Understanding the Deception: A Closer Look at the Riddle
When presented with this question, your immediate reaction might be to calculate the total number of legs for all the animals mentioned: cows, dogs, and cats. This is exactly where the trap is set. By providing specific data about the animals, the question subtly shifts your focus from the real subject of inquiry—you.
To illustrate how this works, let’s first analyze the leg count:
Cows: Each cow has four legs. With 5 cows, that gives you 5×4=20 legs.
Dogs: Each dog also has four legs. For 2 dogs, that’s 2×4=8 legs.
Cats: A single cat has four legs, adding 1×4=4 legs.
Adding these together results in a total of 20+8+4=32 legs. But here’s where the deception comes into play. The question isn’t asking for the total number of animal legs—it’s asking, “How many legs do YOU have?”
