In a house, there lives a family of 4. There is a father, a mother, an older sister, and a younger sister. One day, the father catches a disease. A week later, Death comes to take the father's soul. The mother begs for 5 more years with her husband, and Death agrees. 5 years later, Death comes back. The older sister begs for 3 more years with her father, and Death agrees. 3 years later, Death comes back. The father, mother, and older sister turn to the younger sister for help, and she is holding a candle with a flame on the end of the wick. The younger sister says, "I have a deal to make, Death. My father will live until this candle burns out." And Death agrees. However, Death never returns. Why not?
The key to this riddle lies in the object the younger sister is holding...
The younger sister blew out the candle, so it didn't technically burn out. Then she threw away the candle so the family wouldn't mistakenly light it.
Once upon a time, in a temple, there were three deities: Truth, Lie, and Wisdom. The Truth Deity always told the truth. The Lie Deity always told the lie. The Wisdom Deity sometimes told the truth, sometimes told the lie. Unfortunately, those three deities looked exactly the same, so no one could distinguish them. One day, a sage came by and he differentiated them by the following trick: He asked the deity sitting on the left: "Who is the middle deity?"- "Truth", said the deity. He asked the deity sitting in the middle: "Who are you?"- "Wisdom", replied the deity. He asked the deity sitting on the right: "Who is the middle deities?"- "Lie", the deity answered.
How could the sage distinguish the three deities?
Think about what each deity would say about the middle deity, considering their nature: Truth would tell the truth, Lie would lie, and Wisdom would give a mixed answer...
The left deity is Wisdom; the middle one is Lie, and the right one is Truth. Explain: The left deity (L) said that the middle one (M) is Truth; therefore, L cannot be Truth (because there cannot be two Truth Deities!). M said he was Wisdom; therefore, he cannot be Truth. Thus, R is Truth. According to him, M is Lie and as a result, L is Wisdom.
Four friends went out one night. During the trip back, they tried to squeeze under an umbrella, but it was too small for them to fit through. Still, everyone managed to stay dry by the time they arrived home. How can this be?
Think about the time of day and the circumstances of their trip...
It wasn't raining. I didn't say that it was raining after all!
Right before a restaurant was about to open, someone stole all of the money from the cashier's desk. The chef said that he was working hard and didn't have time to walk or look around, so he didn't see anything. The security guard said that he was in the bathroom and didn't notice anything suspicious. The waiter said that he remembered seeing one visitor looking suspicious to him; somehow, he ignored the visitor and didn't stop him. The waiter got arrested for stealing the money. Why?
The hint is: Pay attention to the waiter's statement, specifically the phrase "somehow, he ignored the visitor..."
The phrase, "Right before a restaurant was about to open…" means that the restaurant was still closed. There couldn't have been any visitors inside. Therefore, the waiter is lying.
Mr. Plessy, one of the best pilots in his town, came to his insurance company to file a report. He said that someone had robbed him in the street, but he couldn't see what the robber had looked like because of his poor eyesight. The insurance manager refused to proceed with the case and called Mr. Plessy a liar. Why?
Think about Mr. Plessy's profession and how it relates to his claim...
Mr. Plessy is a pilot, but it's impossible to work as one if you have poor eyesight.
Zack invented a game for him and his friend Dan to play. They would take turns saying numbers between one and 10. The next player would have to say a number that is greater than the previous one by a number between one and 10. The first player to say 50 would be the winner. Zack decides to let Dan start. How can Dan win?
Think about the optimal starting number that would give Dan the most flexibility for his next move...
If Dan wants to say 50, then he needs Zack to say a number between 40 and 49, so right before 50, Dan needs to say 39. If he wants to say 39, then Zack needs to say a number between 29 and 38, so right before 39, Dan needs to say 28. If Dan wants to say 28, Zack has to say a number between 18 and 27, so right before 28, Dan has to say 17. And if he wants to say 17, he has to let Zack say a number between 7 and 16, so right before 17, Dan has to say 6. In order to win, Dan needs to say 6, then 17, then 28, then 39, and finally 50.
A senior citizen, Marge recently made financial arrangements for a young, bald-headed man to come to her house, as she needed some assistance with some of her cleaning chores, including mopping the floors and general surface cleaning. However, despite her best efforts, Marge has been unable to convince the man to do any work for her. He just stands there with a constant smile plastered on his face, with his arms crossed, and his gold earring dangling from his left ear, as he watches Marge do all of her house cleaning -- but he never lifts one finger to help her! How long will Marge put up with this freeloader? After all, Marge has paid good money to get this man to come to her home to help her, but she ends up doing all the work! Where are the senior advocates? Just what exactly is going on here, and why is Marge allowing this situation to continue?
Think about the type of "assistant" Marge hired, and what their typical behavior might be...
Marge’s helper, which she purchased at a local grocery store, is a bottle of Mr. Clean, floor and surface cleaner.
Which of the following statements are true, and which are false? 1. Only one of the statements is false 2. Exactly two of the statements are false. 3. Only three of the statements are false. 4. Exactly four of the statements are false. 5. All five of these statements are false.
Think about it like a paradox: if a statement says it's false, is it really false?
The only true statement can be #4. The others are false. #5 can't be true, because it says all the statements are false.
Alice is walking through the forest of forgetfulness. She wants to know what day of the week it is. She stops and asks a lion and a unicorn. Now the lion lies all of the time on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The unicorn always lies on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Alice asks the lion what day it is, he says, "Well, yesterday was one of my lying days." Alice can't figure it out just from the lion's answer so she asks the unicorn and the unicorn says, "Yesterday was also one of my lying days." What day is it?
Think about the possibilities of "yesterday" for both the lion and the unicorn...
Joe and Sally were sitting in their family room one night. While Joe was watching T.V, his wife Sally was reading. All of a sudden the power went out and Joe decided to go to bed, but Sally kept on reading. With no use of artificial light, Sally kept on reading. How?
The hint is: Think about the timing and the activity Sally was doing...
Sally was blind, she was reading a book by Braille.
Whether the weather is hot or cold, I will take you wherever you need to go. The direction you take will determine the place. There may be the most difficult roads, but they often lead to the most beautiful destinations. What am I?
Think about something that can be used in various weather conditions, and its purpose is to guide or direct you to a specific location...
While playing with a metal washer shaped like a ring, Dave accidentally pushed it on his finger too far and couldn't get it off. Trying to remove it using soap and water didn't work. The hospital sent him to a service station thinking they could cut the metal. Since the ring was made with specially hardened steel, it couldn't be cut. Just then Bob arrived on the scene and suggested an easy way to remove the washer in just a few minutes. What was his solution?
"Think about a common service station tool that can help 'inflate' the situation..."
Bob suggested that Dave hold his finger in the air while someone wound a piece of string tightly around his finger just above the metal ring. The string forced the swelling down. As they unwounded the string from the end nearest the ring, someone else slid the ring up. They continued winding and unwinding the string until the ring could be easily removed.
Nicholas loves to collect pairs of shoes. All of his pairs of shoes are blue, except for three; all of them are white, except for three; all of them are brown, except for three; finally, all of them are beige, except for three. How many pairs of shoes does Nicholas have?
Think about what it means for all of Nicholas' shoes to be a certain color, except for three... Does it mean he has exactly three shoes of a different color, or could it be more?
Nicholas has four pairs of shoes. Let's say that x is the number of pairs of shoes Nicholas has. x - 3 should be the term we need to use because the phrase "(color) except for three" means that three pairs of shoes in his collection are NOT of that color. And we should use this term four times because four colors are mentioned in the riddle. 4(x - 3) should be equal to x because once again, x represents the number of pairs of shoes. Here is the algebra: 4 (x - 3) = x 4x - 12 = x -12 = -3x 4 = x Therefore, there are four pairs of shoes in Nicholas' collection: one blue, one white, one brown, and one beige.
A nonstop train leaves Moscow for Leningrad at 60 mph. Another nonstop train leaves Leningrad for Moscow at 40 mph. How far apart are the trains 1 hour before they pass each other?
Sometimes I am born in silence, Other times, no. I am unseen, But I make my presence known. In time, I fade without a trace. I harm no one, but I am unpopular with all. What am I?
Think about something that can appear suddenly, without warning, and can be very unwelcome, yet it doesn't cause any physical harm...
A man walked into a room, and there were three doors. The first door had a sign which read "Lion's Den." The second door had a sign which read "Mountain Top." The third door had no sign, yet the man knew exactly where it went. How is that possible?
The third door is the door that the man entered through.
Three lives have I. Gentle enough to soothe the skin, Light enough to caress the sky, Hard enough to crack rocks. What am I?
Think about something that can exist in different forms or states, and how its properties change depending on those states...
Water. Explanation: Water can be in the form of a liquid, solid (ice), and/or a gas (water vapor) which is represented by "three lives". As a liquid, it is used to bathe, as a gas it creates clouds that float in the sky, and as a solid (ice), it can split rocks or create glaciers that scour the earth as they move downhill.
My tail is long, my coat is brown, I like the country, I like the town. I can live in a house or live in a shed, And I come out to play when you are in bed.
What am I?
Think about an animal that is commonly found in both rural and urban areas, and is known to be active at night...
I am dead but alive, I eat but am never satisfied, I consume knowledge but gain none. What am I?
Think about something that is often associated with death, but still has a sense of existence or presence. It's something that "eats" or consumes things, but never feels full or content. And although it takes in knowledge, it doesn't truly understand or learn from it...
Large as a mountain, small as a pea,
Endlessly swimming in a waterless sea.
What am I?
Think about something that can be enormous in concept, yet tiny in physical form, and is often associated with a vast, ocean-like expanse, but not necessarily made of water...
I can be small as a mouse or as big as a whale, But no matter how big, I'm no burden to scales. You can fight me for practice, but you'll never win. I follow bright people, but I'm always dim. If you're needing a partner, I'm as keen to dance. But I know no move that doesn't copy your stance. What am I?
Think about something that can be found in various sizes, is often associated with competition or practice, and has a tendency to mimic or follow others...
I am a tale in children's minds. I keep their secrets and share them inside. I blur their thoughts into fantasies kept Like a canvas of art or a submarine depth. Though an illusion, occurs every night; I give them a fantasy, I give them a fright. Nor good or bad, but It's interesting to tell.
What am I?
Fire is often maintained above me, and if you remove my first letter, you will find the home shared by everyone you have ever known.
What am I?
Think about a common household item that's often found near a fire, and a word that changes meaning when you remove its first letter, leading to a universal concept that connects us all...
Sometimes I am loud and viewed with distaste. Poke out my eye, then I'm on the front of your face. What am I?
Think about something that can be annoying or unpleasant when it's loud, but becomes a common and familiar sight when a certain part of it is "poked out"...
A noise, remove the "eye" aka "i" and you get a nose.
I sound a color,
But that's the old me;
I grow near the water;
I'm what your doing.
What am I?
Think about a word that has changed its meaning over time, and its old meaning is related to a color. Also, consider an activity you're doing right now...
Never resting, never still. Moving silently from hill to hill. It does not walk, run or trot, All is cool where it is not. What is it?
Think about something that can move across the landscape without making a sound, and its presence is often associated with a decrease in temperature...
I walked through a field of wheat,
I picked up something good to eat,
It was white and had no bone,
In twenty-one days it walked alone.
What did I pick up?
Think about something that grows in a field of wheat, is white, and has no bone... and can surprisingly move on its own after a certain period of time!
On a fine sunny day a ship was in the harbor. All of a sudden the ship began to sink. There was no storm and nothing wrong with the ship yet it sank right in front of the spectators eyes. What caused the ship to sink?
What lives in winter, dies in summer, and grows with its roots upward?
Think about something that is typically associated with cold weather, but disappears when the temperature rises. It's not a living thing, but it can be found in nature...
In the olden days, you are a clever thief charged with treason against the king and sentenced to death. But the king decided to be a little lenient and let you choose your own way to die. What way should you choose?
Think about a method of execution that is dependent on the actions of others, rather than your own...
What creature has one voice, but has four feet in the morning, two feet in the afternoon, and three feet in the evening?
Think about the different stages of a person's life...
Man crawls on all fours as a baby, walks on two as an adult, and needs a walking cane when old. The Sphinx posed this riddle to Oedipus who solved the riddle correctly.
Sixteen players start the game. One player gets involved in every play but doesn't care who wins. Each team has seven players who stay loyal to their team, but despite their loyalty, they often leave before the game is over. The final player has no loyalty to either team, but is committed to the game and never leaves until the end. What game is it?
Think about a popular card game where the "player" who gets involved in every play is not a human, but rather an object that is used throughout the game...
Ben walked into a hardware store and asked the price of some items. The salesman said: One costs $1, Eight costs $1, Seventeen cost $2, One hundred four costs $3 and One thousand seventy two costs $4. What was Ben buying?
Think about the words, not the numbers...
Ben was buying home address numbers and they cost $1 per digit.
A cloud was my mother, the wind is my father, my son is the cool stream, and my daughter is the fruit of the land. A rainbow is my bed, the earth my final resting place, and I'm the torment of man. Who Am I?
Think about a natural phenomenon that is born from the sky, nourishes the earth, and can be both life-giving and destructive to humans.
A wealthy man named Richard Ellis had been counting his money. When he finished, he accidentally left a $100.00 bill on his desk. But when he returned for it a short while later, it was gone. Only two other people could have seen the bill. One was the maid; the other was the butler. The maid told him that she had hidden it for safekeeping under a green book that was on the desk. But when they looked the bill was not there. The butler said he had found the bill where the maid had left it. He had placed it inside the book, where he thought there was less chance that somebody would find it. He had written down the page numbers so that he would not forget them. The bill was between pages 35 and 36, he said. But when they looked, there was no money in the book. After Mr. Ellis had talked to the maid and the butler, he called the police. He knew who had taken the money. Who was it, and how did he know?
Think about the butler's statement... Did he really write down the page numbers, or was he just trying to sound convincing?
The butler did it. Mr. Ellis knew the butler was lying because pages 35 and 36 in a book are always printed on opposite sides of the same piece of paper.
A woman named Maria was at the funeral of her mother. She met a nice young man that she had never seen before and after the service, they spent a bit of time together. Then she got busy and didn’t get his name or phone number before he left. She tried to find him, but no one knew who he was or how to contact him. A few weeks later, Maria’s older sister dies and the police suspect murder. Who killed the sister?
Think about the funeral setting and the people who typically attend...
Maria. She hoped the man would show up at her sister’s funeral just as he had for her mother’s funeral.