During a visit to a mental asylum, a visitor asked the Director what the criteria is that defines if a patient should be institutionalized. "Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub. Then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup, and a bucket to the patient and ask the patient to empty the bathtub." Okay, here's your test: 1. Would you use the spoon? 2. Would you use the teacup? 3. Would you use the bucket? "Oh, I understand," said the visitor. "A normal person would choose the bucket, as it is larger than the spoon." What was the director's response?

Why this works

This riddle plays on the expectations of the audience regarding problem-solving and the definition of "normal." At first, it seems the director is testing the patient's logic based on the size of the tools—spoon, teacup, and bucket. However, the punchline reveals a clever twist: the most sensible solution, which a "normal" person would arrive at, is not about using any of the offered tools but rather about simply pulling the plug to drain the water. This highlights how sometimes the best solutions are the simplest and require thinking outside the box, rather than just considering the resources at hand.