Imagine Johnny, a party clown, is carrying three pieces of gold each piece weighing one kilogram. While taking a walk he comes to a bridge that has a sign posted saying the bridge could hold only a maximum of 80 kilograms. John weighs 78 kilograms and the gold weighs three kilograms. Johnny reads the sign and still safely crossed the bridge with all the gold. How did he manage this?
Think about the state of Johnny when he's not carrying the gold...
Johnny is a clown so he has mastered juggling. When he came to the bridge he juggled the gold, always keeping one piece in the air.
Clayton grew up in a very large, very poor family. With a dozen children(six boys and six girls) to care for, his parents had a hard time providing food and clothing for everyone. Also, as hot water had to first be boiled on the stove to mix with cold water for baths, Clayton and his siblings were lucky to be able to take a bath even one time a month. As he grew older, Clayton was able to obtain a good-paying job, and could afford to move into better housing where he had enough food and clean clothing for himself; but his habit of rarely taking a bath stuck with him. In fact, Clayton now only takes a bath once every two years or so, but no one at his office job(where he has to wear a suit and tie) has ever complained of his having any body odor, or made any negative references concerning his personal hygiene. They say old habits die hard, but this one grew by leaps and bounds!! Refusing to take even a sponge bath, how does Clayton manage to keep his job without offending any of his co-workers?
Here's a hint: Think about Clayton's job and the specific requirements of his profession. It's not about his personal habits, but about the nature of his work.
Ella and Mason went camping one day, but both of them got themselves in danger. Ella was bitten by a rattlesnake, and she tried to suck out the venom. Mason came face to face with a black widow spider, and he tried to attack it. Who was in more danger?
Think about the actions they took to respond to the threats...
Black widow spiders rarely bite, and their bites are rarely fatal, but it's never a good idea to suck out snake venom. Therefore, Ella was in more danger.
Janet is a janitor of a large museum. One day, while cleaning the ladies' room, she spots a precious ring with red gems. When Janet leaves the ladies' room, three people–Sarah, Catherine, and Harold–show up to claim it. Sarah said that the ring belonged to her grandmother; emeralds fit her green eyes perfectly anyway. Catherine asked if the ring had an engraving etched inside, and if it was damaged in any way. Harold said that he lost the ring while washing his hands; he was going to propose to his girlfriend in a few days. Janet decided that the ring belonged to Catherine. Why?
The hint is: Pay attention to the questions each person asks, rather than their stories.
If the ring belonged to Sarah, then she wouldn't have mentioned emeralds, because the stones on the ring are red, not green. And Harold wouldn't have been allowed in the ladies' room. Catherine was the only one who knew about the engraving on the ring, as well as how precious it is, so the ring must be hers.
Taylor was walking home from the gym when someone ran up in front of the woman and hit her on the right side of her face. The woman went right to the police station to report the attack. The detectives had found three people-Mike, Jerry, and Jack-and arrested them. How can the detectives figure out who really attacked Taylor?
Pay attention to the pronouns used in the story, particularly when referring to the victim and the attackers.
The detectives should give each suspect a marker and ask them to write their names on a whiteboard. Taylor was hit on the right side of her face, which means that the person who attacked her is left-handed. The detectives just need to observe which of the three suspects writes with his left hand, and that person should be arrested.
Two men and two women, all carrying loaded shotguns, drove to a field where they planned to shoot as many birds as possible. The four had absolutely no desire to eat any of the birds they were planning to shoot, and they brought no dogs to retrieve any they happened to hit. Each of the four people in turn would loudly shout a one-word command, and when a bird would fly out in front of them, they would shoot to destroy it. When they were finished, the bodies of 99 birds lay mutilated in the field, as only one bird had escaped their deadly shooting skills. The two men and two women cheerfully exchanged high-fives, and congratulated each other on their excellent hour of destruction. Several onlookers, who happened to witness the onslaught, gave the four a loud round of applause for the entertainment. Why did no one report this incident to the authorities, and why was there such a calloused attitude toward the shooting of these defenseless birds?
Think outside the box: the shooters aren't hunting for food or sport, but for a very specific purpose...
The birds the four were shooting at were pigeons ——— clay pigeons. The four were at a public shooting range, and when each of them yelled “pull”, a clay pigeon was catapulted into the air for their target practice.
Romeo and Juliet are found dead on the floor in a bedroom. When they were discovered, there were pieces of glass and some water on the floor. The only furniture in the room is a shelf and a bed. The house is in a remote location, away from everything except for the nearby railroad track. What caused the death of Romeo and Juliet?
Think about the environment and the objects in the room, but also consider the "stage" they're on...
Romeo and Juliet are fish. The rumble of the train knocked the tank off the shelf, it broke and Romeo and Juliet did not survive.
A black dog stands in the middle of an intersecton in a town painted black. None of the street lights are working due to a power failure caused by a storm. A car with two broken headlights drives towards the dog but turns in time to avoid hitting him. How could the driver have seen the dog in time?
Tom and his younger sister were fighting. Their mother was tired of the fighting and decided to punish them by making them stand on the same piece of newspaper in such a way that they couldn't touch each other. How did she accomplish this?
Tom's mother slid a newspaper under a door, each sibling standing on each side.
Imagine that you have three eggs. Now, I give you four eggs. And your rooster lays two more eggs. How many eggs do you have now?
Think about the role of a rooster in an egg-laying scenario...
You have four eggs–the ones I gave you. Those three eggs from the start don't count because they're imaginary (IMAGINE that you have three eggs). And those two eggs your rooster lays don't count either because roosters don't lay eggs.
How can this be true? Have a look at the picture. All the lines are straight, the shapes that make up the top picture are the same as the ones in the bottom picture so where does the gap come from?
"Think about the way the shapes are arranged, not just their individual forms..."
The green triangle has dimensions 2 x 5 and gradient 2 / 5 = 0.4 The red triangle has dimensions 3 x 8 and gradient 3 / 8 = 0.375 Hence the gradient of the green triangle is greater than that of the red triangle.
I am a three-digit number. All of my digits are prime. One of the numbers is even. Each of my numbers are used only once. The total of my first and last digits equals 10. The total of my first two digits equals 5.
Think about the properties of prime numbers... Which prime number is even?
This one is fairly easy if you use elimination if you follow all the first 5 steps you get three options: 525, 327, and 723 but if you followed the last step you would reach your answer. The answer was 327.
You have accidently left out the plug and are attempting to fill the bath with both taps full on. The hot tap takes 6 minutes to fill the bath. The cold tap takes 2 minutes and the water empties through the plug hole in 4 minutes.
In how many minutes will the bath be filled?
Think about the net effect of the hot and cold taps combined, and how that compares to the rate at which the water is draining out...
Stranger: Does your dog bite?
Farmer: Nope.
All of a sudden the dog bites the stranger on the leg. Yet the farmer was telling the truth! How can this be?
You are in a haunted house. But this is an advanced haunted house. The haunted house has electricity. There are three doors. One door leads to a tiger that hasn't eaten for 3 months. Another door leads to an electric chair that has electricity this time. And the last door has a man waiting to chop your head off. Which door do you go through?
Think about the condition of the tiger...
Duh, the door that leads to the tiger that hasn't eaten for three months because wouldn't he have starved to death by now?
Sometimes I move fast,
Sometimes I move slow;
But my speed is truly constant,
And nowhere I go.
What am I?
Think about something that appears to change speed, but its actual rate of progress remains the same, and it doesn't actually travel to any location...
I'm the first thing you see in the morning and the last thing you see at night, I'm always there but you choose to ignore me, cross your eyes and you will see me. What am I?
I wiggled and cannot see, sometimes underground and sometimes on a tree. I really don't want to be on a hook, and I become a person when combined with a book. What am I?
Think about something that can be found in nature, has a wiggly movement, and is often associated with being hidden or buried...
Every famine begins with me. Each fight I'll be the first you see. Though food can never come without, what forest fire beginnings are all about. Fears begin with me it is true, and when I come I'll bring flames for you. But with the hungry I wont be found. Yet with each new life I'll be around. What am I?
I am typically feared by both women and men. I often come for the old, but also for some young people who are very ill. Many will fight me in vain, and many others live in denial of me. Those who embrace me will lose their fear of me, but they will lose something of themselves in the process. What am I?
Think about something that is often associated with the end of life, but can also strike unexpectedly, and is often met with resistance or avoidance...
Baldness. (Note that 'death' doesn't fit the last clue. Those who embrace death lose ALL of themselves. Those who shave their head just lose something of themselves. Also, death ALWAYS comes for the old eventually, not just 'often'.)
I am just two and two. I am hot. I am cold. I am the parent of numbers that cannot be told. I am a gift beyond measure, a matter of course. I am given with pleasure when taken by force.
What am I?
Think about something that can be both hot and cold, and is often given or taken in different ways...
"First think of the person who lives in disguise, Who deals in secrets and tells naught but lies. Next, tell me what's always the last thing to mend, The middle of the middle and end of the end? And finally, give me the sound often heard During the search for a hard-to-find word. Now string them together, and answer me this, Which creature would you be unwilling to kiss?"
"Think about the world of espionage, broken things, and language struggles..."
Voiceless it cries, Wingless flutters, Toothless bites, Mouthless mutters. What is it?
Think about a natural phenomenon that makes a sound, but doesn't have a physical voice, and is often associated with movement, but doesn't have wings...
While exploring the wilds of Canada, George was captured by hostile wood fairies. Zion, the powerful chief of the fairies told him he could make one final statement which would determine how he would die. If the statement he made was false, he would be boiled in water. If the statement were true, he would be fried in oil. George found neither of this options too his liking, so he made a statement that got him out of this seemingly impossible situation. What is the one statement he could have made?
Here's a hint:
Think about a statement that, if true, would mean George would be fried in oil, and if false, would mean George would be boiled in water... but somehow, it's a statement that can't be punished by either method.
George said: "You will boil me in water." The fairies were faced with a dilemma. If they boil him in water, that would make his statement true, which means he should have been fried in oil. They can only fry him in oil if he makes a true statement, but if they do, it would make his final statement false. The fairies had no way our of their situation so they were forced to set George free.
Around the world, a wingless thing flies, and on the way it whistles and cries. Sometimes it helps destroy towns and trees, but sometimes it relaxes humans and beasts. It can fly through holes so tiny, so small. It can fly through plains that are big and wide. From the north, to the south, it is feared when it comes. But also enjoyed by the people around. What is the thing?
Think about something that can travel long distances, make sounds, and have both positive and negative effects on the environment and living things. It's not a living creature, but it can be found almost everywhere...
What is the most complex thing man has yet we use it every day?
Think about something that is intricate, made up of many parts, and is essential to your daily life... It's not a device or a machine, but rather something that is uniquely human.
In the land of forgotten past, where logic falters and chaos lasts, I whisper quietly through the veil, a cryptic message, delicate and frail. First, you'll seek the titan's home, where footsteps dwindle in silver foam. A cosmic dance of two in sync, their secret lies within the brink. Second, venture to the ancient tale, where elements meet and logic fails. The fifth in line, a metal's pride, with water's touch, it must divide. Third, within the sequence known, a pattern's end, infinitely grown. The first to break, the last to stay, it marches on, in ordered sway. Combine these three, a code is made; the answer hidden, a secret shade. Now, solve the riddle, if you dare, and seek the answer, hidden where?
**Hint:** "Pay attention to the celestial bodies and their movements, as well as the periodic table of elements. The answer lies at the intersection of astronomy and chemistry."
"A cosmic dance of two in sync" refers to Janus and Epimetheus, two moons of Saturn that share the same orbital path and swap positions, in what is sometimes referred to as a "cosmic dance." The fifth in line, a metal's pride, with water's touch, it must divide: The fifth element in the periodic table is Boron (B). It's a metalloid, so it shares properties with both metals and non-metals. Boron will react with water at high temperatures, dividing or breaking apart. The second clue points to Boron. The first to break, the last to stay, it marches on, in ordered sway: In the Fibonacci sequence, the first number to "break" the pattern is 4 because it doesn't fit the pattern of summing the two preceding numbers. This may be the third clue's answer. Combining these three answers, we get: Janus and Epimetheus, Boron, and 4. While this combination doesn't lead to a specific location or concept, we can interpret the riddle's last line: Combine these three, a code is made; the answer hidden, a secret shade. The riddle itself is the answer, a secret hidden in the veil of its cryptic language. The joy of the riddle lies in solving the clues and piecing together the puzzle. In this case, the destination is the journey itself.
What is served, but not by a waiter; and an ace but not a card?
A volleyball: A volleyball serve that drops without the opposing team touching it is called an ace. Also, a tennis ball. In tennis, an ace is a legal serve that is not touched by the receiver, winning the point for the server.