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Deadly Choice Puzzle - Solution
The Puzzle:
A man is caught on the King's property. He is brought before the King to be punished.
The King says, "You must give me a statement. If it is true, you will be killed by lions. If it is false, you will be killed by the trampling of wild buffalo."
But in the end, the King has to let the man go.
What was the man's statement?
Our Solution:
"I will be killed by the trampling of wild buffalo."
If you think about it carefully: the King can't say it is true, because if so the man should be killed by the lions. But if he is killed by the lions, then his statement would be false, and so should have been trampled by buffalo.
So the King can't tell if it is a lie or truth, so decides to just let him go.
(Another alternative, by Pramod Verma, is "I will NOT be killed by lions.")
If you think about it carefully: the King can't say it is true, because if so the man should be killed by the lions. But if he is killed by the lions, then his statement would be false, and so should have been trampled by buffalo.
So the King can't tell if it is a lie or truth, so decides to just let him go.
(Another alternative, by Pramod Verma, is "I will NOT be killed by lions.")
Puzzle Author: Tom Rosenzweig