Riddle me this

[yvr girl]

You are walking along a country road on a moonless night. You have no source of light. You get to a fork in the road, and you do not know which way leads to your destination.

In this area, lives two kinds of people. Red people, who always tell the truth and green people who always lie. You see a man at the fork, but you cannot tell what colour he is. He will answer one question for you. What question can you ask that will insure that you get the correct information regarless of the man's colour?

edit: spelling

[Blue-Jay]

1. If it's that hard to see,

how do you know that you're at a fork in the road?

[MrScorpio]

2. "Do red people always tell the truth?"

If he was red, his answer would be Yes, if blue, his answer No.

It's works vice versa

[yvr girl]

3. You can only ask one question

That's not going to help you get your directions.

It's dark, live with it.

[TlalocW]

4. Hmmm..

Ask him which road takes me to his village.

If he's a truth teller, he'll show you the right road.
If he's a liar, he'll show you the wrong road, which will still be the road to the truth-telling village.

In either case, you'll know which road leads to the truth-tellers' village and thus which road takes you to the liars' vilalge.

TlalocW

[yvr girl]

5. Your destination is not their village

You just read up on the area you'd be travelling through.

[TlalocW]

6. Well, in that case

I would carry the chicken across the river first then the wolf then bring back the chicken to the first side and carry the corn over then one more time go back and get the chicken.

TlalocW

[yvr girl]

7. I might need to punish you

You're quite impertinent.

next

[TlalocW]

8. Only if your rates are cheap

And you dress in shiny, shiny leather.

TlalocW

[yvr girl]

10. Such naughtiness

I think someone needs a time out.

p.s. I do not have a price

[TlalocW]

12. But you have the leather?

Interestink.... verrry interestink...

TlalocW

[yvr girl]

16. Mmmm, I can't give away all my secrets

Truth be told, I'm much more of a silk and lace kind of girl.

[Kenneth ken]

15. yes, but

once you get to the red village, you can ask for good directions, and be certain they are good.

[sleepyhead]

9. "If I ask you if the left fork takes me to my destination

What would you say?" If you have chosen the correct path, they will both say so (red person telling the truth but green person lying about saying no). If you have chosen the wrong path, they will both say no (again red person telling the truth but green person lying about saying yes). I *think* that would work. Now I have to rest because my brain hurts.

[yvr girl]

11. Not the answer I was looking for, but I believe it works.

The official answer is:

If I would have asked you last night, which way to go, what would you have said?

(They are both 'If' questions.)

[Kingofalldems]

14. Here's another question:

You say it was a moonless night, so ask if the moon is out tonight.

[baldguy]

13. 42