How to answer the tricky question ‘When is midnight closest?

Netizens are being taken back to their school days as the tricky question ‘What is the closest time to midnight’ splits the crowd on its true answer.

In the past few years, social media has become an oasis of riddles and puzzles. Brainteasers have seen a rise in popularity since the days of the lockdown when people were looking for ways to entertain themselves.

Twitter and TikTok are still awash with riddles, optical illusions and other wordy puzzles. But the latest to take over our social media feeds centers on a question that wouldn’t feel out of place on an eighth-grade paper. For anyone stumped by which of the times is closest to midnight, here’s all of the ways to reach an answer.

‘What is the closest time to midnight’ question splits crowd on true answer

This ostensibly simple question asks “What is the closest time to midnight?” before offering four answers:

According to the general consensus, The answer to the question is “D”. D is only three minutes after the exact time of midnight. It is therefore the most accurate answer. D will be the right answer when you think of all the possible answers moving either backward or forward from midnight.

The question asks what is the “closest time to” not the “closest time until.” This suggests that the principles of time moving forwards do not necessarily apply.

Another answer is possible by following the line of questioning

This question’s wording has caused some people to be more inventive in their thinking. Rather than applying logic to test the question, some have pointed out that the answer could be which time is closest to the written word “midnight.”

The answer is A if you type the letter closest to the word.

The wording may also have fooled others who answered A. Given that the question is talking about midnight, 12:00 am, the inclusion of 11:55 am might have you thinking it’s closest. The answer would have been close only if 11:55 pm was the time. In fact, the answer is five minutes before noon.

‘This is what makes kids hate maths’

Some have now pointed out that due to the wide debates this seemingly simple maths problem has caused, these tricky maths problems are what deters young people from the subject.

“Trick questions like these only make kids hate math,” a Twitter user pointed out.

The ambiguity of this question is discouraging for students because it has so many possible answers.

Other Topics