Irate Kangaroos protest Danish Oranges!

I recently received one of those "amazing because it guesses your answer" emails. Let us disect the beastie, and see where the trick is!

This is strange...can you figure it out?

* There's no trick or surprise.

Yes, there is. And no, it isn't strange.

* Just follow these instructions, and answer the questions one at a time and as quickly as you can!
Think of a number from 1 to 10
Multiply that number by 9
If the number is a 2-digit number, add the digits together
Now subtract 5

Here's the trick: this calculation, conducted over the range of 1 thru 10, results in the same answer *every* time: 4

Determine which letter in the alphabet corresponds to the number you ended up with (Example: 1=a, 2=b, 3=c, etc.)

If you did your computation wrong, then you most likely will not come up with Danish Kangaroos eating Oranges. Everyone else is being "herded" to an answer, which is why 98% get the "same" answer. That's the trick.


Think of a country that starts with that letter. Remember the last letter of the name of that country.


Which will always begin with a "D". Since the CIA World Factbook lists a total of 5 countries that begin with a D (Denmark, Dhekelia, Djibouti, Dominica and the Dominican Republic). Unless you really pay attention to world news/politics - or baseball, you're probably most familiar with Denmark. Especially now a days with a Muslim boycott of Danish products, and Danish Embassies being torched throughout the Middle East.

FYI

Dhekelia is a tiny British enclave on Cyprus
Dominica is a tiny island in eastern Carribean
Djibouti is a small country in east Africa located near the entrance to the Red Sea from the Indian ocean
Dominican Republic is also in the Carribean, and shares the island of Hispanola with Haiti and is much larger (29,238 square miles)

Denmark is roughly the same size as the Dominican Republic. And Djibouti is pronouced "ji boot i", so one might presume it's spelled the way it's pronounced.

Think of the name of an animal that starts with that letter

Humans are predisposed to liking furry critters that don't try to eat us. Kangaroos are one such critter.

Another possible answer would be the Kola bear, but the odds are not as good despite the best efforts of Quantas to associate Australia with the Kola. Worse odds would be for the Kommodo dragon, being reptilian and all.

I can't think of many other "k" named animals. Kiwi comes to mind (the bird, not the fruit), but I'm not sure which fruit starts with "i".

Think of the name of a fruit that starts with that letter

At least if you say kola, you have a chance of completing this exercise with a reasonable answer. Or if you just take the first word in Kommodo dragon.

Are you thinking of a Kangaroo in Denmark eating an Orange?

Maybe. Who wants to know? other answers:

Kommodo in Denmark eating an Orange?
Kola in Denmark eating an Apple?
Iguana in Djibouti eating an Apple?

Of course, one might at this point say "Don't be eating my Macintosh, man!"