A Teacher teaching Maths to a seven year-old Arnav asked him:
“If I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple, how many apples will you have?”


Within a few seconds Arnav replied confidently: “Four!”


The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).


She was disappointed. “Maybe the child did not listen properly”, she thought. She repeated, “Arnav, listen carefully. It is very simple.
You will be able to do it right if you listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple, how many apples will you have?”


Arnav had seen the disappointment on his teacher’s face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy.
This time hesitatingly he replied. “Four…..”


The disappointed stayed on the teacher’s face. She remembered Arnav loves Strawberries.
She thought maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him lose focus. This time with exaggerated excitement and twinkling eyes she asked:

“If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one more strawberry, they how many will Arnav have?”


Seeing the teacher happy, young Arnav calculated on his fingers again.
There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Arnav enquired, “Three”?

The teacher now had victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple, how many will you have?”



Promptly Arnav answered, “Four!”

The teacher was aghast. ”How Arnav, How?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.


In a voice that was law and hesitating young Arnav replied, “Because I already have on apple in my bag”


Morale of the Story

When someone gives us an answer that is different from what we are expecting, not necessarily they are wrong. There maybe an angle that we have not understood at all