challenge. Each answer (provided at the back) is carefully scored to determine the exact level of genius attained.

Drawing on the simpler aspects of life in the 1930s, the book includes charmingly antique scenarios and old-fashioned extracts, as well as some timeless favourites. ‘If a hen and a half lays an egg and a half in a day and a half, how many eggs will seven hens lay in six days?’ ‘By rearranging the letters in the word ‘plea’ make three new words.’ ‘Which is heavier, milk or cream?’ If you think you know the answers, this book is for you. If you don’t, why not try it out on your clever friends and discover which of them is truly a genius?