A teacher is teaching a class and she sees that Johnny isn’t paying attention, so she asks him,

“If there are three ducks sitting on a fence, and you shoot one, how many are left?”

Johnny says, “None.”

The teacher asks, “Why?”

Johnny says, “Because the shot scared them all off.”

The teacher says, “No, two, but I like how you’re thinking.”

The joke centers around a humorous interaction between a teacher and her student, Johnny. The setup is a classroom environment where Johnny, a typical mischievous student, isn’t paying attention. The teacher notices this and decides to engage him with a thought-provoking question, aiming to capture his focus. This scenario immediately sets the stage for a playful and slightly intellectual exchange.

The teacher poses a riddle: “If there are three ducks sitting on a fence, and you shoot one, how many are left?” At first glance, the question seems straightforward, with an answer grounded in basic arithmetic. Johnny, however, provides an unexpected response: “None.”

This answer catches the teacher off guard, as it deviates from the logical, numerical answer she was expecting. She asks Johnny to explain his reasoning, to which he responds, “Because the shot scared them all off.” Johnny’s answer showcases a lateral thinking approach, where he considers the broader implications of shooting at the ducks rather than focusing solely on the math.