What Are You Assuming?

It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so.” Mark Twain

We often make assumptions without KNOWING that we are making them! The point of this assignment is to develop in you the skill, and the sensitivity, of being aware of your fundamental assumptions whenever you make them, and doing so in the context of simple, short, fun stories that do not require any specialized knowledge of marketing, finance, accounting, etc.
 
If each of the following scenarios seems logically impossible to you, ask yourself, "what is it that I am subconsciously assuming to be true that may indeed not be so?" This is a great analytical skill to possess in effective decision making.

1. A man is hanging from a rope in a room that is locked from inside. There is no other object in this room. How did he hang himself?
2. Two Americans are standing at the entrance to the British Museum in London, and are about to enter. One of them is the father of the other's son. How is this possible?
3. A man walked into a bar and asked the barman for a glass of water. The barman pulled out a large gun and pointed it at the man in a threatening manner. After overcoming his initial shock, the man thanked the barman and walked out. Explain.