Guards Puzzle

ChaptGPT failed to solve this classic puzzle from a 1956 children’s book. The answer, of course, depends on noticing an obscure association (one that is uncommon but semantically close). Since ChatGPT relies exclusively upon common associations, this puzzle is beyond its capabilities.

Even though ChatGPT is given all of the text before the answer is revealed, it answers that it needs more information to determine an answer. This is not true. It has everything it needs—if it were able to work with obscure associations.

But this children’s puzzle doesn’t have to be beyond ChatGPT’s capabilities. I know how to extend ChatGPT so it can solve all puzzles that rely on obscure associations—so this LLM can become a Creative Language Model (CLM).

A child in the story attempts to sneak something of value past the royal guards. If he does so, he will win a royal medal from the king. It appears that the child transports worthless things past the royal guards, but they are overlooking something important. (Answer is beneath the excerpt below from the book.)

For those who are interested, here is the text of the children’s book up to the reveal of the puzzle. (I changed the main character’s name from Gillespie to Tony, because Gillespie is so distinctive in children’s literature that it might have given away the book and its ending.)

In a country far away from here, there were three brothers who could see better and father than anyone else in the world. The youngest brother had very powerful eyes. From a block away, he could read the date on a penny that was inside your pocket. The middle brother had extra-powerful eyes. From two blocks away, with his eyes closed, he could see a tiny speck in the eye of a baby butterfly. And the oldest brother had super-extra-powerful eyes. In the darkest part of the night he could cover his face with a heavy bandage and still read every page of a closed book that was in a locked room three blocks away.

When the king heard about these wonderful brothers he invited them to join the Royal Guards. After they had punk their bright red uniforms and shiny black boots and high-plumed hats the king was so proud of them that he announced a prize contest.

“My new guards have the brightest eyes in the world,” said he.

“If anyone can succeed in fooling all three of them, he will win a gleaming gold medal set with shimmering, shining diamonds.”

A gleaming golden medal set with shimmering, shining diamonds! What a wonderful prize! From all over the world, people began flocking to the palace, trying to fool the three brothers.

A boy from Keokuk disguised himself as a dog and ran all around the palace grounds, yelping, “Bow-wow!” and “Arf-arf!”

A man from Switzerland disguised himself as a giant clock and took in the corner of the palace all day, saying “Tick-tock, tock-tock.”

A lady from Winnipeg dressed herself up as a huge stick of peppermint candy, and she looked so real that two children tried to lick her with their tongues.

But none of these people could fool the new guards. With one glance, the guards could see through any disguise. And as hundreds and hundreds of persons tried and failed, the three brothers began to grow more and more famous.

Never having been so famous before, the brothers didn’t exactly know how to behave.

“How are we supposed to act?” asked the youngest brother. “Are we supposed to smile and laugh, or look serious and proud?”

“I think we should be serious,” replied the middle brother. “After all, we’re important persons now.”

“You’re right,” agreed the oldest. “From now on, let’s be serious and proud.”

“And, to everyone’s surprise, the new guards suddenly began to point their noses higher and higher in the air, and to smiles less and less. This bothered many people, but most of all it bothered a little boy named Tony. Tony used to come to the palace every day to play with the young prince, and until now he had thought that the Royal Guards were his friends.

I’ll enter that contest and make those guards smile again, he thought to himself. Besides, I wouldn’t mind it at all if I should happen to win a gleaming golden medal set with shimmering, shining diamonds.

That very afternoon, when it was time for Tony to go home, he came up to the gate, pulling a little red wagon. The wagon was piled so high with leaves that he had to hold the pile with one hand while he pulled the wagon with the other.

The youngest brother was on guard at the gate, and, even though he tried to look serious, he couldn’t help smiling a little.

“Just a minute, Tony,” he said. “Isn’t it rather silly to think you can win the medal by hiding things under leaves?” With his powerful eyes he looked through and through the leaves, but, to his surprise, he could see nothing that was worth anything.

“All right,” said the guard at last. “You’re foolish to pull a pile of leaves all the way home when you can find all you want right on your own block. But I guess that boys will be boys. Just the same, so as to prove you’re not fooling me, I’ll write it down.”

And in the Royal Guard Book he wrote: “Tony took a load of leaves.”

The next day, when it was time for Tony to go home, he came again to the gate, pulling a little red wagon. Behind him was a trail of sand, and the wagon was piled so high with sand that he could hardly move it even though he pulled with both hands.

The middle brother was on guard at the gate, and he too could not keep from smiling.

“Just a minute, Tony,” he said. “Isn’t it rather silly to think you can win the medal by hiding things under sand?” With his extra-powerful eyes he looked through and through the sand, but, to his suprise, he could see nothing that was worth anything.

“All right,” said the guard at last. “You’re foolish to pull a pile of sand all the way home when you can find all you want right on your own block. But I guess that boys will be boys. Just the same, so as to prove you’re not fooling me, I’ll write it down.”

And in the Royal Guard Book he wrote: “Tony took a load of sand.”

The third day, on his way home, Tony was really working hard. He was tugging and pulling at a little red wagon that was packed with stones. The pile was almost as high as Tony’s head, and the stones jiggled and bumped in the wagon as he pushed and shoved.

This time the oldest brother was on guard at the gate, and he actually laughed out loud.

“Just a minute, Tony,” he said. “Isn’t it rather silly to think you can Winn the medal by hiding things under stones?” With his super-extra-powerful eyes he look at the very insides of those stones and right through them, but, to his surprise, he could see nothing that was worth anything.

“All right,” said the guard at last. “You’re foolish to pull a pile of stones all the way home when you can find all you want right on your own block. But I guess boys will be boys. Just the same, to prove you’re not fooling me, I write it down.”

And in the Royal Guard Book, he wrote: “Tony took a load of stones.”

This sort of thing went on day after day after day. Tony would come to the gate with a wagonload of grass or weeds or even old tin cans and bottles. The guards laughed at him more and more, but every day they would just write it down in the Royal Guard Book and let him go on home.

At last there came a day when Tony asked to see the king.

“Please, Your Majesty,” he said, “I have succeeded in fooling all three of your new Royal Guards, and I should like to have my medal, if you don’t mind.”

How did Tony fool the guards and win the gleaming golden medal set with shimmering, shining diamonds?

Answer below (scroll down):

Answer: Tony removed all the wagons from the palace. Each day, he left the palace with a different wagon loaded with a different type of material. The guards inspected each wagon he left with. The story never indicates that he brought a wagon into the palace in the morning. So, Tony officially removed the collection of royal wagons from the palace.

The Text from the Story: “The (Tony’s ) garage was filled with dozens and dozens of LITTLE RED WAGONS!”