h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello Go-Go-Girl

I did your test and came up with blue screwdriver! I am officially abnormal!

However I have just "done the test" on my boyfriend and he was amazed when it said "red hammer". He was shocked and stunned and now wants to pass it on to all his friends!

Well done for posting this - it has brightened up an otherwise dreary Tuesday afternoon!

Hey there Lady in a Tree

I think it must be more interesting to be 'abnormal' in this case, as this exercise would seem to indicate a mostly uniform response in conventional thought processes, and I, for one, have always preferred the 'unconventional'.

Boringly, I came up with "red hammer" (not sure if it is a good thing to think like the other 98%), and so did my boyfriend.

Actually one friend of mine came up with "green wrench".

I feel like one of the

Weird test, but I must be semi-abnormal. I came up with 'red spanner' while a mate of mine doing it at the same time came up with 'red hammer'.

Now, why?

Hi Madent

...I can only assume that normal, conventional thought process, when put throught it's paces by the adding up of the sums as in this case, reacts in a predictable way.

Oh hell, to be honest, I have absolutely NO idea!!!

GGG

I've tried this out on a few people and seem to get some variation.

Most people come up with red or orange and hammer or spanner. I think that the colours are close enough as is the sound of the word to make this essentially the same answer (I am normal after all ).

The people who come up with "abnormal" answers seem to come up with something completely different. One of my brothers came up with "purple spade" .

It must therefore be a language test. Presumably the symbolic nature of the calculations, results in certain word associations being temporarily made in the mind. It might be interesting to read the questions aloud to someone and see if the results were also predictable.

Just for the record, my "purple spade" brother is dyslexic.

Hi Madent

I believe you must be on the right track.
Very interesting about your brother and "purple spade". That's the most way off one I have heard.

It supports your theory about temporary word assocation following a numerical sequence...

I would love to know who makes these tests up, and how.