How to Play Twenty Questions
Twenty Questions is perhaps the most straightforward guessing game that can be played by as few or as many players as you like. With just two simple rules, you can have hours of fun at home or on the road. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Play Twenty Questions
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1
Pick one player as the person to give answers to the other players' questions. This player must think of something that exists in this universe. She may answer only Yes or No to the other players' questions.
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2
Begin the game by asking a yes or no question. The best questions to ask first are general ones such as "Is this a class of things?" or "Is this a unique item?"
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3
Ask up to 20 questions to try to determine what the player is thinking. The classic Twenty Questions question is whether the object is an animal, vegetable or mineral but remember that things made of plastic or other man-made materials are none of these.
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Ask questions such as "Is it alive or is it dead?" if you determine that the object is a living creature. You may also want to ask whether it is human or not and if so, whether it is male or female. Other good questions involve finding out if the object is famous or notorious or if it's someone in your direct acquaintance.
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5
Answer ambiguous, non-"yes or no" questions by replying "I can't answer that question." You may also reply "I don't know" if it is a question you can't answer.
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6
Win the game as a questioner if you can determine what the first player is thinking of before using up all of your twenty questions. The person giving the answers wins if no one is able to guess what she is thinking of.
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7
Play this game with a small group for the greatest effect. This will allow the twenty questions to be distributed evenly among the players. If the group is small enough, twenty questions may be allotted to each of the players.
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Play the next round by letting the victor think of the next object for the other players to guess. You may also draw straws or randomly choose the next person to answer questions in this game.
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Tips & Warnings
Ask specific questions to get the most revealing answers. Novice players tend to ask questions that could apply to some but not all of the object's characteristics and therefore may receive a misleading answer of "Yes."
