Concentration Skills

You need a large group of onlookers for this irritant to be really effective. First, select a victim.

Challenge the victim to a game of concentration. Ask him to place his hand on the table, palm facing downwards, fingers spread apart. Holding a rather sharp object (pencil, knife,...) in the other hand, he's supposed to strike the area between the fingers, one after the other in a linear fashion continuously, and at a constant speed. "I'll be asking questions, and you should answer each one without hesitation, and without slowing down the speed of your striking." Ask another [small-time] victim to keep score, counting the number of questions hesitated upon, and the number of times the object is slowed down.

Then, start asking questions one after the other. Simple questions to start with, such as "What's your name?" but gradually tougher ones to follow. Finally, ask the victim, "Do you spend too much time studying?" "No." "Don't you think you're studying so much that you're losing your sanity?" "No."

"Then,..." pointing to his hand, "... what are you doing?"

Remember, the larger the number of onlookers, the worse it is for the victim.