Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Summary and Explanation
PSEB Class 12 English Chapter 3 Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Summary, Theme, Explanation along with Difficult Word Meanings from A Rainbow of English Book
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PSEB Class 12 English Chapter 3 – Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking
“Thinking Out of the Box: Lateral Thinking” is an engaging and thought-provoking essay focused on creative problem solving with an emphasis on non-traditional methods. This lesson introduces students to the fact that many problems cannot be solved through standard, step-by-step logic known as vertical thinking. The aim is for students to see the value of lateral thinking, or solving problems from new and imaginative perspectives that break routine thought.
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Summary
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Summary in Hindi
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Theme
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Lesson Explanation
Related:
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Question Answers
- Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Character sketch
Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Summary
“Thinking Out of the Box: Lateral Thinking” is an interesting exposition that discusses using lateral thinking as a means of approaching problems innovatively, even though Edward de Bono coined the term “lateral thinking”. Instead of vertical, or logical thinking, which follows a conventional straight-line/path, lateral or sideways thinking allows us to address problems from a new and surprising perspective. Essentially, lateral thinking enables us to escape habitual patterns of thinking and to stretch beyond the obvious answer.
To demonstrate this concept, there are two really interesting stories. In the first, a poor farmer in a tiny village in India owed some money to a clever moneylender. The moneylender made a novel offer — he placed one black pebble and one white pebble into a bag; the farmer’s daughter would pull a pebble, if it was black, she must marry him and the farmer’s debt would be erased. The daughter saw the moneylender add two black pebbles to the bag. Instead of negotiating with him about cheating or rejecting the process, she cleverly dropped her selected pebble and asked the moneylender what was the remaining pebble — it was black. Since all assumed she had chosen the white pebble, she saved herself and her father through clever lateral thinking.
The second story is about a millionaire named Thomas who goes to a New York bank to borrow a small amount, $5000. The bank asks for collateral, and Thomas offers his Ferrari, which is worth a fortune. He leaves town for two weeks, and when he comes back, he pays off the loan with very little interest. The bank wants to know why such a wealthy man would borrow such a small amount. Thomas replies that the bank provided him a safe and secure parking for his car in just 15 dollars which was amazing.
These stories demonstrate that lateral thinking can be applied to personal and professional situations. The essay goes on to outline how lateral thinking puts into question basic assumptions and ultimately leads to finding creative, innovative solutions that would not likely be found without the lateral thought process. The lesson shares an example of a riddle – a man is found hanging in a locked, empty room, and the students can only solve the riddle by imagining a different scenario, such as standing on a block of ice that melted.
Edward de Bono claimed that thinking is a skill to be cultivated and is distinct from intelligence. Lateral thinking must play a role in education, business, and life in general. In summary, students are encouraged to step away from traditional thinking, spark their creativity, and hone their problem-solving skills to realise solutions that are more viable and more creative.
Summary of the Lesson Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking in Hindi
“आउट ऑफ़ द बॉक्स: लेटरल थिंकिंग” एक दिलचस्प व्याख्या है जो समस्याओं को नवीनतापूर्वक हल करने के एक साधन के रूप में लेटरल थिंकिंग के उपयोग पर चर्चा करती है, हालाँकि एडवर्ड डी बोनो ने “लेटरल थिंकिंग” शब्द गढ़ा था। ऊर्ध्वाधर या तार्किक सोच, जो एक पारंपरिक सीधी रेखा/पथ का अनुसरण करती है, के बजाय लेटरल या पार्श्व सोच हमें समस्याओं को एक नए और आश्चर्यजनक दृष्टिकोण से देखने की अनुमति देती है। मूलतः, लेटरल थिंकिंग हमें सोचने के अभ्यस्त पैटर्न से बाहर निकलने और स्पष्ट उत्तर से आगे बढ़ने में सक्षम बनाती है।
इस अवधारणा को प्रदर्शित करने के लिए, दो बहुत ही रोचक कहानियाँ हैं। पहली कहानी में, भारत के एक छोटे से गाँव के एक गरीब किसान पर एक चतुर साहूकार का कुछ पैसा बकाया था। साहूकार ने एक अनोखा प्रस्ताव रखा – उसने एक थैले में एक काला और एक सफेद कंकड़ रखा; किसान की बेटी एक कंकड़ निकालेगी, वह काला था, उसे उससे शादी करनी होगी और कर्ज माफ हो जाएगा। बेटी ने साहूकार को थैले में दो काले कंकड़ डालते देखा। धोखाधड़ी या प्रक्रिया को अस्वीकार करने के बारे में उससे बातचीत करने के बजाय, उसने चतुराई से अपना चुना हुआ कंकड़ गिरा दिया और साहूकार से पूछा कि बचा हुआ कंकड़ क्या है – वह काला था। चूँकि सभी ने मान लिया था कि उसने सफेद कंकड़ चुना है, इसलिए उसने चतुराई से पार्श्व चिंतन करके खुद को और अपने पिता को बचा लिया।
दूसरी कहानी थॉमस नाम के एक करोड़पति की है जो न्यूयॉर्क के एक बैंक से 5000 डॉलर की एक छोटी सी रकम उधार लेने जाता है। बैंक ज़मानत मांगता है, और थॉमस अपनी फेरारी कार देने की पेशकश करता है, जिसकी कीमत बहुत ज़्यादा है। वह दो हफ़्ते के लिए शहर छोड़ देता है, और जब वह वापस आता है, तो बहुत कम ब्याज पर कर्ज चुका देता है। बैंक जानना चाहता है कि इतना अमीर आदमी इतनी छोटी रकम क्यों उधार लेगा। थॉमस ने जवाब दिया, “बैंक ने मुझे शहर के बीचों-बीच सिर्फ़ 15 डॉलर में सुरक्षित पार्किंग मुहैया कराई। कमाल है!”
ये कहानियाँ दर्शाती हैं कि पार्श्व चिंतन को व्यक्तिगत और व्यावसायिक परिस्थितियों में लागू किया जा सकता है। निबंध आगे बताता है कि कैसे पार्श्व चिंतन बुनियादी मान्यताओं पर सवाल उठाता है और अंततः रचनात्मक, नवीन समाधान खोजने की ओर ले जाता है जो पार्श्व चिंतन प्रक्रिया के बिना शायद ही संभव होते। पाठ में एक पहेली का उदाहरण दिया गया है – एक आदमी एक बंद, खाली कमरे में लटका हुआ पाया जाता है, और छात्र केवल एक अलग परिदृश्य की कल्पना करके ही पहेली को हल कर सकते हैं, जैसे पिघले हुए बर्फ के टुकड़े पर खड़े होना।
एडवर्ड डी बोनो का मानना था कि चिंतन एक ऐसा कौशल है जिसे विकसित किया जाना चाहिए और यह बुद्धिमत्ता से अलग है। पार्श्व चिंतन को शिक्षा, व्यवसाय और सामान्य जीवन में एक भूमिका निभानी चाहिए। संक्षेप में, छात्रों को पारंपरिक सोच से हटकर अपनी रचनात्मकता को जगाने और अपने समस्या-समाधान कौशल को निखारने के लिए प्रोत्साहित किया जाता है ताकि ऐसे समाधान निकाले जा सकें जो अधिक व्यवहार्य और रचनात्मक हों।
Theme of the Lesson Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking
One of the primary focuses of the lesson “Thinking Out of the Box: Lateral Thinking” is the distinction between vertical and lateral thinking. Vertical thinking describes the accepted method of problem-solving it relies on logical, linear steps; it is sequential and is based on knowledge that is accepted. The first part of the essay contends that while vertical thinking has its place, vertical thinking alone is inadequate for solving complex problems or problems that are unfamiliar. Lateral thinking, by contrast, is imaginative, intuitive, and creative. It provokes looking past the obvious and finding solutions by thinking from a different perspective. Another focus is on innovation and creativity. The lesson offers that improvement in areas such as science, technology, education, and business does not occur from routine; innovative ideas result in progress. The lesson also highlights the significance of asking “Why?” because many problems persist, because people accept the rules of the problem without questioning them. By questioning accepted patterns of thought, new, simpler, and more effective and original methods of accomplishing the same goal can occur. Finally, the essay promotes problem-solving via flexible thinking and urges readers to develop open-mindedness by “thinking outside the box” and abandoning rigid systems of school thinking.
Thinking Out Of The Box: Lateral Thinking Lesson Explanation
Passage: Many years ago, in a small Indian village, a farmer had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a village moneylender. The moneylender, who was old and ugly, fancied the farmer’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the farmer’s debt if he could marry the farmer’s daughter. Both the farmer and his daughter were horrified by the proposal. So the cunning moneylender suggested that they let providence decide the matter.
Word meanings
fancied (v): took a liking for (The film star fancied designer suits.)
forgo (v): to give up or do without (He will have to forgo the pleasure of attending the lecture as he is unwell.)
providence (n): God’s force or a divine unseen power that controls (The doctors have done everything possible for him; the rest is left to providence.)
Explanation of the passage: The text presents a dire situation where a struggling farmer cannot repay a large loan to a village moneylender who has greedily determined that if the farmer cannot repay the debt, he will marry the farmer’s daughter. The moneylender is described as “old and ugly,” but he suggests a deal to the farmer that he will cancel the farmer’s debt if he can marry the farmer’s attractive daughter. This angers both the farmer and his daughter since the deal is inherently self-serving and exploitative. A To make it seem like a fair deal, the moneylender suggests leaving the decision to fate. But instead of honestly relying on chance, he uses this as a trick to control the situation and avoid doing what is morally right. This is a critical narrative element where the text prescribes the moral of the story about how clever, out-of-the-box thinking can shy away from injustice and put the scheming, powerful people who seek advantage over others in their place.
Passage: He told them that he would put a black pebble and a white pebble into an empty money bag. Then the girl would have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, she would become his wife, and her father’s debt would be written off. If she picked the white pebble, she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be written off. But if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be thrown into jail.
Word meanings:
pebble (n): a smooth round stone that is found in or near water
Explanation of the passage: The cunning moneylender presents a seemingly fair solution to the problem by proposing a game of chance. He says he will place one white pebble and one black pebble in a money bag, and the farmer’s daughter must pick one without looking inside. If she picks the black pebble, she must marry the moneylender, and her father’s debt will be cleared. If she picks the white pebble, she is free from marrying him, and the debt is still cancelled. However, if she refuses to pick any pebble, her father will be imprisoned. This manipulative condition places the girl in a moral and emotional trap, disguising coercion as a fair choice. It reflects how people in power often use pressure and false options to exploit the helpless while pretending to offer freedom.
Passage: They were standing on a pebble-strewn path in the farmer’s field. As they talked, the moneylender bent over to pick up two pebbles. As he picked them up, the sharp-eyed girl noticed that he had picked up two black pebbles and put them into the bag. He then asked the girl to pick a pebble from the bag. Now, imagine you were standing in the field. What would you have done if you had been the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her?
Word meanings:
strewn (v): (from strew) to cover a surface with things, or scatter. (Clothes were strewn across the floor.)
Explanation of the passage: The moneylender tricks them by putting two black pebbles in the bag instead of one black and one white. The path they walked down was full of pebbles, and the girl sees his trick as he picks the stones, while he thinks he’s tricking her. The moneylender seems to have an even way to pick one of two stones, but he is dishonest. This presents a moral issue for the girl, but now she is stuck in a ‘no-win’ situation. She could either point out the trick so it goes nowhere, all the way to an angry moneylender, and this would negatively affect her father’s circumstances. She could stay quiet, knowing that she missed out on choices. The passage prompts you to think differently, and think cleverly – what would you do in that situation if there were no valid choices? This is lateral thinking; it encourages a different way to react to problems, but it ultimately promotes the idea of being clever and brave enough to say enough is enough when it comes to dishonesty.
Passage: Careful analysis would produce three possibilities:
1. The girl should refuse to take a pebble.
2. The girl should show that there were two black pebbles in the bag and expose the moneylender as a cheat.
3. The girl should pick a black pebble and sacrifice herself in order to save her father from debt and imprisonment.
Take a moment to ponder over the story. The above story is used with the hope that it will make us appreciate the difference between lateral and logical thinking. The girl’s dilemma cannot be solved with traditional logical thinking. Think of the consequences if she chooses the above logical answers.
Word meanings:
ponder (v): to think about something carefully for a period of time, or consider (She pondered over his words.)
dilemma (n): a situation that creates problems, often one in which you have to make a very difficult choice between things of equal importance or predicament
Explanation of the passage: The passage provides three logical options that the farmer’s daughter can think of when encountering this dubious proposal from the money-lender. The three ideas: refusal to choose a pebble, expose the money-lender’s scam or third, to make a sacrifice, follow traditional thinking. But all have serious ill-consequences: refusal may land her father in jail, exposing the cheat may not be believed if there is no proof and picking a black pebble would ruin her own life. The passage emphasises that none of the choices are truly satisfying or safe. This is where the concept of lateral thinking steps in as an alternative to traditional options. The girl then does something clever and unique in her final action: she drops the pebble and outwits them, and allows the truth to come to the surface without having to confront the other parties. This is a great example of creative thinking when it is out of the box, either figuratively or literally. Life problems at times require imagination and smart thinking, not just logic.
Passage: What would you recommend the girl to do?
This is what the girl did.
The girl put her hand into the moneybag and drew out a pebble. Without looking at it, she fumbled and let it fall onto the pebble-strewn path where it immediately became lost among all the other pebbles.
Word meanings:
fumble (v): to use your hands in an awkward way when you are doing something or looking for something. (She fumbled in her pocket for a handkerchief.)
Explanation of the passage: The girl in this story uses ingenuity and critical thinking to challenge the unfair situation. Avoiding the role of accuser of the moneylender or of someone who, with no other choice, asks whether he is an honest man, she drops the pebble onto the path “accidentally,” allowing the pebbles to blend in with the others. This act means the moneylender cannot prove which pebble the girl chose. The girl then proposes to look at the other pebble left in the bag. If the remaining pebble is black, it suggests that she picked the white pebble, thus avoiding marriage and assisting her father in staying clear of debt! The story supposes the girl outfoxed the moneylender by turning his trick back on him without conflicting. The girl is extremely smart, calm and indirect thinking shows that intelligence and quick thinking can help solve problems that may appear fiendishly impossible.
Passage: “Oh, how clumsy of me,” she said. “But never mind, if you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which pebble I picked.”
Word Meanings:
clumsy (adj): moving or doing things in a very awkward way (His clumsy fingers couldn’t untie the knot.)
Explanation of the passage: In this passage, the girl skillfully disguises her quick-wittedness in an innocent tone, acting to be clumsy while actually, she takes control of the situation. She throws the pebble and implies that the other pebble in the bag would reveal the color she had picked which puts the moneylender in a corner of his dishonesty. The moneylender had placed two black pebbles in the bag, so the pebble that is left is also black, and she makes it seem that she had really picked the white one only to drop it. Now, he has to either take her word for it or show himself as being dishonest. Her response is a wonderful example of lateral thinking: instead of being reactive or confronting the wrong directly, she turned the situation to her advantage by very smart reasoning in an indirect way.
Passage: Since the remaining pebble is black, it must be assumed that she had picked the white one. And since the moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty, the girl changed what seemed an impossible situation into an extremely advantageous one.
What does this story teach us? It is that the most complex problems do have a solution. It is only that we don’t attempt to think in that direction. It teaches us to think ‘out of the box’ or think laterally.
What is lateral thinking? Lateral thinking is creative or nonlinear thinking. It is thinking differently or doing something different; doing something that might be quite novel and unconventional in nature. According to Edward de Bono’ who propagated this notion, intelligence is a potential that all of us have and thinking is a skill to use that potential well. It channels our intelligence appropriately. One may be a good thinker without being an intellectual and vice-versa.
Word meanings:
Propagated: to spread an idea, a belief or a piece of information among many people.
Notion: something that you have in your mind; an idea
intellectual: connected with a person’s ability to think logically and to understand things.
Explanation of the Passage: The girl cleverly drops the chosen pebble on the ground, mixing it with others, and suggests checking the remaining one in the bag to determine which she picked, forcing the moneylender to accept her victory without exposing his deceit. This teaches us that even the most complex problems can be solved by thinking differently.
Passage: Here is another story that illustrates the use of lateral thinking.
A millionaire named Thomas walked into a popular bank in the middle of New York city and requested to speak to a loan officer. He did not inform the staff of his immense riches but he simply said that he was going away on business for a few weeks, to another country, and needed to borrow a small sum of money $5000. Banks being banks, they immediately asked for security on the loan. Thomas pointed out of the window to the shiny new Ferrari parked right in front of the bank. He took the title, paper work and keys out of his pocket and slapped them down on the counter like a man on a mission. The staff went to work checking out the validity of his ownership and sure enough, everything was checked out. And of course, which bank was going to turn down a quarter of a million dollars in collateral security for a mere $5000 loan?
Word meanings:
collateral (n): property acceptable as security for a loan or other obligation (My brother decided to put up his flat as collateral security to get a loan.)
Explanation of the passage: The second story features Thomas, who, despite being wealthy, pretends to need a small loan of $5000 and offers his Ferrari as collateral. His real intention was to park his expensive car safely for two weeks at minimal cost, which he achieved by paying just $15 in interest. Both stories reflect the essence of lateral thinking, a concept introduced by Edward de Bono—where creative, non-linear, or “out of the box” thinking helps solve problems in novel and effective ways. De Bono emphasises that while intelligence is a potential we all have, thinking is a skill that determines how we use it, and one doesn’t have to be highly intellectual to be a good thinker.
Passage: Thomas left the bank with his $5000 and the bank employee took Thomas’ keys and drove the brand new Ferrari down into the bank’s underground garage. He assured Thomas that it would be perfectly safe down there. Thomas then left the bank and caught his flight to his far away land.
Anyway, two weeks went by and sure enough the bank opened Monday morning to see Thomas stroll in and slap the $5000 he had borrowed back on the counter, plus the interest which was around $15. The loan officer asked for the car to be brought round to the front of the bank and then asked Thomas a question. “Our bank prides itself in details and customer services,” he said “and while you were away we did a background check, it’s routine, and discovered you are actually one of the wealthiest men in America. Why on earth would you need to borrow $5000, it just doesn’t make sense.”
Word meanings:
stroll (v): to walk in a leisurely way (We enjoyed a leisurely stroll on Sunday morning.)
Explanation of the passage: Thomas returns home after two weeks; repays his $5000 loan, pays $15 in interest, and gets back his Ferrari. The bank’s employees, puzzled by his actions, had run a background check and had discovered that Thomas was one of the richest men in America. The amazement of the bank officer shows the intelligence of Thomas’s real purpose, which was that he didn’t require the loan for immediate money, but used the bank as a safe parking lot for his expensive car in a crowded city. By paying $15 in interest, would mean to save thousands of dollars worth of vehicle to a bank that was taking good care of it while he was away. This clever and unorthodox way of thinking, again illustrates the art of lateral thinking by solving a problem (safe, cheap parking), with a completely unanticipated and resourceful method, that at first glance, seemed absurd but was effective once all the case details were presented.
Passage: Thomas smiled, picked up the keys from the counter and said, “Can you tell me another way I could have parked my new Ferrari in the middle of New York for two weeks, for just $15, and still expect to get it back in top condition?” With that, Thomas walked out of the door and the loan officer smiled a bigger smile.
Explanation of the passage: Thomas asked the loan officer if there was any other way to secure his expensive car while he was away at a small fee of 15 dollars. He smiled at him, took the keys and left.
Passage: Examples of applications of lateral or nonlinear thinking abound in several fields. In cricket, Kerry Packer introduced day/night matches and, colourful balls and clothing, a departure from tradition that became so successful that the whole world of cricket adopted it. Australia recently experimented with two different captains for the Test and one-day matches, nowadays, the T20 matches have become a rage.
Lateral Thinking expert Edward de Bono says ‘With logic, you start with certain ingredients, just as in chess you start out with given pieces. But what are those pieces? In most real-life situations, the pieces are not given, just assume they are there. We assume certain perception, concepts and boundaries.’
One is always confusing conditioned thinking with creative thinking. De Bono explains that lateral thinking is concerned not with playing with the existing pieces but with seeking to change those very pieces. It is concerned with the perception part of thinking.
Word meanings:
Rage: Anger
Perception: a particular way of looking at or understanding something
Explanation of the passage: This closing piece highlights the central message of the story – lateral thinking allows individuals to solve problems using creative and novel approaches. The story goes beyond personal stories and looks at real examples of lateral thinking such as Kerry Packer’s changes to the game of cricket that broke many of the traditions of the game. Thomas quotes Edward de Bono the founder of lateral thinking, arguing that traditional logic is based on the rules that serve as limits, while lateral thinking restructures the assumptions on which decisions are made. It stimulates people to not just operate within limits or boundaries but to actually acknowledge change in the limits and thus turn limits and boundaries into steps for new breakthrough ideas. Overall the passage focuses on the effectiveness of creative, flexible thinking that can not only change people’s everyday lives but can also galvanize innovation globally.
Conclusion
This post provides the summary, lesson notes and word meanings of PSEB Class 12 English A Rainbow in English textbook’s chapter 3 Thinking out of the Box: Lateral Thinking. Students can get a quick recap of the lesson from the summary.