Which two unlikely questions were asked of potential code breakers during WWII?

'Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II' , is a fascinating book written by Lisa Mundy which tells the true story of some 11,000 women recruited across America as cryptographers during the second world war.

The young women who answered the odd questions correctly were summoned to secret meetings, where they learned they were being invited to work for the U.S. Navy as “cryptanalysts.” They were to take training in codebreaking and, if they completed it successfully, would take jobs with the Navy after graduation, as civilians.

Enjoying crossword puzzles and not being engaged and thus free to undertake clandestine work, were the first criteria needed. Next, the potential recruits had to solve a series of problem sets, which would be graded in Washington to determine if they made the cut to the next stage.

The first invitations were sent to more than twenty seniors attending Wellesley College Massachusetts. There followed a recuitment campaign across many campuses, especially those with a strong scientific curricula.

These young women’s acumen, and their willingness to accept the cryptic invitations, would become America’s secret weapon in assembling a formidable wartime codebreaking operation in record time.

Survivors were interviewed for the book and many spoke for the first time about their secret wartime work. The author also successfully obtained previously classified records to piece together the whole story.