How would you answer this test question?

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This was in the riddle/logic section of a test I took during a job interview today (near the end, after most of the more straight-forward questions). Paraphrased from memory:

"A man has just finished painting his house and he needs something more. He goes to the store and points to what he wants. The clerk says, "Those are one for $1." The man says, "I took 600. Here's $3." What has he bought?"

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:29 (twenty-two years ago)

3 insanely cheap cartons of cigarettes.

― martin m. (mushrush), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:30 (twenty-two years ago)

He bought digits so that he could put his house number on the front door.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Is there a genuine answer? 'Cause my brain was fried by this point and I said something like "Three of what he wanted, cheap thrills and shoplifting charges for the other 597."

(x-post, I knew this thread would make me feel like an idiot. I hate you Dan Perry.)

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh well, I felt clever for getting the other riddles.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:32 (twenty-two years ago)

*preens*

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:33 (twenty-two years ago)

My box is made of adamantium, I cannot think outside of it.

― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

lock thread?

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 21 April 2004 20:35 (twenty-two years ago)

tiny tubes of paint in batches of 200.

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 22 April 2004 15:57 (twenty-two years ago)

He bought a product called "600" that cost $3.

What a wank question.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:12 (twenty-two years ago)

He bought a product called "600" that cost $3.

b-b-but it costs $1!

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:26 (twenty-two years ago)

a generic pocket pussy.

― Chris 'The Velvet Bingo' V (Chris V), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris wins!

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:29 (twenty-two years ago)

At least I got the one about "If under a certain set of circumstances, an apple costs 20 cents, a bannana costs 30 cents, and a pineapple costs 40 cents, how much does a pear cost?"

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:34 (twenty-two years ago)

20 cents!

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:37 (twenty-two years ago)

it's a climate thing, no?

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:38 (twenty-two years ago)

40 cents?

I thought it was a initial letter thing.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

Dan wins.

(In Testland, these fruits cost 10 cents per vowel)

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:39 (twenty-two years ago)

At least I got the one about "If under a certain set of circumstances, an apple costs 20 cents, a bannana costs 30 cents, and a pineapple costs 40 cents, how much does a pear cost?"

a pair of what?

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:40 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll bet I could take you on the analogies section, Perry.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, I remembered another one, this one was easy:

"I have two coins that add up to 55 cents. One of them is not a nickel. What are they?"

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:42 (twenty-two years ago)

How much is a nickel again?

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

This company clearly is trying to weed out the British applicants.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:43 (twenty-two years ago)

A nickel and a 50-cent piece.

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Naturally.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

(ONE of them is not a nickel; the other one is.)

(I have no doubt you could take me on the analogy section, they are like kryptonite to me.)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

(Hopefully these test questions will explain why I am obsessed with semantics.)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Surely it is door numbers?

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh - duh. I'm doing that thing again.

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

(I was confused by the fruit talk)

― N. (nickdastoor), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Indeed. The only one of those I didn't get was the pocket pussy one.

(Dan, I remembered you talking about your analogy vulnerability on another thread for some reason.)

(x-post)

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I was going to say 50 cent piece, but they don't manufacture those anymore, do they?

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:49 (twenty-two years ago)

I wondered that actually, it seems a bit dated.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:54 (twenty-two years ago)

I thought they still made them. Not that you'd come across them very often. I think I received one as change at some casino a couple years back.

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

my other answer would have been "5" (nickel) + "5" (nickel) = "55" (DO YOU SEE), with the "one of them is not a nickel" warning taken to mean that one wasn't, both were. that doesn't make much sense either.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:57 (twenty-two years ago)

Or a Susan B. Anthony dollar and a NEGATIVE FORTY-FIVE CENT PIECE FROM ANOTHER DIMENSON.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:58 (twenty-two years ago)

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drf300/f341/f34115t3334.jpg

― Broheems (diamond), Thursday, 22 April 2004 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

what is a generic pocket pussy? and can we eat it?

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

i can't drive 55.

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

what job are you applying for that needs you to be able to answer these questions? A general store?

― jel -- (jel), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

in the old west! can you say pistols at dawn?

― stockholm cindy (Jody Beth Rosen), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:08 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a medical software company, but maybe they're hiring out their employees to write GRE questions as an additional sideline.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Do you walk to school or carry your lunch?

I'm trying to figure out why these would be at odds. Good thing I'm done with school, it sounds confusing.

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:11 (twenty-two years ago)

It's a question that Bozo the Clown used to ask the kids on his television show. Lots of six-year old brains got frizzled trying to think of a correct answer to offer to The Great Clown.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:14 (twenty-two years ago)

Bozo blew my mind.

(insert "and that's not all" jokes here)

― Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:18 (twenty-two years ago)

(Are you sure you don't want them inserted there?)

― VengaDan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Insert lunch here.

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Thursday, 22 April 2004 17:22 (twenty-two years ago)

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