The riddle about flying birds refers to the puzzle: “As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, each cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, how many were going to St. Ives?” This seemingly simple riddle has tripped up many people over the years due to its tricky wording. In this article, we will break down the riddle step-by-step to uncover the answer.
Understanding the Riddle
Let’s look closely at the question again:
“As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives. Each wife had seven sacks, each sack had seven cats, each cat had seven kits. Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, how many were going to St. Ives?”
The key here is to pay attention to the specific wording. The narrator met a man and all of his possessions as they were walking in the opposite direction. The riddle does not state that the wives, sacks, cats, and kits were actually heading to St. Ives – only the man was.
So when asked “how many were going to St. Ives?” at the end, the answer is just 1 – the narrator himself. All the rest were walking in the other direction away from St. Ives.
Breaking Down the Riddle Step-by-Step
Let’s go through each element of the riddle piece by piece:
– The narrator was going to St. Ives. So he counts as 1.
– He met a man walking in the opposite direction. The man was not going to St. Ives, so he does not count in the total.
– The man had 7 wives with him. As they were traveling with the man, they also do not count towards the total.
– Each wife had 7 sacks. Again, the sacks were traveling away from St. Ives, so they are not included.
– In each sack, there were 7 cats. The cats were also walking away from St. Ives with the man and his wives.
– And each cat had 7 kits. Like the rest, the kits were walking away from St. Ives.
So in the end, the only one going to St. Ives was the narrator. All the wives, sacks, cats and kits were moving in the opposite direction.
Why the Riddle Confuses People
This riddle is so tricky because of how it is worded. It mentions the man and all of his possessions before asking “how many were going to St. Ives?” Many people make the mistake of counting up everything – the man, his 7 wives, the 49 sacks, 343 cats, and 2,401 kits.
Adding it all up results in 2,801. However, this is incorrect, since the riddle never specifies that the wives, sacks, cats and kits are actually heading to St. Ives. The only one going to St. Ives is the narrator, making the total 1.
The riddle takes advantage of assumptions people make when reading the long list of the man’s possessions. But on close inspection, it becomes clear that only the narrator himself was headed to St. Ives.
Examples of How the Riddle Tricks People
Here are some examples of how people get tripped up by the riddle’s wording:
– *Incorrect thinking*: The man had 7 wives, so there must be 7 people going to St. Ives.
– *Where they went wrong*: The riddle does not state the wives were going to St. Ives, only that the narrator met them walking the other way.
– *Incorrect thinking*: Each wife had 7 sacks, so 7 wives x 7 sacks must equal 49 sacks going to St. Ives.
– *Where they went wrong*: Again, the sacks were not traveling to St. Ives, they were just in the possession of the wives walking in the opposite direction.
– *Incorrect thinking*: There were 7 cats in each sack, times 49 sacks, so there must be 343 cats going to St. Ives!
– *Where they went wrong*: The riddle does not specify the cats are headed to St. Ives.
As you can see, it is easy to start enumerating all the items as if they were all heading to St. Ives. But a careful reading shows only the narrator was going there.
Why This Kind of Riddle Works
Riddles like this work because they take advantage of the brain’s tendency to make assumptions when reading sentences. The riddle sets up a long list of the possessions of the man – the wives, sacks, cats, and kits. By the time you get to the question at the end, your brain is primed to do a calculation involving all those items.
But the final question is subtly different than expected – it only asks how many are going to St. Ives. The trick is catching that the riddle has not actually specified the direction of the wives, sacks, cats and kits. This forces you to go back and analyze precisely what was said rather than relying on assumptions.
This type of riddle exploits the common shortcut of making inferences as you read based on the context. Good riddles can catch you off guard by forcing you to go back and notice hidden details or exact wording you may have glossed over initially.
When You Should Be Suspicious in This Kind of Riddle
Riddles like this that list a cascade of possessions or relations can be a tip-off that the specifics of who is doing what may matter. Here are some signals that prompt you to read carefully:
– A long list of possessions or relations (like wives, sacks, cats, kits)
– The list getting progressively more detailed and numerical (first 7 wives, then 7 sacks each, then 7 cats each, etc)
– The question at the end shifting slightly from the setup (asking only about who’s going to St. Ives versus listing all the items)
– Numerical escalation in the list (a pattern of 7 wives, 7 sacks, 7 cats might be trying to misdirect you into doing a calculation involving 7s)
Any riddle involving these traits means you should go back and pay close attention to the wording. Specifically, check if there are any assumptions you made that aren’t necessarily warranted.
Tips for Solving This Kind of Riddle
Here are some tips for solving tricky riddles that involve lists and numerical escalation like this one:
– **Go back and re-read the beginning critically** – don’t rely on assumptions you made the first time through.
– **Ask yourself what was literally stated vs implied** – are there details you inferred that weren’t actually specified?
– **Check if words like “each” or “every” matter** – “each wife” tells you something different than just “wives”.
– **Look closely at the final question** – does it shift slightly from the riddle setup? This is often a clue.
– **Don’t let large numbers overwhelm your logic** – escalating numbers can misdirect from the actual question being asked.
– **Determine who the subject and object are** – who is doing the action vs having it done to them? This can clarify the relationships.
By using these strategies, you can avoid falling into the trap set by this kind of numerically escalating riddle. Always pay close attention to the exact wording used.
The Answer Explained
To summarize, the answer to the riddle is:
1
The key details are:
– The narrator was going to St. Ives (1 person)
– He met a man and his possessions walking in the opposite direction
– The riddle does not state the man, wives, sacks, cats and kits were heading to St. Ives
– It only asks how many were going to St. Ives, which was just the narrator (1)
– Large numerical escalation (7 wives, 7 sacks each, etc) misdirects people into doing incorrect math
– Precise wording and scrutiny is required, rather than making assumptions
So the final tally is 1 person was going to St. Ives – just the narrator himself. Being careful not to include the man and all his possessions moving away from St. Ives is the key to solving this riddle correctly!
Conclusion
In summary, the riddle about flying birds refers to the classic puzzle involving possessions like wives, sacks, cats and kits. The trick is realizing the riddle specifies all those items were traveling with the man in the opposite direction as the narrator. It only asks how many were going to St. Ives, which is just the narrator.
The escalating numbers and list of possessions leads many people to make incorrect assumptions and math. But a careful reading of the exact wording reveals the answer is simply 1. Riddles like this take advantage of the brain’s tendency to make inferences as you read sentences. To solve it, you need to analyze precisely what is stated versus what is implied.
So the next time you encounter a riddle involving escalating numerical relationships or possessions, be sure to read it closely. Do not let the cascade of items overwhelm your logic. And pay attention to the final question asked – it may differ subtly from the initial setup. By mastering riddles like this, you can improve your critical thinking and attention to detail.
