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Who did it?

Who did it? quiz

Delve into a unique quiz designed to unravel the intricacies of human decision-making and morality. Through a series of thought-provoking scenarios, participants are encouraged to explore their own judgments and beliefs. The results offer insightful reflections on how we perceive responsibility and the factors that influence our moral compass. This engaging experience not only tests your decision-making skills but also provides a window into the deeper aspects of your personality and values.

A married couple live in a house on one side of a river. The wife has a lover who lives on the other side. The only way to get across the river is to walk across the bridge or to pay the boatman.

Justice quiz

The husband has to go on an overnight business trip to a faraway town. The wife pleads with him to take her with him. She knows if that he doesn't she will be unfaithful to him. The husband absolutely refuses to take her because she will only be in the way of his important business. So the husband goes alone.

That night, the wife goes over the bridge and stays with her lover. Dawn is almost up when the wife leaves because she must be back home before her husband returns. She starts walking across the bridge but sees an assassin waiting for her on the other side. She knows if she tries to cross, he will murder her. In terror, she runs up the side of the river and asks the boatman to take her across the river, but he wants too much money. She doesn't have enough, so he refuses to take her.

The wife runs back to the lover's house and explains her predicament and asks him to pay the boatman. The lover refuses, telling her it's her own fault for getting into this situation. As dawn comes up the wife decides to dash across the bridge. She comes face to face with the assassin and he kills her.

The five characters in the story are listed below in alphabetical order. List the names in the order in which you think they were most responsible for the wife's death.

  • Assassin
  • Boatman
  • Husband
  • Lover
  • Wife

Analysis

This story presents characters that each represent a unique element of human nature and decision-making.

  • The assassin embodies financial stability and control.
  • The boatman symbolizes chance and serendipity.
  • The husband represents emotional support.
  • The lover signifies desire and passion.
  • The wife illustrates happiness and self-care.

The order in which you assign responsibility to these characters sheds light on your perspective towards various aspects of life, such as the influence of economic factors or personal relationships in shaping critical decisions.

Assassin = Financial stability and control

If you rank the Assassin as most responsible, this may show that you view financial motives or economic pressures as dominant forces in your life's decisions and outcomes. In the story, the Assassin's threat to the wife could symbolize for you how financial challenges or the pursuit of wealth are perilous yet influential aspects of life. This viewpoint would suggest you believe that money, in the form of necessity or the pursuit of wealth, is critical in dictating your life's path and can be a source of significant conflict or danger.

Boatman = Chance and serendipity

Ranking the Boatman as most responsible for the wife's death might reflect your belief in the significant role of chance events or unpredictable elements in shaping critical outcomes. This perspective suggests you see luck or serendipity as influential forces that can drastically alter the course of your life. In the story, the Boatman's refusal to help the wife, due to lack of payment, might symbolize for you how, despite best efforts, the whims of fate or a lack of fortunate circumstances can lead to unfavorable outcomes. The Boatman's role and his decision not to intervene could be seen by you as a metaphor for those moments in life where opportunity is present but inaccessible due to factors beyond your control, like chance or societal structures.

Husband = Love and emotional support

If you place the Husband at the top, it might reflect your view that love and emotional connections are primary drivers in your life's decisions. In the story, the husband's refusal to take his wife with him, possibly based on his love and focus on business, might resonate with you as indirectly setting tragic events in motion. This ranking could indicate you believe that the pursuit of love, or its absence, fundamentally shapes your life choices and has far-reaching consequences.

Lover = Desire and passion

Deeming the Lover most responsible might suggest that you see romantic attractions as powerful motivators in your life. The Lover's role in the story, as the object of the wife's affection and his refusal to help her, could symbolize for you how sexual and romantic relationships can lead to complex situations and difficult choices. This viewpoint acknowledges the strong influence of romantic and sexual dynamics in steering the course of your life, often leading to pivotal moments and significant decisions.

Wife = Happiness and self-care

Ranking the Wife first could indicate you believe that the pursuit of personal happiness, pleasure, or contentment is a key driving force in your life's decisions. In the story, the wife's decision to visit her lover, driven by her desire for fun or contentment, ultimately leading to her demise, might reflect your understanding that the quest for personal fulfillment, even if it involves taking risks or breaking norms, is a crucial aspect of human behavior and a primary factor in shaping your life's journey.

Response evaluation

The analysis reflects how people rank characters, showing diverse views on human interaction.

The Wife is identified as the most responsible for her death by 40% of people, reflecting a strong emphasis on personal accountability and self-care decisions. The Lover is deemed the primary cause by 25%, indicating the significant impact of romantic relationships on life choices. 15% attribute the primary responsibility to the Assassin, highlighting societal pressures and external threats like financial stability as critical factors. The Husband is seen as the key factor by 10%, emphasizing the consequences of emotional neglect in relationships. Similarly, the Boatman is assigned primary responsibility by 10%, underlining the influence of chance and serendipity in shaping life’s outcomes.

Most popular sequence for ranking the characters from most responsible to least responsible: Assassin, Wife, Lover, Boatman, Husband (3%)

This sequence reflects a common perception that external threats and pressures (represented by the Assassin) often play a pivotal role in critical outcomes. The Wife's personal choices and agency place her next, acknowledging the impact of individual decisions. The Lover's role in the narrative, embodying desire and passion but also indifference, ranks third. The Boatman, symbolizing the unpredictable nature of chance and serendipity, is fourth, suggesting a recognition of how circumstances beyond one's control can influence events. Lastly, the Husband, embodying emotional support, is seen as the least responsible, indicating a nuanced understanding of indirect influence in complex situations.

Reflections and insights:

As we conclude this intriguing journey through the labyrinth of human judgment and morality, it's fascinating to reflect on the environment and objectives of our exploration. This quiz, more than just a puzzle, serves as a mirror to our psychological depths. Set against a backdrop of a dramatic narrative, it nudges us to navigate the turbulent waters of responsibility, choice, and consequence. Each character, from the calculating Assassin to the emotionally distant Husband, embodies a facet of life's complex tapestry, compelling us to introspect about our values and biases.

The true objective transcends mere problem-solving; it's an invitation to delve into the deeper psychological aspects of decision-making. How we prioritize responsibility in this scenario reveals our subconscious leanings towards factors like personal agency, external influences, and moral judgments. This quiz isn't just about finding the 'right' answer but understanding our individual perspectives and what they say about us. In the end, the varied responses illuminate the rich diversity of human thought and the intricate tapestry of values that guide our perceptions and actions.


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Comments (20)

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kalexsays...

A W L H B

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Monirsays...

Assassin, Lover, Boatman, Wife, Husband

The assassin is foremost because he, in fact, murdered her and is therefore most responsible. The lover, second, because it takes two people to cheat—and he was fully aware of the situation. The boatman, presuming he was aware—is third because really, if I knew someone was going to be murdered if I didn’t take them across a river I’d probably just take them across the river. Then the wife, because well, she is evidently in some ways responsible for her own demise. And the husband last because really he didn’t do anything that contributed to her death. He lead her to make a series of choices—but claiming he’s responsible would be ridiculous.

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Nikkisays...

I picked the assassin since he killed her after all.

2nd was the wife because if she hadn't been cheating she wouldn't have been in that situation.

3rd was the lover. It takes two to tango. He knew what he was doing and he used her.

4th and 5th are kind of tied for me. Boat man didn't know what was going on and husband didn't really do anything wrong. Some people can't focus on their work if their spouse is there and he honestly couldn't leave her for a day without her folding so it was already a lost cause.

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Tessa Graysays...

-Lover:she let her cross the bridge knowing she would die.

-Assassin:he killed her after all...

-Wife:if she hadn't been cheating she wouldn't have been killed.

-Husband : if he had done what the wife had told him she wouldn't be dead.

-Boatman: he has no idea of what's going on, and the wife didn't tell him that there was actually an assassin on the bridge.

The analysis is wrong though.

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Alina Starkovsays...

Totally inaccurate...

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