What Are You Missing?

By: Duke Rohe, drohe@pdq.net

Overview: Finding waste requires a seekers mindset that is acutely aware of what’s going on around you.  Not rolling through life on autopilot.

Purpose: The following is a great little icebreaker test to sharpen awareness.

Participants: A group of any size

Materials: 1 answer sheet per participant.

Time: 15 minutes

Procedure:

Ask each participant to review the questions below and to write down what is missing:

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?
2. How many states are there?
3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty’s torch?
4. What 6 colors are on the classic Campbell’s soup label?
5. What 2 letters don’t appear on the telephone dial?
6. What 2 #’s on the telephone dial don’t have letters by them?
7. When you walk does your left arm swing w/ your right or left leg?
8. How many matches are in a standard pack?
9. On our flag, is the top stripe red or white?
10. What is the lowest # on the FM dial?
11. Which way does water go down the drain, clockwise or counterclockwise?
12. Which way does a “no smoking” sign’s slash run?
13. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?
14. Which side of a woman’s blouse are the buttons on?
15. On an NY license plate, is New York on the top or bottom?
16. Which way do fans rotate?
17. Whose face is on a dime?
18. How many sides does a stop sign have?
19. Do books have even # pages on the right or left side?
20. How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?
21. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?
22. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who’s missing?
23. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?
25. On which card is the cardmaker’s trademark?
26. On which side of a venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?
27. On the back of a $1 bill, what is in the center?
28. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?
29. How many curves are in a standard paper clip?
30. Does a merry-go-round turn clockwise or counterclockwise?

Debrief:

Let everyone see the answers on the What Are You Missing Answer Key

Scoring
30-28 Genius…Mensa is calling!
25-27 Not too shabby!
20-24 You could do better!
16-19 McDonald’s is calling!
< 16  Being blind wouldn’t affect you one bit!