Charlie Decker
Riddle Me This! 450 Riddles for the Intelligent Mind
Riddle Me This! 1
How This Book Works: This book(let) contains 450 riddles. Their answers on on the reverse page (just turn the page to see the answers. Good luck! Note: The author of this book recommends reading this book one page at a time (meaning only one page shows at a time), because the reverse page has the answers. 2
Riddle Me This! Copyright NEVER by Charlie Decker All rights reserved. All parts of this book may be used to impress your friends without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. Printed in the United States of America. For information address the author. The text of this book is set in 12point Times New Roman. Book design by LQR. Library of Decker CatalogingInPublication Data Decker, Charlie, 2003 Riddle Me This!/by Charlie Decker Pages CM “Deckerville Books” TK 16 17 18 19 20 21 10 9 4 First Edition
DECKERVILLE BOOKS 3
To Artemis, for always begging for riddles. Happy Birthday!
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“What Am I” Riddles 5
For now I must stay under the man who made me, but when he dies I'll be as powerful as he. They will watch and listen to what I say, then some of their money to me they'll pay. To look cool wrap me around your head. Remove two letters and eat me instead. My food and drink were left behind by ancients from another time. I grind my feet upon the earth with strength come from a metal hearth. My mind is trapped when I run free when still, it wanders far from me. Feathers, I am as light, But quite heavy if squeezed tight. I'm seen as clean and pure, but often talked about with dirty terms. You find me behind the stars; or in a sixth, seventh, or third. It takes something round, a computer, and me to make pie. I am bigger than anything you can think of. I talk, but I do not speak my mind I hear words, but I do not listen to thoughts When I wake, all see me When I sleep, all hear me Many heads are on my shoulders Many hands are at my feet The strongest steel cannot break my visage But the softest whisper can destroy me The quietest whimper can be heard. My eye is dark, and my mane is yellow. You may see me at the common mart, and I'm probably taller than you fellow. I have only one arm yet I can steal you blind. I keep my money in a safe place yet every time I lose it again just to gain it back. 6
A prince Bandanna A car Snow Infinity (A sixth, seventh and third all go on forever in decimal form. Pi instead of pie). An actor A sunflower Slot machine 7
Something all men have, but all men deny. Man created it, but no man can hold it. When my first is a task to a young girl of spirit, And my second confines her to finish the piece, How hard is her fate! But how great is her merit If by taking my whole she effects her release! My first is often at the front door. My second is found in the cereal family. My third is what most people want. My whole is one of the united states. If a man carried my burden, he'd break his back. I am not rich, but I always leave silver in my track. I can be used to build castles, but I crumble in your hands. I can help a man see, and am found all around the lands. I am strong enough to smash a ship but am still afraid of the sun. This old one runs forever, but never moves at all. He has no lungs, nor a throat, but you can hear his mighty roaring call. I am a righter of wrongs, I hang down from above, I am coiled like a snake, I am tight as a glove. I can be shared by many or spread to few, I am as fragile as silk yet as strong as steel. Wars have been fought in my name, generations defined by me. I’m a question you can ask all day long and get completely different answers although these answers could be correct. Turn us on our backs and open up our stomachs. You will be the wisest. You answer me, but I ask you nothing. 8
Fear Hemlock Matrimony (mat rye money). Which is certainly a united state! A snail. They carry their home and their trail is somewhat silver. Sand Iceberg Waterfall Noose Love What time is it? Books Phone 9
Eight of us go forth, not back, to protect our king from an attack. Who hunts in a crowd, who hides in plain sight, who do you trust even though you don't know him? Like a middle pillar I stand among 6, all 9 of my characters make me the largest to exist. When you don't have enough of me, you feel a kind of gloom. But when you are using me, it is time that you consume. Alive without breath. As cold as death. Never thirsty ever drinking. All in mail never clinking. Black within and red without with four corners roundabout. I'm in every room, yet outside. I move at different paces, but you never see me moving. Wherever I am it's crowded, but when your there you don't see or feel anyone. If you try to hit me you always miss, yet you always feel me. You need me to live, but I cause disasters. You can find them on plants. One is for music. Most have two. Someone may ask you for yours. Politely, you lend yours to another. Only if you are good you can play by it. To many, I am life's source. I am also its most valuable resource. I create and burn my own precious element, and my destruction will be my punishment. When people cut me, I do not bleed. They use me, but then they leave. I die, but then revive. I change my appearance as time goes by. Touching me is inevitable, I send chills down spines, yet none fear me. I sizzle like bacon, I'm made with an egg. I have plenty of backbone, but not a good leg. I peel layers like an onion, but still remain whole. I can be long like a flagpole, yet I fit in a hole. I'm measured in temperature and time, but have neither. I am shorter when I stand and taller when I sit. Sometimes I'm even called a pit. 10
Pawns (of chess) Taxi Driver Wednesday Sleep Fish Chimney Wind Ear Ear of corn, We say "Ear for music.", We have 2 ears, We say "May I have your ear?", We say "I can lend you my ear.", We say "Play by ear." The sun A tree Wind A snake Longitude/Latitude A dog (Pitbull is a breed) 11
Travel a mile and I will change. Travel a million and I will end as I started. I am a smooth dance, a ball sport, a place to stay, an Asian country, and a girl's name. I grow from trees and your home, once I am grown I fall to my doom. I give advice to others, yet I know nothing myself. I am a hitchhiker destined to stay still. What is he that builds stronger than either the mason, the shipwright, or the carpenter? It is able, but not capable. It can stop, but not go. It is dead, but not yet perished. It's a ghost, but not paranormal. Is it high, or is it low? I'm the eyelid to your life and hide you when you're inside. You can draw me and you can pull me, but you must leave to see my good side. When you bend me I'm kind But I'm very hard to find I'm easily sold and rhyme with this when told. I go into the water red and come out black. You put me in dry but then I get wet. The longer I stay in, the stronger it will get. You bury me when I'm alive, and dig me up only when I die. When warm my house expands and when cold it contracts, I am vital to a certain type of pact. I like to twirl my body but keep my head up high. When I go in everything becomes tight. 12
An odometer Part of the NATO phonetic alphabet: Foxtrot, golf, hotel, India, and finally Juliett. An icicle A roadsign The gravedigger, for his houses will last forever. (This riddle was made by Shakespeare) It is high. All of the words that it is have the first two letters consecutive in the alphabet: ab, st, de, gh, and hi. Curtains Gold Branding iron (that has been heated, obviously). A teabag A plant Blood A screw 13
Sad, sick, or sloppy I'll help you out, Use me right and I'll cover your snout. I am something, a lot of people don't like me, including you, but I'm called upon anytime one is injured. I like playing with pregnant women, I'm a 5 letter word, and if my last letter is put before first letter, I become a name of a country Soft and cuddly, I'll pull on your heart. But take my last name and I'll tear you apart. Walk on the living, they don't even mumble. But walk on the dead, they mutter and grumble. Having some, you want more. But when you have too much of me you feel bored. Everyone wants me, and some have too much of me. Take me for a spin and I'll make you cool, but use me when it's cool and you're a fool. Under pressure is the only way I work, and by myself is the only way I'm hurt. It flies, it walks, it runs on land. It takes, it gives, but without hands it carries and delights, falls and frights. Normally a creature of white it is. Hold me by the neck and I won't mind, if I get wrong I just need a good wind. If you want me you better pick wisely, just use your ears and I'll follow you blindly. First think of a person who lives in disguise, who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Next tell me what is always the last thing to mend, the middle of middle the end of the end? And finally give me a sound often heard during the search of a hardtofind word. Now string them together and answer me this, which creature would you be unwilling to kiss? I have no wings but I fly, I have no teeth but I bite. 14
Tissue Pains Teddy Bear Leaves Money Fan Diamond Airplane Guitar Spider (spyder) A bullet 15
I cannot hear or even see, but sense light and sounds there may be. Sometimes I end up on the hook, or even deep into a book. 5 bricks construct me, you'll find a candle in the middle. I am the antithesis of heavy, Without me you couldn't read the riddle. Sometimes I'm high and sometimes low, and I creep between your toes. My orders come from the sky, I make men fall and rise. I'm one. but I can overcome ten with one swing and a spin . I am the universe's complex elegance, I am everywhere. I am created through suffering, inspiration, joy, and even despair. I am born as an idea, and then presented to the human eye. However, unlike living things, I can never die. I was crucified to keep murders out of the maze. I have heard of a somethingorother, growing in its nook, swelling and rising, pushing up its covering. Upon that boneless thing a cockyminded young woman took a grip with her hands; with her apron a lord's daughter covered the tumescent thing. Poke your fingers in my eyes and I will open wide my jaws. Linen cloth, quills, or paper, my greedy lust devours them all. The first is a sign of something good, the second says whereto; the third is vulgar and mean, the fourth is bound by a ring; the fifth is the noble one. Together they all drum. I can be cracked, I can be made. I can be told, I can be played. I run over fields and woods all day. Under the bed at night I sit not alone. My tongue hangs out, up and to the rear, awaiting to be filled in the morning. I have a foot on either side of me and one in the middle. 16
A worm Light The tide A bowling ball Art A scarecrow Dough Scissors A hand. The first, the thumb, is a sign of something good (thumbs up). The next finger, the index finger, is used to point. The third is the middle finger. The fourth is the ring finger. The fifth is the pinkie, commonly a sign of wealth and class when raised while drinking. A joke A shoe A yardstick 17
Paint me up to look real good, Then take me to the shop to maintain under the hood. Use a small brush to make no mistake, Or just replace me with something fake. I have four wings, but cannot fly. I never laugh and never cry; On the same spot I'm always found, toiling away with a little sound. You wear me every day but you never put me on. I will change colors if you leave me out too long. I'm number three. But I'm not a number. I'm hot and cold at the same moment but not at the same time. I'm number three. But I'm not a number. Shake me and I'll do what you want, but first you have to pull me from the ground. I'm on the tip of your tongue and over your shoulder. I am a thing, when I look at him, he looks at us. We are just like people. We grow, we get old, we die off. We come in many different colors. Black, white, brown. We come in a army, there are thousands of us, yet we have no war. But we will still die off over the years. I do not eat food. But I do enjoy a light meal everyday. I can read sun, I can hold sand, and I can be bird. I am the black child of a white father, a wingless bird, flying even to the clouds of heaven. I give birth to tears of mourning in pupils that meet me, even though there is no cause for grief, and at once on my birth I am dissolved into air. I'll bring out your bulls, and slow your roll. I may even come out of your skull. 18
Fingernail A fan Skin Planet Earth Salt A mirror Hair A plant A clock (sundial, hourglass, cuckoo clock) Smoke Red 19
I am a digit, but two of the ten. Two of me make a promise. Without fingers, I point, without arms, I strike, without feet, I run. I sit on a bridge so you might see just how clear the world can be. What lightens the light and darkens the dark? I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost everybody. What is harder to catch the faster you run? I had a bright start, but I couldn't take the pressure. I consume everything, yet I don't eat anything.
I am a word that links these four images. I have memories, but none of my own, whatever's on my inside is what is shown. If I'm ever different it's because you changed me, I feel like a decoration, here for you to arrange me. I used to fill rooms but now I'm a tower, I can stay put or I can travel far. I can live on a sill, I can be a tasty fruit. If I get injured, I'll need a good boot. 20
Pinky Finger A clock Glasses Sunglasses Graphite (for mechanical pencils) Your breath Fall (Fall, Waterfall, Rainfall, and the fall of Saddam Hussein) Picture Frame A computer. They used to be huge and desktops are now referred to as towers. They can be desktops (stay put) or laptops (travel far). The computer can run windows (sill) or it can be an Apple computer (fruit). 21
In a marble hall as white as milk, lined with skin as soft as silk, within a fountain crystal clear, a golden orb does appear. There are no doors to this stronghold, yet thieves break in and steal the gold. I get dirty in about 5 days but it takes ten minutes to clean me. It takes a long time for me to be tall but I can be short in about 2 seconds. I drape the hills in white, I do not swallow, but I do bite. I have a name that's not mine, and no one cares about me in their prime. People cry at my sight, and lie by me all day and night. It turns into a different story. This is an unusual paragraph. I'm curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching! A thousand wheels, but move I do not. Call me what I am, call me a lot. What is it that can get served but can't get eaten? I can't go left, I can't go right. I am forever stuck in a building over three stories high. What's small like a mouse but protects like a lion? I am unseen but all people know of me. I am intangible yet sharper than any sword. I come from nothingness but can fell even the mightiest kings. Everything is what it is not, but everything is not what it is. So what is everything? Thousands of orphans who lost their old home, found by others who have lost their own. To hide a secret that is obvious to all, becomes even more obvious when the host falls. 22
An egg Hair Frost A tombstone A spiral staircase The letter “E”, the most common letter in the English language, is not used once. A parking lot. A tennis ball (or pingpong). An elevator A lock Hunger A wig 23
I'm in everybody but everybody still wants me. I won't feed you but I'll feed the tree. Used to see, far and wide, beautiful views, or a nighttime sky. A natural state, I'm sought by all. Go without me, and you shall fall. You do me when you spend, and use me when you eat to no end. The dirtier I am, the whiter I get, Leave a mark on me when you stand, I'll leave a mark on you when you sit. The more you work, the more I'll eat. You keep me full, I'll keep you neat. Enter one hole and leave three, once you succeed I'm on thee? If you throw me out of the window, I'll leave a grieving wife. Bring me back, but through a door, You'll see someone giving life. Crawls over pages and fells wild beasts. Helps guide you along in your home and on streets. I go up and I go down, towards the sky and the ground. I'm present and past tense too, Let's go for a ride, me and you. I'm fat and I'm round and I cause much joy, I'm often a dog's favorite toy. When I am released to the wind, you look away and you pretend, but away your friends I will send. Silent yet deafening, Invisible, but you know it's there. It can either make you laugh or it can make you cry. When you need me, you throw me away. But when you're done with me, you bring me back. 24
Water A telescope Balance A chalkboard A pencil sharpener A shirt The letter 'n'. Taking 'n' out of 'window' creates 'widow'. Putting 'n' into 'door' creates 'donor'. An arrow A seesaw A tennis ball Flatulence (A Fart) Anchor 25
My shallow hills are the faces of kings. My horizon is always near. My music sends men to the grave. My absence sends men to work. You can play me and pull me, I love the naive. I'm enjoyable to give, but bad to receive. Having one means having something to follow. Once you question me, it means having none. People seek it, but some do and some don't find me. I'm tearyeyed but never cry. Silvertongued, but never lie. Doublewinged, but never fly. Aircooled, but never dry. You wait for it. It appears, cracks, stays for a moment, then disappears before your eyes. I am immobile yet I move, I am individual, but I reside with with my own, I am either brought up organized or disheveled, My existence brings satisfaction, other times pain. Tall as a tree, dressed in white, my bridal veil is shiny bright. Up all night, never sleeping: if I rest, many are weeping. Upon the shores since the days of old, my silent message. Look at me I want to play. I'll move like you in every way. Be tricky, but the result is always a draw. Why? Because I'm an expert at response and call. If you lose one of me, you are upset, bewildered, and perplexed. If you lose two of me, you are blissfully unaware. There's a B in my hand. So what's in my eye? Not chest or box is now discussed. Money can be held in it, but just as we test its metal, within it there is rust. What can you do with your mind, and have in your heart; What makes music in your purse, and is not the same from the start? 26
Coin A prank A purpose Mercury Dawn A tooth. A tooth is rooted in places but can move with the mouth A tooth is individual, but is with other teeth Some people's teeth are nice and organized, while others are uneven or disheveled, You use teeth to eat which brings satisfaction, while when they are rotten or about to come out, they cause pain. Lighthouse Your reflection Socks Beauty. If 'b' is in your hand you are the bholder (beholder) and "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" (a popular idiom). Trust Change 27
I join you in battle, fist clenched tight. We pound three times with all our might. If my rival decides he will sign for peace; I'll crush him, and the fight will cease. But if he lays his hand down flat; I'll suffer defeat, that is that. On 20 planes I may be, but only rest on one you see. I can help you or hurt you, depending on where I lay. Because I am not the kind you use everyday. Whoever makes it, tells it not. Whoever takes it, knows it not. Whoever knows it, wants it not. I am made throughout the world, I am a masterpiece. And to your ears, I am but a humble feast. I am but a traveler, depicted through paper as a start, I can even be made through the work of your heart. Light hides me and darkness kills me. Two men play five sets of tennis together and each win three sets. How? I'm red, blue, purple and green. No one can reach me, not even the queen. I fly, yet I have no wings. I cry, yet I have no eyes. Darkness follows me; lower light I never see. Some use me, while others do not. Some remember, while others have forgot. For profit and gain I'm used expertly, I can't be picked off the ground or tossed in the sea. Only gained through patience and time, can you unravel my rhyme? Permanent feature and teacher, unless it results in you being buried by the preacher. I have a tongue but cannot taste. I have a soul but cannot feel. You struggle to regain me. When I'm lost, you struggle to obtain me. I pass no matter your will, but I'm your slave to kill. 28
The rock of rockpaperscissors. 20sided die Counterfeit Money Music Shadow They were doubles partners. Rainbow A cloud Knowledge Scar Shoe Time 29
Round like a dishpan and smaller than a bathtub, even the ocean can't fill it. I move slowly but I'm dead. I leave and then I'm back. I'm clear and then I'm red. I'm many neurotics' snack. You can easily touch me, but not see me. You can throw me out, but not away. What runs around the house but doesn't move? I have a few points but we're not competing. And I'll help you win when you're eating. My first two are male, and my first three female. My first four save them both, and my whole is a female of the same sort. What beats but inflicts no pain? Upon your lonely journey I accompany you, whether you travel through endless mountains or seas of blue. Wherever you go, I keep your place. Lost you're not, when I'm embraced. An item looks square from outside, circular when opened and triangular when taken out. People see through me, but none pass through without killing me. I can be anywhere, and can be seen double or single. Round like a apple, deep like a cup, yet all the king's horses can’t pull it up. Remembered are the days when I was used, bloodied and beaten... I was abused. Death surrounded me, and it mattered not, as no matter the pain I inflicted, I'd never rot. Looking at my face, I'm no more than six. Look at the rest of me and I'm 21. You'll see my twin and me in Las Vegas. Say my name and you'd be uttering a threat. Although I am still, in families I run. I continue to live on in a living one. As one continues to draw breath, I will not rust. However, when one stops drawing breath, I will become mere dust. 30
A sieve A fingernail Your back A fence A fork “Heroine”. He, Her, Hero, and the whole Heroine. Heart A bookmark Pizza Glass A well Sword Die Blood
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I'll capture you, hold you, and to your dismay, drag you through space and time, all in one day. Move 'across the globe with a single command, now tell me what I'll subject you to at your demand. I give refuge to the blind and repeat everything they say. I am a child and a simpleton at once. All are born with me, But rarely am I possessed at death. It breaks away from its pack. It creates holes in its victims. It can travel for miles and then disappear. It is part of a dying breed. We are twelve in the family. I am the second one, as well as the youngest. What has an eye but cannot see, takes time to generate, and can dissipate in seconds? I smash but I never hurt you. Give me your unwanted items and I will eat them and take them so you can get more. Some people might not like me while others may but I still come around on certain days. A dad and his four boys stand in line. All crowned, they toil in darkness. Another family they see, two birds of a feather. All of them together clad in leather. It's got twists and turns, but has no curves. Twist it to fix it, turn it to ruin it. I have two arms, but fingers I have none. I've got two feet, but I cannot run. I carry well, but I carry best with my feet off the ground. I'm heavy but not backwards. What grows up and down at the same time? I come in many different colors. I create boundaries to keep things concealed and safe. My best friend is a lock and I am also made of different materials as well. I love to travel: you can find me anywhere. 32
Television. It captures your attention and keeps you watching. Much to your dismay, you can waste a whole day watching it. It allows you to watch reruns and and history about the entire world. You can choose what you want to watch. Cave (blind are bats) Innocence Iceberg February (It has the least days.) Tornado A garbage truck Foot Wheelbarrow A “ton” Goose A fence 33
I may be of the eye, sometimes I am pi, in my center there is a star, I keep medics where they are. A five lettered word, I'm used to make bread. Remove one letter and I'll burn you instead. Remove two and do this to your stew. Mix that around and a good drink we will brew. I have eight to spare and am covered with hair. The shorter I am, the bigger I am. My first is third, like the sound of the sea. My second is the center of you, not me. My third is the end of him, not you. My fourth starts a picture, not a view. My fifth is in bean, though not in been, My sixth and seventh start seldom seen. Sunrise and sunset, warmth and cold, Put these together and a sign will unfold. A trail, a union, together tied. Come across me and you will find, you cannot change the course I'm on, without me you cannot travel on. Though I live beneath a roof, I never seem to dry. If you will only hold me, I swear I will not lie. I never sleep yet sometimes I weep. I can get angry or just be happy. Wherever you go I will follow. No matter what you do I will be there. I can not die. I have a neck but no head, 2 arms but no hands, I go with you to school, I go with you to work. I live above a star, but I do not burn. I have 11 friends, but they do not turn. I am visited in sequence: never, once, or repeatedly. My initials are PQRS. Weight in my stomach, trees on my back, nails in my ribs, it's feet I lack. Although I'm far from the point, I'm not a mistake. I fix yours. I dig out tiny caves, and store gold and silver in them. I also build bridges of silver and make crowns of gold. They are the smallest you could imagine. Sooner or later everybody needs my help, yet many people are afraid to let me help them. 34
An apple. Wheat (heat, eat, tea). Cat Temper 1.)C 2.)O 3.)M 4.)P 5.)A 6.)SS
Compass
Railroad tracks Your tongue. Weather Shirt '7' on a phone's number pad. A ship An eraser. A dentist. 35
I supply the facts, but you supply the thoughts. I am also used to describe realistic droughts. My inhabitants are abstract as their places, and I provide details of their words & faces. I hold details in a very complex form, I may cause your mind to conjure up a storm. I hold many different views from different eyes, My facts can be hard to find; as if in disguise. I may tell of facts, but it may be theories I contain, I can inform, persuade, and can even entertain. I tell of a little girl, and of men chasing a whale, and only through me can you find the answer to this tale. What is bought by the yard and worn by the foot? I stare at you, you stare at me. I have three eyes, yet can't see. Every time I blink, I give you commands. You do as you are told, with your feet and hands. You can change me from a long pause into a short one by doubling a letter. I take what you receive and surrender it all by waving my flag. My stem's planted firmly where I am allotted. My tail is wavy and my face is quite blotted. I relay much emotion though flatly I'm spotted, And I grow half my size whenever I'm dotted. I can speak any language, yet utter no words. I'm no seed, yet I am well known among birds. But I do have a speech impediment: I can say cage but not page, aged but not wage. I can say deaf but not red, bed but not sled. I live on a highway that's structurally sound, Where you might see my friends accidentally bound. It has many lanes, and also long lines. There are lots of sharp turns, but plenty of signs. I am played but not won, made but not spun. The key is to measure before you've begun. I can be flipped and broken but I never move. I can be closed, and opened, and sometimes removed. I am sealed by hands. Alone I am 24th, with a friend I am 20. Another friend and I am unclean. I am often known as a symbol/mark, and can be used in a trend. I am created when two paths meet, but separate at the end. 36
A book Carpet Traffic Light Coma, Comma Mailbox Musical notes A deal The letter 'x'. It is the 24th letter of the alphabet, XX in Roman numerals is 20, and XXX is a label for movies that are very inappropriate (unclean). A cross. 37
I can bring tears to your eyes; resurrect the dead, make you smile, and reverse time. I form in an instant but I last a lifetime. Oh how you love me: to some I'm a must. But to get what you need, you grind me to dust. I am dark and bitter, and when I'm white I lack meat. In winter you drink me, and in spring I'm used in a feast. I am a tree of summer and in autumn I'm a gift on an eve, while all year round I'm quite the reprieve. What is often picked but seldom chosen, never walks but can run when frozen? It dies when it's hot, exists when it's cold, you can touch it, but you cannot bounce it, and it doesn't give you any gold. Stars, scores and springs have them. Fingers, and backs have them. Keys, switches and cups have them. Leaders and mothers have them. While you're asleep it is also Awake, While you are awake it’s also asleep. What is it? Always old, sometimes new. Never sad, sometimes blue. Never empty, sometimes full. Never pushes, always pulls. What has rivers with no water, forests with no trees, and cities without any people? If you want to become a master at playing the fiddle and you walk down to the fork in the road, you sit and some creature is going up your back, you follow the pattern of the creature on your back to be a master of playing the fiddle, what creature is going up your back? When you're given one, you'll have either two or none? What flies when it’s born, lies when it’s alive, and runs when it’s dead? Who makes it has no need of it. Who buys it has no use for it. Who uses it can neither see or feel it. What is it? Which creature walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon, and three legs in the evening? What can travel around the world while staying in a corner? 38
A memory Chocolate Nose Snowball Boards Starboard Scoreboard Springboard Fingerboard Backboard Keyboard Switchboard Cupboard Leaderboard Motherboard Your subconscious Moon Map A snake Choice Snowflake Coffin A Man (He crawls on all fours as a baby, then walks on two feet as an adult, and then walks with a cane as an old man.) A stamp 39
There was a green house. Inside the greenhouse there was a white house. Inside the white house there was a red house. Inside the red house there were lots of babies. What is it? What is always coming but never arrives? What has one eye but cannot see? With pointed fangs I sit and wait; with piercing force I crunch out fate; grabbing victims, proclaiming might; physically joining with a single bite. What kind of coat is always wet when you put it on? What has 13 hearts, but no other organs? You break me before you use me. What is as light as a feather, but even the world's strongest man couldn't hold it for more than thirty minutes? What can you catch but not throw? What invention lets you look right through a wall? Take off my skin, but I won't cry. Take it off, and you will. I have married many women, but have never been married. Feed me and I live, yet give me a drink and I die. What gets broken without being held? If you have me, you want to share me. If you share me, you haven't got me. Thirty white horses stand on a hill. They quake, they shake, and then they stand still. This thing all things devour: Bird, beast, tree, flower. Molds iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stone to meal. Slays king, ruins town, And beats the high mountain down. 40
A Watermelon Tomorrow Needle Stapler A coat of paint. Deck of cards Egg A breath Cold Window Onion A Preacher Fire Promise Secret A Mouth Time 41
I occurs once in every minute, twice in every moment, yet never in a thousand years. What goes up and down the stairs without moving? What is as big as you are and yet does not weigh anything? A cowboy rode into town on Friday, stayed three days, and rode out again on Friday. How did he do that? I am an insect, and the first part of my name is the name of another insect. From the beginning of eternity To the end of time and space To the beginning of every end And the end of every place. I can run but I can't walk, have a mouth but I can't talk, a head but I can't think, a bed but I can't sleep, and a bank with no money. What does man love more than life? Fear more than death or mortal strife? What do the poor have, what the rich require, And what contented men desire? What does the miser spend, the spendthrift save, And all men carry to their graves? A certain five letter word becomes shorter when you add two letters to it. What is the word? They come out at night without being called, and are lost in the day without being stolen. What are they? What goes through towns and over hills but never moves? What starts with “P” and ends with “E” and has more than 1000 letters? What has a foot but no legs? Throw away the outside and cook the inside, then eat the outside and throw away the inside. We’re five little items of an everyday sort, you’ll find us all in “a tennis court.” 42
The letter M. A rug Your shadow Horse’s name is Friday A Beetle Letter E River Nothing Short Stars Road Post office Snail Corn on the cob Vowels ( a t e nn i s c ou rt.) 43
Tear one off and scratch my head, what was once red is black instead. No man wants to have but no man wants to lose me. Take away my first letter, and I still sound the same. Take away my secondtolast letter, I still sound the same. Even take away my letter in the middle, I will still sound the same. I am a five letter word. What has hands but can not clap? 44
A match Lawsuit EMPTY clock
45
Mathematical Riddles 46
John has been hired to paint the numbers 1 through 100 on 100 apartments. How many times with he have to paint 8? A computer walks up to two stores, one called '1', and one called '0'. Which does it choose? A rat is placed at the beginning of a maze and must make it to the end. There are four paths at the start that he has an equal chance of taking: path A takes 5 minutes and leads to the end, path B takes 8 minutes and leads to the start, path C takes 3 minutes and leads to the end, and path D takes 2 minutes and leads to the start. What is the expected amount of time it will take for the rat to finish the maze? In 1940, a correspondent proposed the following question: A man's age at death was one twentyninth of the year of his birth. How old was he in 1900? Sam and Pete are in class when their teacher gives Sam the Sum of two numbers and Pete the product of the same two numbers (these numbers are greater than or equal to 2). They must figure out the two numbers. Sam: I don't know what the numbers are Pete. Pete: I knew you didn't know the numbers... But neither do I. Sam: In that case, I do know the numbers. What are the numbers? Five pirates are parting ways after finding a treasure of 100 pieces of gold. The pirates decide to split it based on a vote. Each pirate, from oldest to youngest, gets to propose a plan on how to split the gold. If at least 50 percent of the other remaining pirates agree on the plan, that is how they will split the gold. If less than 50 percent of the pirates agree, the pirate who came up with the plan will be thrown overboard. Each pirate is smart, greedy, and wants to throw as many others overboard as possible without reducing the amount of gold they get. What plan can the first (oldest) pirate propose to live and get as much gold as possible? Use the numbers 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8 and the symbols (x) and (=) to form a true equation. Note: Each number and symbol is to only be used once and no extra number or symbol is included. Find the five digit number in which the first digit is one half of the the 4 fourth digit, the second digit is one fourth of the last digit, the fourth digit is 3 times the second digit, and the third digit is the first digit plus 4. 47
20 Times 1, because 0 is always closed. In computer science 1 and 0 correspond to whether a transistor is opened (1) or closed (0). 9 minutes. Each path has an equal chance of occurring and if B or D are chosen they will just add 8 or 2 minutes to the time because the rat must restart the maze: time = (1/4)*5 + (1/4)*(8 + time) + (1/4)*(3) + (1/4)*(2 + time). Time = 9 minutes. He was 44 years old. From the question you know the man died between 1900 and 1940. We also know his age at death (x) is one twentyninth of the year of his birth (29x). If you add his age at death to the year he was born you get the year he died (30x). Only one year between 1900 and 1940 is divisible by 30, 1920 (the year he died). The year he was born can now be found: 1920 * (29/30) = 1856. So in 1900 he was (1900 1856) = 44 years old. The numbers are 3 and 4. Since Sam knows the sum of the numbers (x + y) he would only know the answer immediately if the sum was 4 (2 + 2) or 5 (3 + 2). Then when Pete (who knows x*y) knew that Sam didn't know the answer the product must have several numbers that add up to the sum (7 = 3 + 4, 7 = 5 + 2). When Pete doesn't know the answer at this point we know the product must have more than one pair of viable factors (12 = 3 * 4, 12 = 6 * 2). At this point Sam knows the numbers are 3 and 4 because they are the only numbers that meet these criteria. He can propose a plan that he gets 98 pieces of gold, the 3rd pirate gets 1 piece, and the 5th pirate gets 1 as well. If there were just 2 pirates the younger pirate would definitely deny the plan so he could get all of the gold. If there were 3 pirates the first pirate can offer the second pirate 1 piece of gold and take the rest himself because the second pirate wouldn't get anything if he has to propose a plan himself. If there were 4 pirates the first pirate could take 99 for himself and offer 1 to the youngest pirate. They would both agree. If the youngest disagrees then he won't get any gold in the next plan. So when there are 5 pirates it is in the interest of the 3rd and 5th pirate to accept 1 piece, because if they don't they won't get anything in the next plan. 64x8=512 32768. The first digit, 3 is half of the fourth digit, 6. The second digit 2 is one fourth of the last digit 8. The fourth digit, 6 is 3 times the second digit which is 3x2, and the third digit is four more than the first digit which is 3+4 which would be 7. 48
If you have a rope around a soccer ball and the moon, which rope would have to increase in length more to create a one meter gap between the rope and the soccer ball/moon? A swan is in the center of a circular lake but he cannot take flight from the water, only on land. On the parameter of the lake there is a hunting dog that desperately wants the swan but cannot swim. So the swan must make it to the land before taking off and must do so before the dog makes it to him. The dog is almost 4 times faster than the swan and always runs to the point around the lake closest to the swan. How can the swan get out of the lake and take flight before the dog gets him? You have a cube made of 10 x 10 x 10 smaller cubes, for a total of 1000 smaller cubes. If you take off 1 layer of cubes (from each side), how many remain? How many people do you need to have the odds be in favor (at least 50% chance) of two people having the same birthday? You have been given the task of transporting 3,000 apples 1,000 miles from Appleland to Bananaville. Your truck can carry 1,000 apples at a time. Every time you travel a mile towards Bananaville you must pay a tax of 1 apple but you pay nothing when going in the other direction (towards Appleland). What is highest number of apples you can get to Bananaville? Joe deals himself and his friend John some cards from a deck of cards (not the same amount). If John gives Joe some cards Joe will have 4 times as many cards as John. If Joe gives John the same number of cards he will have 3 times as many cards as John. How many cards does each man have and how many cards do they trade? The warden of a circular jail is extremely hyper one day so he begins running around opening cells. The jail has 100 cells numbered from 1 to 100. He runs in a circle and opens all of the cells. Next he runs around and closes every 2nd cell (starting with cell 2, 4, 6 , etc.). If a cell is open he closes it and if a cell is closed he opens it. When he finishes running by all 100 cells he opens/closes every 3rd cell (starting with 3, 6, 9, 12 etc.), then every 4th cell (starting with 4, 8, 12, etc.) and so on. He does this until he goes around and only changes the 100th cell. When he is done what cells will be open? A man was born on January 1st, 23 B.C. and died January 2nd, 23 A.D. How old did he live to be? 49
They would both increase length by 2 π meters. Since Circumference = Diameter * π, when they increase in length it is true that Circumference = (Diameter + 2) * π. Distribute the π and you get Circumference = Diameter * π + 2 * π. The swan can travel 1/4 of the way to land then swim in a circular path around the center of the lake (the swan will be moving slightly faster around than the dog in their circles). Once the swan is as far as he can get away from the dog in his circle he can swim the remaining 3/4 of the way to shore. The dog must travel the radius of the lake time pi (radius * π) while the swan only has to travel 3/4 the radius four times slower (3/4 * radius * 4). So the swan will make it to the shore and fly before the dog reaches it. The remaining cube will be 8 x 8 x 8. This will be 512. A layer is take from all sides of the cube, so it would reduce the dimensions be two, not one. At least 23 people. The birthday problem or birthday paradox concerns the probability that, in a set of randomly chosen people, some pair of them will have the same birthday. By the pigeonhole principle, the probability reaches 100% when the number of people reaches 367 (since there are only 366 possible birthdays, including February 29). However, 99.9% probability is reached with just 70 people, and 50% probability with 23 people. These conclusions are based on the assumption that each day of the year (except February 29) is equally probable for a birthday. 833 apples. Step one: First you want to make 3 trips of 1,000 apples 333 miles. You will be left with 2,001 apples and 667 miles to go. Step two: Next you want to take 2 trips of 1,000 apples 500 miles. You will be left with 1,000 apples and 167 miles to go (you have to leave an apple behind). Step three: Finally, you travel the last 167 miles with one load of 1,000 apples and are left with 833 apples in Bananaville Joe has 31 cards, John has 9, and they trade 1 card. The cells 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81, and 100 will be open. Only the cells that have two of the same factors (4 = 2 * 2) will be open because they are opened and closed the same number of times (except 1 which is just opened). Since they have the same factor twice their number of factors is odd. There is no year 0 so you can add 23 to 23 but you must subtract one to take year 0 out of consideration: 23 + 23 1 = 45 years old. In some cultures people are born 1 years old, in this case they would be 46 years old when they die. 50
In a certain society any time somebody commits a serious crime they must be shot at twice with a 6 bullet revolver. The revolver only has two bullets in it though, both of them right next to each other. They spin the revolver once and shoot the gun. If there was no bullet in that chamber they give the prisoner the option to either spin the chamber again or just shoot again. If the first shot is a blank, should the prisoner ask for the revolver to be spun or should they choose that it be shot again? A man puts on a clean shirt every night before bed. On the first night he puts on a blue shirt. He than sleeps for 5 hours. Every one hour more he sleeps than the night before he put on a different color shirt the next night according to this scale: blue, black, red, green, white, pink, orange, brown, purple, yellow, grey, neon green, tan, and teal. Every one hour less he sleeps than the last night he put on a different color shirt the next night going backwards on his scale. If he were to wear a blue shirt because he slept more hours than the last night he does. If it was because he slept less hours than the night before he skips it and wears a teal shirt instead. If he goes backwards on the scale and goes to blue but would not wear a blue shirt he still counts blue in his going backwards on his scale. The second night the man wears a blue shirt because he did not sleep any more or less hours than the last night. The man sleeps for six hours that night. The next night he sleeps for five hours. Night number four he sleeps for eight hours. The next night he sleeps for seven hours. The next night he sleeps so well he sleeps for 11 hours. Night number seven he stays up so late he only sleeps for four hours. The next night he is so tired he sleeps for eight hours. The next night he sleeps for eight hours again. Night number ten he sleeps for 14 hours because he is sick. Since he slept so long the last night he only sleeps for seven hours. The next night he is a little bit tired so he sleeps for eight hours. The night after that he had to do so much work he only slept five hours. The next night at work they let him out early and he slept for nine hours. The next night he slept for eight hours. And the last night the man did he slept for ten hours. The next night he put on a different color shirt according to his scale, but the next night he randomly picked a shirt. At what night will the man wear a blue shirt again? A box of marbles costs $20. If the marbles are worth $19 more than the box, what is the box worth? There are 100 passengers boarding a 100 passenger airplane. When passenger 1 gets onto the plane, he is disoriented, so he randomly picks a seat. Each of the remaining passengers (2, 3, 4, etc.) get onto the plane and take their seat if it is available or picks one of the remaining seats at random if it is not. What is the chance that the last passenger (passenger 100) will get his seat? 51
They should have them shoot again. If it is spun again there is a 2/6 chance they will get shot. There are four possible spots that don't have bullets and only one is followed by a bullet. This means that the chance is only 1/4 that they will be shot if they don't spin it. Night number twelve $.50. The marbles are worth $19 more than the box. $19 + $.50 = $19.50. The marbles ($19.50) plus the box ($.50) is worth the total price ($20). There is a 50 percent chance. When the last passenger gets on seats 2 99 will be taken for sure. Each of these passengers would take their seats if they were available, so the only seat remaining at the end would be 1 or 100. So there is a 50 percent chance that passenger 100 would get seat 100. 52
As I was going to St. Ives, I met a man with seven wives, Each wife had seven sacks, Each sack had seven cats, Each cat had seven kits: Kits, cats, sacks, and wives, How many were there going to St. Ives? You have a large number of friends coming over and they all get thirsty. Your first friend asks for 1/2 a cup of water. Your second friend asks for 1/4 a cup of water. Your third friend asks for 1/8 a cup of water, etc. How many cups of water do you need to serve your friends? What single line can you add to the following statement to make it true?
5+5+5=550
How much does the brick weigh if a brick weighs 1kg plus a half brick? A man in New York City has $10. He spends $6.50 on flowers, and $3 on lunch (hot coffee and a hot dog). He then gets on the subway which will take him 7 stops for 50 cents. But he is forced to get off of the subway just 5 stops away from where he began. Why? Ants on a stick may only move left or right. If they bump into each other they bounce off of each other and immediately move in the opposite direction maintaining speed the entire time. The only time they change speed is when they fall off of the edge of the stick. If 25 ants are randomly put on a 1 meter long stick moving 1 meter per second, what is the longest amount of time it could take for them to all fall off? A strange environmentalist picks up cigarette butts from the ground and can make a cigarette with 4 butts. If he finds 16 cigarette butts, how many cigarettes can he make? A farmer has three fields. One of them has 3 bundles of hay, another has 4, and the last has 5. How many would he have in the first field if he combined all of them in that field? There is a brick of gold and a brick of iron in a boat (both 10 inch blocks), if they are both dropped into the water which will make the water level higher? If it takes three men two days to dig a hole, how long does it take one to dig half of a hole? You have three coins. One always comes up heads, one always comes up tails, and one is just a regular coin (has equal chance of heads or tails). If you pick one of the coins randomly and flip it twice and get heads twice, what is the chance of flipping heads again? 53
One Add a line to the first '+' to make it a 4.
545+5=550
2Kg When he gets on the subway it is 6 stops away from the end of the line (end of the track). So when it reaches this point it begins to work backwards. So when it goes back one stop he has traveled 7 stops but is only 5 away from where he began. 1 second. Imagine that each ant is holding a flag and that when an ant bumps into another ant it gives its flag to the other ant. In this way, every ant always has a flag and a flag would never change direction. So each flag would head towards the edge at a rate of 1 meter per second and since the stick is 1 meter long, it would only take 1 second at most for each flag to fall off, and in turn, each ant. 5. He makes 4 cigarettes with the 16 butts. Then he smokes them and has 4 more butts to make another cigarette. One (he combines them). The iron will make the water level higher because both blocks will actually make the water level drop most likely. In the boat they have a larger effect on the water level (raise the water level) and then when they are dropped into the water the lighter one (iron), will make the water level drop less because it is lighter and has less effect on the water from the boat but displaces the same amount of water as the gold when dropped into the water. 90 percent. If you pick the heads coin the chance of getting the first 2 heads is 100 percent (4/4) and if you pick the fair coin the chance is 25 percent (1/4). So from this, the chance that it is the heads coin is 4/5 and the fair coin 1/5. Then, if it is the heads coin you will definitely get heads (4/5). If you flip the fair coin it is 1/10 (1/5 * 1/2). Add the probabilities together: 4/5 + 1/10 = 9/10. 54
Two boys, Trevor and Tyler, are running a 100 meter race. The first time they race Trevor beats Tyler by 5 meters. To make things fair, the next time they race Trevor stands 5 meters behind the starting line. Who wins the second race (assuming they run the same speed as the first race)? If you have an 11 minute and 13 minute hourglass, how can you accurately time 15 minutes? There are several books on a bookshelf. If one book is the 4th from the left and 6th from the right, how many books are on the shelf? If 4+5=24 7+2=21 9+6=63 6+7=? What is 1/2 of 2/3 of 3/4 of 4/5 of 5/6 of 6/7 of 7/8 of 8/9 of 9/10 of 10,000? Use the numbers 2, 3, 4 and 5 and the symbols + and = to make a true equation. Note: Each must be used exactly once and no other numbers or symbols can be used. Three guests check into a hotel room. The clerk says the bill is $30, so each guest pays $10. Later the clerk realizes the bill should only be $25. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop $5 to return to the guests. On the way to the room, the bellhop realizes that he cannot divide the money equally. As the guests didn't know the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest $1 and keep $2 for himself. Each guest got $1 back: so now each guest only paid $9; bringing the total paid to $27. The bellhop has $2. And $27 + $2 = $29 so, if the guests originally handed over $30, what happened to the remaining $1? Little Johnny's teacher asks him, "If I gave you two cats, then two more, and two more cats; how many would you have?" Little Johnny replies, "Seven!" His teacher asks him again more slowly, "If I gave you two cats, then two more, and two more cats; how many would you have?" But again Little Johnny replies, "Seven!" He is correct. Why? There are two planes. One is going from New York to London at a speed of 600 MPH. The other is traveling from London to New York at a speed of 500 MPH. When the planes meet which one will be closer to London? How much dirt is in a hole that has a radius of 33.2 meters and a height of 78.2 meters? 55
Trevor wins again. In the first race Trevor ran 100 meters in the time it took Tyler to run 95 meters. So in the second race when Tyler is at the 95 meter mark Trevor will also be there (since 100 5 = 95). Since Trevor is faster he will pass Tyler in the last 5 meters of the race. Start both hourglasses then when the 11 minute hourglass has finished immediately flip it again. When the 13 minute hourglass runs out the 11 minute hourglass will have 9 minutes left, so flip it and it will last another 2 minutes, 13 minutes + 2 minutes = 15 minutes. 9 48 1000 2 3 =4+5
The $9 paid by each guest accounts for the $2 that went to the bellhop. So rather than adding $27 to the $2 kept by the bellhop, the $27 accounts for the bellhops money. The $27 plus the $3 kept by the guests does add up to $30. He already has a cat They will be the same distance away... None 56
A man and a woman both carrying baskets with eggs inside passed each other on the sidewalk. The man told the woman, "If you give me one of your eggs I will have twice as many as you, but if I give you an egg you and I will have the same amount." How many eggs were in each basket? If you randomly choose one of the following answers to this question, what is your chance of getting it right? A) 50% B) 25% C) 0% D) 75% How can you add 9 to become 6? (No subtraction or negative numbers). The 1st page says "Exactly 1 page in this book is false." The 2nd page says "Exactly 2 pages in this book are false."... The 500th page says "Exactly 500 pages in this book are false." Are any pages true? A bus with no passengers pulls up to a stop and 10 people get on. At the next stop 5 people get off and twice as many people get on as at the first stop. At the third stop 25 get off. How many people are on the bus at this point? A semi truck weighing exactly 10,000 pounds gets onto a bridge that is 100 miles long. The bridge's weight limit is exactly 10,000 pounds, any more will break the bridge. After going about 80 miles down the bridge a small bird lands on the truck. A man goes into a barbershop and gets a $15 haircut. He pays the barber with a $20 bill, but the barber doesn't have change because it is an especially slow day. The barber goes to the flower shop next to his own and trades the $20 bill for a $10 dollar bill and two $5 bills. Then he gives the man his $5 in change. Later the lady from the flower shop confronts the barber and tells him that the $20 bill he gave her was counterfeit. The barber agrees and he gives the lady a different $20 bill. Later that day he tries to figure out how much money he lost. What did he lose? What is the next number in the sequence? 1 11 21 1211 111221 312211 You have a bag with 'N' strings in it. You randomly grab two ends and tie them together until there are no more loose ends. In the end, what is the expected number of loops (strings tied to their own end)? 57
The man has seven and the woman five. 0% Roman numeral for 9 is IX Add S in IX. You get SIX. Answer is "S". Yes, the 499th page is true. It says "Exactly 499 pages in this book are false." With this page true, the other 499 pages are false, fulfilling the statement. One (the driver) Nothing, after traveling 80 miles the truck will have surely burnt enough fuel to allow the bird to land on the truck without breaking the bridge. He lost $5 (and some time). The lady from the flower shop gave him $20 in change, but eventually got $20 back. She broke even. The man who got the haircut gave the barber nothing (except counterfeit money) but got $5 back from the barber. So the barber lost only $5, and gave a free haircut. The next number it: 13112221. Each number describes the previous number. Starting with 1, the second line describes it 11 (one 1). Then the third line describes 11 as 21 (two 1's). Then the fourth line describes 21 as 1211 (one 2, one 1). This is the pattern. 1 + 1/3 + 1/5 ... + 1/(2N1). Each time you tie two together the number of string ends available decreases by 2. The chance of grabbing a string and its end is 1/(2N1). 58
You're going to a friend’s house and want to give them some brownies. On the way to their house you cross 5 bridges. At each bridge you must pay a toll of half of your brownies to the owner. But they are all very nice and give you back a brownie from what you give them. How many brownies must you start with to give your friend 2 brownies? Using 16 coins, how can you make $1 by using pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters? There is only 1 quarter. A rich man named Steven goes to a bar and sees his long lost poor brother, Martin. "What've you been up to lately?" Steven says to Martin. "Well, one night, me and my daughter went fishing together. It was so much fun, probably the best time of my life. We told jokes and riddles and sang. In the end, we each caught two fish. We didn't have to buy food for so long, since each fish lasted us about three days," Martin said, grinning. He loved saving money, since he was less fortunate than Steven. Steven said, "Well, that's not SO much. Only 12 days worth of food. That's only 20 dollars or so of fish from the market." "For one thing, 20 dollars is a lot for ME. For another thingbrother, I may be much poorer than you, but at least I got an education! That's 18 days, my brother." Martin laughed. How was it 18 days, not 12? Before your choose the witching hour, take care to dream the tallest tower. Than careful before you leave too soonbehold the dark and hollow moon. What's the number? How many bananas can you eat if your stomach is empty? A ladder hangs over the side of a ship anchored in a port. The bottom rung touches the water. The distance between rungs is 20 cm and the length of the ladder is 180 cm. The tide is rising at the rate of 15 cm each hour. When will the water reach the seventh rung from the top? The ages of a father and son add up to 66. The father's age is the son's age reversed. How old could they be? 500 at the beginning, 500 at the end, 5 in the middle is seen, The first of all letters, the first of all figures Take up their stations between, String them all together, and you will see The name of an ancient king Two people are in a barn. Ten cats follow them in. How many feet are in the barn now? 59
Just 2. Each time you give the owner of a bridge half of your brownies (1 brownie) they give you one back as well. 5 pennies, 6 nickels, 4 dimes, and 1 quarter. 5+6+4+1=16 coins. Steven misheard "night" for "knight". Really, one KNIGHT, Martin and his daughter went fishing. That's 6 fish, not 4. Steven and Martin explained their sides of the story again and both laughed about it later. 10 Just one—after that, it’s not empty anymore. If the tide is raising water, then it is raising the ship on water, too. So water will reach still the first rung. There are three possible solutions for this: the fatherson duo could be 51 and 15 years old, 42 and 24 years old or 60 and 06 years old. 500 is D (in Roman numerals), so D___D. Then 5 is V (also Roman numerals) so now we have D_V_D. The first of all letters is A, and the first of all Roman numerals/figures is I. Now we have DAVID! There are four feet in the barn, cats have paws, not feet. 60
Two mathematicians argue about who is smarter. Finally, the first one says, “Ok, enough! I will give you a riddle to prove I have the superior intellect.” “Fine,” the second mathematician says. “What is it?” “I have three daughters. The product of their ages is 72, and the sum of their ages is the number of the house across the street.” The second mathematician ponders this for a while. “That’s impossible,” he says, annoyed. “I need more data!” “Ok,” the first mathematician says. “Chocolate is the favorite candy of my eldest daughter.” What are the ages of the first mathematician's three daughters? You’re in the Illusion Temple in The Lost City. You’ve found the secret switches, evaded the deadly traps, and now your expedition stands at the heart of the temple. However, as you study the inscriptions on the wall and see the words, “This is cursed!”, two of the eight graduate students that came with you bump into the altar. Suddenly, two wisps of purple smoke burst forth, and the walls begin to shake. Fleeing for your lives, you come to a room you have traveled before. There are five hallways, including the one leading back to the altar and the one leading back outside. And now, there is a giant sandglass flowing in the center of the room with less than an hour left. The ceiling’s rumbling tells you you don’t want to be here when time is up. Each tunnel takes 20 minutes to go one way. Your trail markings have been erased, and no one knows the way. If you split up, there should be enough time to explore all four halls and report back to this room. But there’s just one problem: the inscriptions at the altar told of a curse. That would be this: Two of you will be possessed by the spirits of the dead King and Queen. They will lead you to your doom. Thinking of the purple smoke, you realize two students were cursed. At any time, one or both might lie, but they also might tell the truth. You know you weren’t cursed, but you have no idea who is. Since the possessed might lie, there is no guarantee to who is cursed. Don’t worry about the possessed students attacking or harming other students. This curse only affects their communication. How do you get out? You’re stranded in a forest when you consume a mushroom with a deadly poison. The only antidote is the sweat of a certain type of frog who is also female. There are roughly the same amount of females as males in the forest. The only way to tell the difference between a male and female is that only the males croak. Luckily, you spot a frog sitting on a log nearby. You hear a croak, and look behind you to see two frogs in a clearing. You know one of them is a male. You only have time to get to one of the two places and lick the skin of the frogs. Which way do you run? 61
Three, three, and eight. For the first clue, twelve answers exist. 1172, 1236, 1324, 1418, 1612, 189, 2218, 2312, 249, 266, 338, and 346. The second mathematician believes the answer to clue two is impossible because he doesn’t have enough data. We can infer that this is because there are two solutions. And there are. 266 and 338 are the only two combinations with the same sum: 14. However, when the first mathematician tells us that his eldest daughter likes chocolate, we know he HAS an eldest daughter, which means 266 is not an option (because he has twins as his eldest(s).) That leaves us with one answer: 338. You, a pair, a trio, and a trio to go down each hall. Since you are not cursed you are allowed to go alone. The possessed students might lie or tell the truth. The other six will always tell the truth. When the groups get back, they will either argue or tell the agree. If a trio returns in total agreement, you know none of them are lying. The pair does not matter, because you only need reliable evidence from three of the tunnels. You can find the fourth using the process of elimination. Of course, none of this matters if you find the exit yourself, but otherwise, putting everything together leaves you with three possibilities. If the groups are consistently agreeing, either the two possessed are grouped together, or everyone is telling the truth. If there is only one group arguing, both other groups will be telling the truth. If there are two conflicts, the possessed are in separate groups and you can safely trust the majority in both trios. The two frogs in the clearing. There is a 50% chance of a female for the frog on the stump, but 67% of a chance for the frogs in the clearing. There are a total of four possibilities: Female Female, Female Male, Male Male, and Male Female. Since you know one frog is a male, you have three possibilities left. Since one option kills you, you have a ⅔ chance of living. 62
Logic Riddles 63
You are walking down the road trying to find enlightenment when you come to a monk and a threeway fork in the road. The roads point North, East, and West. You can ask the monk one question. He will answer honestly yes, no, or just hum if he cannot answer the question. What do you ask him to figure out the correct path? There are 3 men, two Chimps, and one Gorilla on one side of a river: ● They have a boat but only the men and the Gorilla can row the boat across, so there must always be a human and/or Gorilla on the boat. ● The boat can only carry two people/monkeys. ● If monkeys and humans are together on one side of the river there must be as many or more people than monkeys for the men's safety. How can all men and monkeys make it to the other side? Using 3 periods (.) and 1 question mark (?) make this a logical and grammatically correct sentence: "That that is is that that is not is not is that it it is" On a clock, how many times a day do the minute and hour hand overlap? There are two boys at an international math contest in December 2013; one is British and one is American. They both write their names, the date, and their answers on the paper. The only problem is that they both have the same name and the papers cannot be told apart. What is the date? There is a story that a man and not a man Saw and did not see a bird and not a bird Perched on a branch and not a branch And hit him and did not hit him with a rock and not a rock. [How is this possible?] What are the tree mistake in this sentence? My boots can fit through the green glass doors but my shoes cannot. Seaweed can fit but algae cannot. A tree can fit but a forest cannot. The moon can fit but a feather cannot. Why is this? 64
If the treasure is not in the East, is it in the West? If the monk answers yes, it is West. If he answers no, it is East. If he hums, it is North. (They all start on the left side). (Left side | Right side) (3 men, 1 Gorilla, 2 Chimps | 0 men, 0 Gorilla, 0 Chimps) > Chimp and Gorilla (3 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 0 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) < Gorilla (3 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 0 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) > Chimp and Gorilla (3 men, 0 Gorilla, 0 Chimps | 0 men, 1 Gorilla, 2 Chimps) < Gorilla (3 men, 1 Gorilla, 0 Chimps | 0 men, 0 Gorilla, 2 Chimps) > Two men (1 men, 1 Gorilla, 0 Chimps | 2 men, 0 Gorilla, 2 Chimps) < Human and Chimp (2 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 1 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) > Human and Gorilla (1 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 2 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) < Human and Chimp (2 men, 0 Gorilla, 2 Chimps | 1 men, 1 Gorilla, 0 Chimps) > 2 men (0 men, 0 Gorilla, 2 Chimps | 3 men, 1 Gorilla, 0 Chimps) < Gorilla (0 men, 1 Gorilla, 2 Chimps | 3 men, 0 Gorilla, 0 Chimps) > Gorilla and Chimp (0 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 3 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) < Gorilla (0 men, 1 Gorilla, 1 Chimps | 3 men, 0 Gorilla, 1 Chimps) > Gorilla and Chimp (0 men, 0 Gorilla, 0 Chimps | 3 men, 1 Gorilla, 2 Chimps) And they are all safely across. There are two acceptable answers: "That that is is. That that is not is not. Is that it? It is." "That that is is that that is. Not is not. Is that it? It is." 22 times: 12:00:00, 1:05:27, 2:10:55, 3:16:22, 4:21:49, 5:27:16, 6:32:44, 7:38:11, 8:43:38, 9:49:05, 10:54:33. Each twice a day. December 12th, 2013.In America dates are written Month/Day/Year and in Britain Day/Month/Year, so the day and month must be the same so they can be changed around with the date remaining the same. A eunuch who did not see well saw a bat perched on a reed and threw a pumice stone at him which missed. 1. “Tree” must be “Three”. 2. “Mistake” must be plural. 3. There is no third mistake. Only things with double letters can fit through the Green Glass Doors. Think of the name GREEN GLASS DOORS. 65
What do these things all have in common: Laughter, living well, and a good offense? A prison has 23 prisoners in 23 different cells. The prisoners have no way to communicate with each other in any way from their cells. There is another room, the rec room, that has two switches on the wall (A and B). The switches have on and off positions but they start in an unknown position. Prisoners are randomly taken to and from the rec room one at a time. They must change the position of only one of the two switches each time they go to the room. At any point a prisoner can yell out, "Every prisoner has been here!" If the prisoner is correct that all of the prisoners have visited the rec room, then they all go free. If they aren't correct then they are all executed. Before they start they are given one planning session during which they can discuss a method to win the game. What method can they use to ensure they all go free? There are three boxes labeled "Apples", "Oranges", and "Apples and oranges". Each box has the wrong label on it. How could you correctly label all three of the boxes by taking only one piece of fruit fruit from one of the boxes? When is... 5>0, 0>2 and 2>5? You have a cup of tea (A) and a cup of coffee (B) (equal amounts), and you take a spoonful of the coffee (B) and mix it thoroughly into the tea (A). Then you take a spoonful of tea (A) and mix it with the coffee (B). Does the cup that originally had tea in it (A) have more coffee or does the cup that originally had coffee in it (B) have more tea? There is a basket full of hats. 3 of them are white and 2 of them are black. There are 3 men Tom, Tim, and Jim. They each take a hat out of the basket and put it on their heads without seeing the hat they selected or the hats the other men selected. The men arrange themselves so Tom can see Tim and Jim's hats, Tim can see Jim's hat, and Jim can't see anyone's hat. Tom is asked what color his hat is and he says he doesn't know. Tim is asked the same question, and he also doesn't know. Finally, Jim is asked the question, and he does know. What color is his hat? If you have a cake, how many pieces of cake can you form with 3 straight cuts? A rooster lays an egg at 6:00 AM. When does the farmer find it? 66
They are all the best. Laughter is the best medicine, living well is the best revenge, and a good offense is the best defense. Here are the rules they can use to ensure they will all go free eventually: The prisoners will choose one 'leader' and everybody else will be a follower. If you are a follower: ● If switch A is in the on position, toggle switch B. ● If switch A is off, you have not toggled switch A yet, and you have seen switch on during a previous visit; then toggle switch A. Otherwise toggle switch B. If you are a leader: ● If switch A is off, turn it on. ● If switch A is on, turn it off. If you did not turn switch A on during their previous visit, increment the count of prisoners. Once the leader increments the count to 23 they can yell, "Every prisoner has been here!" and all of them will be released. A piece of fruit would be taken from the "Apples and oranges" box. Since this is the wrong label you know whatever fruit you draw from this box is all the same and you can give that box the proper label. Since all of the boxes started out wrong you know that the last box with its original label is wrong and can be labeled "Apples and oranges". From here you can just put the final label on the final box. In rock paper scissors (think about the fingers...) Both cups end up having the same amount of the other liquid in it. When you take the spoonful of coffee (B) and put it in the tea (A) it increases the volume of the tea (A) by that spoonful. Then when you take a spoonful of the tea (A), part of that spoonful is coffee, taking away the proportional amount of coffee. This makes the amount of coffee in the tea and tea in the coffee equal. The hat is white. If Tom doesn't know his hat color then the other two men's hats cannot be both black otherwise he would know his is white. When Tim doesn't know his hat color either, that means Jim's hat could not be black otherwise Tim would have to know his hat was white to fulfill the information discovered through Tom's answer. 8 pieces. Cut the cake into quarters as you normally would with two cuts, stack the pieces on top of each other, and cut down the center. Never. Roosters don’t lay eggs 67
A robber tried to steal the crown jewels. He got caught by the King's guards and was taken to the king. The King was feeling generous that day and asked the robber how he wanted to die. A few minutes later the king let the robber go punished yet alive. How did he want to die? After looking for his long lost brother, Bob, that he has never met before, Justin is able to learn his brother's home address and name. When he shows up at his house he finds a fireman, a policeman, and a mechanic watching television. He immediately hugs his brother. How does he know which one is his brother? You have two coconuts and you want to find out how high they can be dropped from a 100 story building before they break. But you only have $1.40 and the elevator costs a dime each time you ride it up (it's free for rides down). How can you drop the coconuts to guarantee you will find the lowest floor they will break at, while starting and ending at floor 1? Note: They break when dropped from the same height and they don't weaken from getting dropped. You are a surgeon who has to perform 3 operations today, but you only have 2 pairs of gloves (a and b) to perform the operations. Each of the people you are performing surgery on are infectious so you cannot touch any of them or their bodily fluids and they can't touch each other's bodily fluids. How do you perform all 3 operations with only 2 pairs of gloves? This is a bus: ____________________ | |_| |_| |_| |_| | | | |____________________| O O Which way is the front of the bus facing (left or right)? You have two buckets: one with only white marbles and one with only black marbles. The two buckets have the same number of marbles. How can you rearrange the marbles to maximize your chances of grabbing a white marble from each? Listen closely, for these for riddles are all connected. 1. How do you put a giraffe in the refrigerator? 2. How do you put an elephant in the refrigerator? 3. The lion king is having an animal conference, and all animals attend except one. Which animal does not attend? 4. You are on a stranded island that is inhabited by crocodiles. How do you get across without getting eaten alive? 68
He wanted to die by natural causes. Policemen, firemen, and mechanics all wear name tags. Another acceptable answer would be that two of them were women. You could drop it at floor 1 first (because you start at floor 1). Then you would go to the floors: 14, 27, 39, 50, 60, 69, 77, 84, 90, 95, 99, and 100. Whatever floor your first coconut breaks at, go to the floor above the last floor the coconut survived and drop the second coconut from this floor. Then go up by one floor until the second coconut breaks and that is the lowest floor it will break at. You put pair a on and put pair b on top of pair a and perform 1 surgery. You then remove pair b and perform another surgery. Finally you take pair b and put it over pair a inside out and perform the final surgery. Left, because you can’t see the door. Put a single white marble in one bucket and put the rest of the white marbles and all of the black marbles in the other. This makes your odds about 75 percent for grabbing two white marbles. 1. Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way. 2. Did you say, "Open the refrigerator, put in the elephant, and close the refrigerator"? Wrong Answer. Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door. This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions. 3. The Elephant. The elephant is in the refrigerator. You just put him in there. This tests your memory. 4. You just jump into the water and swim across to the mainland. Have you not been listening? All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Meeting. This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes. 69
What are the next two letters in the following series and why? WATNTLITFS__ A man is sitting in his cabin in Michigan. He remains in there the entire time, and 3 hours later he gets out of his cabin in Texas. How is this possible? You are in a room with two metal rods and no other metal or materials. One of them is magnetized and the other is not. How can you determine which one is magnetized and which is not? How can you throw a ball 20 meters, and have it come back to you without hitting anything? Throw it straight up. One evening a man started to run. Then he turned left. Soon after, he turned left again. Then he started running home. When he got home there were 2 masked men waiting for him. Who were they? A man goes out drinking every night, returning to his home early every morning. No matter how much he drinks, he never gets a hangover. This drink is very well known, but is rarely consumed, served warm and taken straight from its source. The man is a sucker for a free drink, especially since he can't live without it. Romeo and Juliet are dead. The only evidence of their death is in their house, and in it is some shattered glass and a puddle of water. The only furniture in the house is a bed, a dresser and a bookshelf. The house is next to a railroad track. Their only pet was a cat. How did they die? Say you roll five dice and get a one, a two, a three, a four, and a five. Your sum would be six. Rolling all threes would give ten. Rolling a two, four, two, four, and six would be zero. Rolling a two, three, four, five, and six would be six. What would you get if you roll a three, a four, a one, a five, and a four? An archaeologist is searching some caves and discovers two frozen people that have somehow remained completely intact. He immediately recognizes them and knows that they are Adam and Eve, the first two people by a strange physical feature. What is it? A man is at work when he turns off the light and falls asleep. When he wakes up he discovers that lots of people have died. What is his profession? 70
AW the letters are the beginning letter each of the words in this sentence He was sitting in a plane cabin. Touch the end of one bar (A) to the middle of the other bar (B) forming a 'T' shape. If the bars are attracted then bar A is magnetized and if they are not attracted then bar B is the magnet. This is because magnets have fields at the poles (the ends) but not in the middle. So the end would attract and middle would not. The Umpire and a Catcher. Blood (he is a vampire). Romeo and Juliet are fish. Their fishbowl was on the bookshelf when the train came by and rattled the bookshelf, knocking the fish bowl down, where the cat could eat them. You would get six. You take all of the odd numbers you roll, and add all the dots around the center of the dice (petals around the rose) to get your answer (even numbers do nothing). They wouldn't have a belly button because they were not born from another human being. A lighthouse keeper 71
A man goes to work and loads his computer. He types in his password, but it is incorrect. He remembers that the password changes every month, so he calls his boss. The man says, “Boss, the old password is out of date.” The boss replies, “Yes, the new password is different. But if you listen closely, you will figure it out. It has the same amount of letters, but no spaces.” The man thanks the boss and types the password in immediately. What was the new password and the old password? There is a kingdom and in the kingdom when you drink a poison the only way to cure yourself is to drink a stronger poison to neutralize it. The King wants to make the strongest poison possible in order to make sure he can neutralize any other poison he may be given. To do this he enlists the two best chemists of the land: Tom and Bob. The king is going to have them both create a poison as strong as they can then have them drink the other person's poison then their own. Whoever dies created the weaker poison. Tom knows that Bob is much better at making poisons and he is sure to make a stronger poison. Knowing this, Tom makes a plan that ensures he lives and Bob dies. The day of the contest arrives and Bob realizes that Tom must have known he had no chance against his prowess as a poison maker. So Bob thinks quickly and creates a new plan that ensures that once again he will live and Tom will die. In the end Bob lives, Tom dies, and the King doesn't get what he wants. What happened? A king, queen, and two twins all lay in a large room. How are there no adults in the room? There is a boat crash in the middle of a lake between Canada and the United States. Where do they bury the survivors? A criminal is brought into a prison for major crimes. The warden informs him that he will be shot in the middle of the prison by 20 of his men. The prisoner is fine with that but he asks for some conditions "All of your men must stand 20 feet away from me and I must be able to select where each of them stands. If I survive, I get to leave." The warden thinks about it and knows that all of his men will still have an open shot at the criminal, so he agrees. The next day immediately after the firing squad is positioned the criminal walks out untouched. How did he do it? A claustrophobic person gets on a train. The train enters a tunnel just as it is leaving the station. Where is the best place for him to sit? You are walking down a dark alley at night. Suddenly, a man jumps out of the shadows with a gun. He tells you "I am here to kill you. Tell me one wish. I will NEVER fulfill it, and I will still kill you." What do you say? 72
The old password is “out of date,” and the new password is “different.” After Tom realized he was going to lose he finds that the only way to live is to replace his poison with something that isn't poison at all and drink a poison of his own before the contest. In this way he drinks his own weaker poison then neutralizes it with Bob's stronger poison. Last he drinks the nonpoison he submitted to the contest. Once Bob realizes that this is the only way Tom can save himself he figures out that he can save himself by either drinking a weaker poison before the contest so his neutralizes it in the contest or submit a nonpoison to the contest as well. If he drinks a weaker poison before the contest both Tom and Bob will live and the King will realize that they are disobeying his orders which probably won't turn out well. But by submitting a nonpoison to the contest as well Tom will end up drinking the weaker poison before the contest and the two nonpoisons in the contest and he will still die, and the King will be none the wiser (although he will not get what he wants being that both of the poisons actually aren't poisons at all). They’re all beds. Nowhere. You don’t bury survivors... He set up all of the warden's men so they are standing directly across from each other. None of them could fire at the criminal because they would risk hitting another man. In the back. The train will be accelerating so it will be going faster when the back of the train enters the tunnel so a person in the back will spend less time in the tunnel. Kill me. 73
You are in a car with some helium balloons and hit the gas. While you accelerate, which way do the balloons move? Your father is a scientist who has invented a red pill which, if eaten with 1 blue pill which he has invented, will grant immortality. The night he invents it, he gives you 2 red and 2 blue pills just in case one of them is lost or substandard. He also warns you that an overdose will cause the opposite effect and kill you instead. You put the pills in your pocket and leave his lab for home. On the way home, you are abducted by aliens who blindfold you and throw you into a singularity. At this point, you remember the pills your father gave you. You take them out (you can move and have enough oxygen in space for a short time), but realize that you can't tell the red pill from the blue pill. Even if you take off your blindfold, you can't see anything due to your proximity to the black hole. Given the circumstances, how do you successfully eat 1 red and 1 blue pill and survive? A school's computer system was recently hacked and the school has narrowed the pool of possible hackers to 5 people that were in the computer lab: Tyler, Justin, Chandler, Paige, and Shelley. Each of them gave three statements, two of which are true and one false. Tyler 1. I didn't do it! 2. I've never hacked in my life. 3. Paige did it. Justin 1. I didn't do it! 2. The attack was done from within the network. 3. I don't like Shelley. Chandler 1. I didn't do it! 2. I've never seen Shelley in my life. 3. Paige did it. Paige 1. I didn't do it! 2. Shelley did it. 3. Tyler was lying when he said I did it. Shelley 1. I didn't do it! 2. Justin did it. 3. Chandler and I used to be friends. Who hacked the system? 74
It moves forward towards the front of the car, even though you are forced backwards. The helium balloon is less dense than the air so when you accelerate the air in the car will move backwards compared to the balloon pushing the balloon forward because the balloon is lighter. Eat half of every pill If Tyler is the hacker then Tyler's first statement is false and his third statement is also false. But according to given condition he speaks only one false statement. So Tyler is not the hacker. Similarly we can see for Chandler, Paige and Shelley. That's why Justin is the hacker. 75
A couple goes on a plane. The plane crashes. The crash is in all the newspapers, on all the news channels on radio and television, and everywhere for everything. You know why? Because every single person died. But the next day, that same couple are found walking on the street, happy as can be, not a scratch or bruise on them. How can that be? Four hikers are forced into a cabin with no lights by a bad storm. On the door of the cabin is a sign that reads, "Come in as you please, but fall asleep and you will die." Being very superstitious, they all take this very seriously and devise a plan so they can all stay awake. They all stand in a corner and one person walks from one corner along the wall to the next and taps the person in that corner making sure they are awake. They do this for many hours until one hiker suddenly runs out of the cabin screaming along with all of the others.Why did they run out terrified? A man in prison has a visitor. Afterward a guard asks the inmate who the visitor was to him. The inmate replies: "brothers and sisters I have none, but that man's father is my father's son." Who was the visitor to the inmate? Anna can drive a Toyota, but not a Prius. She can marry Otto, but not Peter. She can borrow or rob, but not share and steal. Can Anna do a pull up? There was a man who was born before his father, killed his mother, and married his sister. Yet there was nothing wrong with what he had done. Why? A farmer has a ton of strange animals, but he has to sell one of them. He has a pig with two tails, a cow with two utters, a horse with two right hooves, and a chicken with only three toes on each foot. To keep his livestock as weird as possible, what animal should he sell? Which is correct "The yolk of the egg is white" or "The egg yolk is white?" Why is a raven like a writing desk? You have 7 tennis balls that are all identical but one of them is slightly lighter than the others. Using a balance scale and only two separate weightings, how can you find the light tennis ball? You are awoken at 3 A.M. by a knock on your door. Your parents call you to let you know that they are there for breakfast. You are confused but quickly think of what food you have. You have bread, jam, butter, and eggs. What do you open first? There are 2 fathers and 2 sons going on a fishing trip. Every person catches one fish. In total, there were only 3 fish. How is that so? 76
Every SINGLE person died. They were a couple. They realized that it would take 5 people to execute this plan. There is one in every corner and one moving from one corner to another at all times. So somebody was already in the cabin. His son Yes she can. Anna can do anything that is a palindrome. (Anything that is the same backwards and forwards.) He was born in front of (before) his father. His mother died while giving birth to him. Finally, he grew up to be a minister and married his sister at her ceremony. The horse. All horses have two right hooves. Neither. Egg yolks are yellow. Edgar Allen Poe wrote on both of them Put three of the balls on each side. If they are even the ball that wasn't weighed is the light one. If they aren't even the side that is lighter has the light ball. Of these three balls, one should be put on each side. If the sides are even than the other ball is the light one. If they aren't even the one that is lighter is the ball you're looking for. The door for your parents. They were a grandpa, his son, and his grandson. 77
You are playing a game of dodgeball with two other people, John and Tom. You're standing in a triangle and you all take turns throwing at one of the others of your choosing until there is only one person remaining. You have a 30 percent chance of hitting someone you aim at, John has a 50 percent chance, and Tom a 100 percent change (he never misses). If you hit somebody they are out and no longer get a turn. If the order of throwing is you, John, then Tom; what should you do to have the best chance of winning? A boy at a carnival went to a booth ran by a man who said "If I can write your exact weight on this piece of paper then you have to give me $50, but if I cannot, I will pay you $50." The boy looked around and saw no scale so he agreed, thinking no matter what the carny writes he'll just say he weighs more or less. In the end the boy ended up paying the man $50. How did the man win the bet? Two girls ate dinner together. They both ordered ice tea. One girl drank them very fast and drank five of them in the time it took the other to drink one. The girl who drank one died while the other survived. All of the drinks were poisoned. Why did the girl that drank more ice tea survive? Something you know nobody knows, and everyone knows something you don't. We all know something, nobody knows everything, and you know something someone doesn't know. What else could nobody know? You are a cowboy. The cowboy is riding bareback on a paint horse. The horse falls down breaking its leg. The sun is setting quickly and the nearest house is 3 miles away. The chance of rain that night is at 75% and snow is 33% What color is the Cowboys hair? You are a junior detective investigating a case. Boys at an apartment complain that every day, they have an eggspinning competition with only raw eggs, and every day one particular boy wins. The boys want you to find out how. You are observing the boy spinning an egg when suddenly it drops to the floor. The apartment clerk casually hands him a broom to clean it up, as if it happens every day. You now know why the boy always wins the daily competition. How? A woman goes into a bank in Chicago and asks for a $1,000 loan for an upcoming trip she has planned to Asia. The loan officer tells her she will need collateral if she wants the loan. She tells the loan officer "I'll leave my car, it's worth $150,000." The bank takes the car for the loan, laughing at her for leaving such expensive collateral. A month later when the woman comes back she pays off her loan plus interest, costing her $1,020. The bank manager smirks at her and asks "While you were gone we found out you're very wealthy. Why would you get such a small loan and leave such expensive collateral?" She tells him why and he realizes she's not as dumb as they thought. Why did she get the loan? 78
Miss the first time on purpose. If you try to hit John and do. Then Tom goes next and he will hit you and you will lose for sure. If you aim at Tom and hit him then John will go for you. If you miss on your first turn John will go for Tom for sure because he is a stronger player. If he hits him then it's just you and John, but you are going first. If he misses him then Tom will hit John and it will be just you and Tom, but again in this case you are going first. The man did exactly as he said he would and wrote "your exact weight" on the paper. The poison was in the ice. Nobody could know: "Everything you know" Secondary Answer: Nobody could know: "Your life" (as it consists of everything you know) Your hair color. The clerk handed the boy a broom, so the egg the boy was spinning must have been hardboiled. Otherwise, the clerk would have handed the boy a mop. She got the loan to keep her car safe and save money on parking while she was gone. 79
A bank is getting robbed and one of the robbers tells one of the tellers to give him all of the money. The teller tells him she doesn't have access to it. Suddenly the phone rings. The robber tells the teller to answer it and not give them away. She picks up the phone and it happens to be her mother. She tells her mother "Is this an emergency mom? Call me when I get home, I could use some help painting." Then she hangs up. The robbers continue to try to get into the vault but twenty minutes later the police show up with the tellers mom and arrest them all. How did the police know about the robbery? (There is no code). There is a small town on the East Coast that has 2 barber shops each with a single barber, and on opposite sides of town. The barbershop in the good part of town is immaculate. The floors and windows are washed and the air is fresh. The barber is very friendly, always smiling, he has shined shoes, a nice head of hair, and a clean dress shirt. The barbershop in the bad part of town is a mess. The entire barbershop is covered with a layer of dirt, and the air smells of trash. The barber always has a frown on his face. His skin is oily, his hair is ragged, and there are always stains visible on his shirt. A man comes into town and hears of both barbershops and the man decides to go to the dirty barbershop in the bad part of town. Why does he do this? What is a word made up of 4 letters, yet is also made up of 3. Sometimes is written with 9 letters, and then with 4. Rarely consists of 6, and never is written with 5. Right? A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be? A man finds a small iron coin dated 154 B.C., what's it worth? There are three words in the English language that end with the letters 'g', 'r', and 'y'. Two are "hungry" and "angry." The third word is something everyone uses every day. Everyone knows what the third word means. What is the third word? A very famous chemist was found murdered in his kitchen today. The police have narrowed it down to six suspects. They know it was a two man job. Their names: Felice, Maxwell, Archibald, Nicolas, Jordan, and Xavier. A note was also found with the body: '26358/28275716'. Who are the killers?
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The teller used the mute button on the phone so her mother only heard "Emergency... Call... Help." This is how she knew to call the police. The cleancut barber must have his hair cut by the dirty barber and the dirty barber by the cleancut barber. So it's obvious that the dirty barber gives a better haircut. Right! (The word 'what' has 4 letters in it, 'yet' has three, 'sometimes' has 9, 'then' has 4, 'rarely' has 6, and 'never' has 5.) She is a photographer The coin is fake, the dating system that uses B.C. and A.D. wasn't created until the year 525. So it is essentially worthless. The answer is "energy." The riddle says that the word ends in the letters gry; it says nothing about the order of the letters. Many words end with "rgy," but energy is something everyone uses every day. Felice and Nicholas are the murderers. The numbers correspond to atomic numbers on the periodic table of elements: 'FeLiCe/NiCoLaS'. 81
There are four men: Abe, Butch, Cam, and Dan. There are four hats: two white and two black. They each get a hat: Abe gets black, Butch gets white, Cam gets black, and Dan gets white. They don't know what hat color they have. Abe goes into a room so that no one can see his hat. The others line up in front of the door in the order Butch, Cam, and Dan (Butch can't see the others hats, Cam can see Butch's, and Dan can see Cam and Butch's hats). Whoever can figure out their hat color first wins $1,000. If they are wrong they are out of the running. Which man can figure out his hat color without a doubt? When the day after tomorrow is yesterday, today will be as far from Wednesday as today was from Wednesday when the day before yesterday was tomorrow. What is tomorrow? A man was found dead in his study. He was slumped over his desk and a gun was in his hand. There was a cassette recorder on his desk. When the police entered the room and pressed the play button on the tape recorder they heard: "I can't go on. I have nothing to live for." Then there was the sound of a gunshot. How did the detective immediately know that the man had been murdered and it wasn't a suicide? A murderer is condemned to death. He has to choose between three rooms. The first is full of raging fires, the second is full of assassins with loaded guns, and the third is full of lions that haven't eaten in 3 years. Which room is safest for him? You stand at a fork in the road. Next to each of the two forks, there stands a guard. You know the following things: First that one path leads to paradise, the other leads to Death. You cannot distinguish between the two paths. You also know that one of the two guards always tells the truth and the other always lies. You have permission to ask one guard one question to discover which path leads to paradise. What one question would you ask to guarantee you take the path to paradise? A Japanese ship was sailing in the Pacific Ocean. The Japanese captain of the ship put his diamond chain and Rolex watch on a shelf, went to get a shower and returned ten minutes later. When he returned, both the chain and the watch were missing!! He called the crew of his ship together. There were four of them. A British guy was the cook of the ship. The captain asked him: "Where were you the last ten minutes?" And the cook answered "I was in the cold storage room to select the meat for lunch". A Sri Lankan was the house keeping guy. The captain repeated his question to him, and learnt that the Sri Lankan was at the top of the ship correcting the flag which had been put upside down. An Indian guy was the engineer maintaining the ship. Same question, and the Indian told that the he was in the generator room checking the generator. A French guy also served on the housekeeping crew. Same question, and the French told that he was sleeping after the night shift. Within ten seconds the smart captain caught the thief. Who was the thief? How did the captain find him? 82
Cam can figure it out. If Dan saw that Cam and Butch had the same color hat he would know his hat color. Since he doesn't quickly figure out his hat color, Cam knows that him and Butch don't have the same hat color. So all he has to do is say that his hat color is the opposite of Butch's hat color (after giving enough time to be sure that Dan doesn't know his own color). Thursday. When the day after tomorrow (Friday) is yesterday (Tuesday), today (Wednesday) will be as far from Wednesday as today (Wednesday) was from Wednesday when the day before yesterday (Monday) was tomorrow (Thursday). Someone would have to rewind the tape. The third room. The lions would be dead by now. Ask one of the guards 'Which door would the other guard say leads to paradise?' If you ask the truthful one he will say the lying guard would say the wrong door. If you ask the lying guard he would say the truthful guard would pick the wrong door as well (since he is lying). So no matter what you could choose the door opposite of what they say and end up in paradise. The Sri Lankan: The japanese flag is the same upside down. 83
A married couple went to the hospital to have their baby delivered. Upon their arrival, the doctor said he had invented a new machine that would transfer a portion of the mother's labor pain to the baby's father. He was asked if they were willing to try it out. They were both very much in favor of it. The doctor set the pain transfer to 10% for starters, explaining that even 10% was probably more pain than the father had ever experienced before. However, as the labor progressed, the husband felt fine and asked the doctor to go ahead and kick it up a notch. The doctor then adjusted the machine to 20% pain transfer. The husband was still feeling fine. The doctor checked the husband's blood pressure and was amazed at how well he was doing. At this point, they decided to try out for 50%. The husband continued to feel quite well. Since the pain transfer was obviously helping out the wife considerably, the husband encouraged the doctor to transfer all the pain to him. The wife delivered a healthy baby with virtually no pain. She and her husband were ecstatic. When they got home, the mailman was dead on the porch. Why? Two men, Watson and Holmes, are out in the extremely dry forest. They are completely surrounded by a large forest fire on one side and a dangerous cliff on the other. The wind is blowing the forest fire towards them and the cliff. The fire will reach them in about one day. Holmes turns to Watson, "I have matches, berries, and enough water for a day. We aren't going to die." How can they avoid getting swallowed up by the forest fire? A teacher decides to give a pop quiz one day but all of her students refuse to take the quiz thinking that the teacher will call off the quiz. She can give only one of these students a detention for skipping the quiz. All of the students know each other's names and if a student knows he/she is getting a detention they take the quiz. How can she threaten her students with the single detention so they all take the quiz? You go camping and realize you forgot your sleeping bag. You get it come back and then realize you forgot your flashlight. You go and get it, but when you come back you find your sleeping bag is missing. You then find out you forgot your tent. When you go back and get it you see your sleeping bag, get it and leave your tent. You go back to the campsite remembering you left your tent at home. You also come to see your flashlight is now missing. You get your tent and see your flashlight, you get that too. You then see your sleeping bag is gone. You are so exhausted you leave it at home. Why does every thing keep going missing? You're in a unbreakable room. You only have scissors and a 2feet long rope and logic. There's a small window, big enough only to put one item through. The rope nor the scissors doesn't fit into the window. How do you escape? A man is pushing his car along the road when he comes to a hotel. He shouts, "I'm bankrupt!" Why? 84
The pain transfers the pain to the baby's father. The wife cheated on her husband with the mailman and it was his baby. It never mentions that the husband is the baby's father. They can start a fire of their own with the matches and the wind will blow that fire in the same direction as the forest fire and they can take refuge in the section of the forest they burn down. She tells them that she will give the student who skips the quiz whose name comes first alphabetically a detention. This student won't skip because they know they are getting a detention if they do. The next person alphabetically will then know that they will get a detention so they won't skip either, and so on. You bring your sleeping bag home when you realize you forgot your flashlight. You leave your sleeping bag at home. You realize you did not bring your tent, go home with you flashlight. Instead of picking up your tent you see your sleeping bag and take that instead leaving your tent and flashlight at home. You go back when you get to camp because you now need your flashlight and tent. You bring your sleeping bag. And when you get your tent and flashlight you leave your sleeping bag. Every time you bring something to the campsite you leave what you had there at home. First, throw logic out the window. Next, cut the rope in half. Two halves a make a hole, escape through the hole! He was playing monopoly. 85
A man is found dead on a Sunday morning. His wife calls the police immediately. The police question the wife and staff. The wife said she was asleep, the cook said he was cooking breakfast, the gardener said she was picking vegetables, the butler said he was cleaning the closet, and the maid said she was getting the post. The police immediately arrested the murderer.Who was the murderer? A wise person was once sentenced to death by a king. The king couldn't decide how to execute him so he said to the wise person, you can say anything you want, if it is true, I will hang you, if it is not true I will shoot you. In the end the king released the wise man. What did the wise man say? Paul's height is six feet, he's an assistant at a butcher's shop, and wears size 9 shoes. What does he weigh? There are a few trees in a garden. On one of them, a pear tree, there are pears (quite logical). But after a strong wind blew, there were neither pears on the tree nor on the ground. How come? Two girls were born to the same mother, on the same day, at the same time, in the same month and year and yet they're not twins. How can this be? A girl who was just learning to drive went down a oneway street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come? Is it legal for a man in California to marry his widow's sister? You can start a fire if you have alcohol, petrol, kerosene, paper, candle, coke, a full matchbox and a piece of cotton wool. What is the first thing you light? What word describes a person who does not have all her fingers on one hand? Complete this sequence of letters: o, t, t, f, f, s, s, _, _, _. Mary’s father has 5 daughters – Nana, Nene, Nini, Nono. What is the fifth daughters name? Tuesday, Sam and Peter went to a restaurant to eat lunch. After eating lunch, they paid the bill. But Sam and Peter did not pay the bill, so who did? What is next in this sequence: JFMAMJJASON_ ? 86
The maid because there's no post on Sundays. You will definitely shoot me. Meat At first, there were 2 pears on the tree. After the wind blew, one pear fell on the ground. So there were no pears on the tree and there were no pears on the ground. The two girls are a set of triplets (or quartets, etc.) She was walking No, it is not even possible to get married if you are dead. The match Normal (I wouldn't be very happy if I had all my fingers (10) on one hand.) e, n, t. They are the numbers up to ten. Mary Tuesday The letter D. The sequence contains the first letter of each month. 87
A man was cleaning the windows of a 25 story building. He slipped and fell off the ladder, but wasn’t hurt. How did he do it? Jack tells Jill, "This isn't the $5 bill you left on the the table. I found it between pages 15 and 16 of Harry Potter." Jill retorts, "You're lying and I can prove it." How did Jill know? How can a pants pocket be empty and still have something in it? In a onestory pink house, everything was pink. There was a pink person, a pink cat, a pink fish, a pink computer, a pink chair, a pink table, a pink telephone, a pink shower. What color were the stairs? A dad and his son were riding their bikes and crashed. Two ambulances came and took them to different hospitals. The man’s son was in the operating room and the doctor said, “I can’t operate on you. You’re my son.” How is that possible? A house has 4 walls. All of the walls are facing south, and a bear is circling the house. What color is the bear? A man was driving his truck. His lights were not on, and the moon was not out. Up ahead, a woman was crossing the street. How did he see her? How many months have 28 days? There are three people named Alex, Brooke and Cody. One of whom is a knight, one a knave, and one a spy. The knight always tells the truth, the knave always lies, and the spy can either lie or tell the truth. Alex says: “Cody is a knave.” Brook says: “Alex is a knight.” Cody says: “I am the spy.” Who is the knight, who is the knave, and who is the spy? A lawyer argued for $1,000,000 damages based on the following claim: His client went to an art museum, where he saw a painting of Marie Antoinette on a guillotine. He fell asleep and dreamed of the painting. At the museum’s closing time, a guard tapped him on the neck just as he dreamed of the guillotine beheading Marie Antoinette. The tap provoked immediate cardiac arrest and a fatal heart attack immediately following, because he associated the tap with the guillotine blade. The judge dismissed the case. Why? 88
He was inside Harry Potter, like all other books, has oddnumbered pages on the right. Therefore, pages 15 and 16 are the front and back of a single page, and nothing could have been found between them. It can have a hole in it. There are no stairs in a one story house. The doctor was his mom. The house is on the North Pole, so the bear is white. It was a bright and sunny day! All 12 Alex is a knight, Cody is a knave, and Brook is a spy. Brook is not the knight, since if he is, then Alex would also be the knight. Cody is not the knight, since his statement would then be a lie. Therefore Alex is the knight, Cody is the knave, and Brook is the spy. If the client died in his sleep, there would be no way of knowing what he was dreaming. 89
There is a mysterious Island with one hundred people, all perfect logicians, are imprisoned by a mad dictator. There is no escape. Except for one strange rule... Any prisoner can approach the guards at night and ask to leave. If they have green eyes, they will be released. If not, they will be tossed into the volcano. As it happens, all one hundred prisoners have green eyes. However, they have lived their since birth, and the dictator has ensured they have no way of ensuring their own eye color. There are no reflective surfaces, water is stored in opaque containers, and they are not allowed to communicate among themselves, though they do see each other every morning. However, no one would dare risk leaving without certainty of success. After pressure from human rights groups, the dictator reluctantly allowed you to come to the island and speak to the prisoners under the following conditions: 1. You may only make one statement. 2. You cannot tell them any new information. What can you say to the prisoners to help them escape without incurring the dictator’s wrath? You and nine other people have been captured by superintelligent alien overlords. They think you are look quite tasty, but their race forbids the consumption of intelligent and cooperative beings. They don’t know if you are worthy, so they decide to devise a test: You will be placed faced forward in singlefile order in height order, tallest to shortest. Each of you will be able to see everyone in front of you. You will not be able to look behind you or step out of line. Each of you will have either a blue or a purple hat on your head, which is assigned randomly and secretly. Each of you must try to guess your color hat, starting with the tallest person. If you don’t say “blue” or “purple” or try to signal in any other way like intonation and volume. You will be eaten. If nine or more people guess correctly, you will be spared. You have five minutes to come up with a plan. Then we will begin. Can you come up with a strategy to save everyone? 90
“At least one of you has green eyes.” The amount of prisoners is arbitrary. To simplify things, imagine two of the people: Adria and Bill. Each sees a person with green eyes, and, for all they know, he/she could be the only one. For the first night, each stays put. But when they see each other still there in the morning, They both realized that if the other had seen a nongreeneyed person, he/she would have left last night. Since they didn’t however, they stayed. Bill realizes the same thing about Adria, and they both leave that night. Let’s add a third person. Adria, Bill, and Carl see two other people with the same eyes. The night passes and no one leaves. In the morning, Carl thinks that if he had nongreen eyes, Adria and Bill were just watching each other and will now leave on the second night. However, when he sees both of them in the morning, he realizes they must have been watching him too. Adria and Bill have been going through the same thinking process. They all leave that night (the third night). Using this reasoning, the pattern will repeat. On the hundredth morning after your visit, no prisoners will be left on the island. Although you could say “at least 99 of you have green eyes,” you risk the dictator killing you. The key is that the person in the back of the line (who can see everyone else’s hats) will say “blue” or “purple” to communicate information. If that person says “purple,” that means he/she sees an odd number of PURPLE hats. If the tallest person says “blue,” that means he sees an odd number of blue hats. Even of that person get’s his hat color wrong, it is okay as long as no one else does. The next person in line may also see an odd number of blue hats. Therefore, she must be purple. The next person sees an even number of blue hats. That means he must have a purple hat. This continues all the way down the line until the second to last person. If that person heard “purple” as the odd number, he would have to be that color. This works in all scenarios. 91
Einstein’s Riddle (The brands are too recent, and mathematicians don’t believe he actually wrote this, so...) The world’s rarest fish has been stolen from the city aquarium. The police have followed the trail to a street with five identical looking houses. However, they can not search all the houses at once, and if they pick the wrong one, the thief will know they are on his trail and run away. It is up to you, the city’s best detective, to solve the case. When you arrive, the police tell you what they know. Each house’s owner is of a different nationality, who drinks a different beverage, and smokes a different cigar. Each house's interior is painted a different color. Each house contains a different animal (including the fish). After a few hours of snooping, you realize this: 1. The Brit lives in the house with the red walls. 2. The Swede has a dog. 3. The Dane drinks tea. 4. The house with the green walls is left of the whitewalled. 5. The owner of the greenwalled house drinks coffee.
6. The person who smokes Pall Mall cigars owns a bird. 7. The owner of the yellowwalled house smoke Dunhill cigars. 8. The man in the center house drinks milk. 9. The Norwegian lives in the first house. 10. The man who smokes Blends lives next to the cat owner.
11. The horse’s owner lives next to the man who smokes Dunhill. 12. The man who smokes Blue Master drinks root beer. 13. The German smokes prince. 14. The Norwegian lives next to the man with the blue walls. 15. The man who smoke Blends has a nextdoor neighbor who drinks water.
Because of the difficulty, organize your data in this grid:
House One
House Two
House Three House Four
House Five
Wall Color
Nationality
Cigar
Beverage
Animal
Good Luck! 92
House four. You should start out with clues eight and nine. Then, since the Norwegian is at the end of the street, there is only one house next to it, which must be the one with blue walls (clue 14). Clue 5 says the house with the green walls drinks coffee. Since it can’t be house three (milk) or two (blue), that leaves you with 1, 4, and 5. Since clue four says the green walled house is directly left of the white walled one, it can’t be houses 1 or 5. That means house four is greenwalled and it’s owner drinks coffee. House five has white walls. Clue one says that the Brit lives in the redwalled house. Since house three is the only house missing nationality and wall color, this is that correct house. Since yellow is the only missing color this must be applied to the first house, which is where the Dunhillsmoker lives. Clue eleven says the horse owner lives next to that man, so the second house contains the horse. Since Tea is drunk by the Dane and Root Beer by one who smokes Blue Master, it must be Water. Since the Norwegian drinks water, clue fifteen tells you the owner of house two must smoke Blends. Since house five has not been assigned drink nor cigar, clue twelve states that the man who smokes Blue Master drinks Root Beer. Since house two has no drink, the teadrinking Dane must live there. Since house four has no nationality or cigar, the Prince smoking German must live there (clue thirteen) and the Swede in the fifth house. The swede has a dog (clue two). Through elimination, you can see the Brit smokes Pall Mall. This means he must have a bird (clue six). Clue ten says the cat owner lives next to “the man who smokes Blends”, so the first house contains a cat. So, with one house left, you can conclude that house four contains the fish.
House One
House Two
House Three House Four
House Five
Wall Color
Yellow
Blue
Red
Green
White
Nationality
Norwegian
Dane
Brit
German
Swede
Cigar
Dunhill
Blends
Pall Mall
Prince
Blue Master
Beverage
Water
Tea
Milk
Coffee
Root Beer
Animal
Cat
Horse
Bird
Fish
Dog
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Acknowledgments I want to thank my parents and friends for pushing me to do this and begging me for riddles (or not). I also want thank Artemis Shung for not allowing me to keep riddles a secret. 94
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