A man is driving in his car, there are no headlights or streetlights for him to see the road. But somehow, he saw an old lady crossing the street and stopped for her. How is this possible if there are no lights?
Brad stared through the dirty soot-smeared window on the 22nd floor of the office tower. Overcome with depression he slid the window open and jumped through it. It was a sheer drop outside the building to the ground. Miraculously after he landed he was completely unhurt. Since there was nothing to cushion his fall or slow his descent, how could he have survived the fall?
Think about the time of year and the condition of the window...
Brad was so sick and tired of window washing, he opened the window and jumped inside.
A man and a woman are talking to each other. One of them is a brunette, while the other person is blond. The brunette says, "I'm a lady,". And the blond person says, "I'm a gentleman,". Assuming that at least one person is lying, can you guess who's who?
Think about the words "lady" and "gentleman" and how they relate to the hair colors mentioned...
If we suppose that only one person is lying, then the people would either be both ladies or both gentlemen, which contradicts the first statement. Therefore, both people lied; the woman has blond hair, while the man had brunette hair.
In the 1950s, two young men, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, stood on a round piece of wood preparing to do battle. Neither man carried any weapons of any kind, as they were both planning to use their feet to defeat their opponent. Sharp spikes on the bottoms of their boots turned their feet into the tools they would use to dispatch their adversary. One kick to the body or head could cause irreparable damage; but neither man ever struck the other with their spiked boots. In fact, not one physical blow was landed during the contest, and yet, one man was eliminated and sent to a watery grave. I thought these types of barbaric spectacles designed to satisfy the visual lusts of onlooking crowds had stopped after the gladiatorial days of ancient Rome. On the other hand, perhaps this scenario is not as violent as it appears to be. Exactly what was going on here?
Think nautical, not gladiatorial...
The two combatants were engaged in a log rolling contest during a lumberjack competition. The spiked boots aided them in keeping their footing on the slippery logs.
Ron and Terry are both dressed in camouflage clothing and are completely surrounded by dead bodies. As veterans of the Army, they are both on a mission to locate some of their comrades. Neither Terry nor Ron are carrying any weapons, but they have no fear of being harmed. They look about the terrain which surrounds them, but all they see are grass and large and small stones. Terry jumps up on one of the large stones to get a better view of their surroundings, but Ron suggests to Terry that his standing on the big stone might be viewed as disrespectful, and Terry jumps down. "I counted 27 flags while I was up there," says Terry to Ron, "so let's go check them out." In what activity are Ron and Terry engaged?
Think about a place where you'd typically find flags, grass, and stones...
Ron and Terry are veterans who are looking for the grave sites of some of the soldiers they served with in the Army. The large and small stones are tombstones, and the American flags mark the graves of the veterans who are buried in that cemetery.
A mad chef forces you to cook breakfast for him; if he likes it, he'll set you free, but if not, you'll stay with him forever. While you're at the stove cooking something up, the chef dumps an entire container of salt into the pot you're cooking with. But when you serve breakfast, the chef realizes he'll have to let you go. What did you cook for him?
Think about something you can cook that would actually benefit from a large amount of salt being added to it...
You cooked some boiled eggs. No matter how much salt is added to the pot, the boiled eggs won't be salty.
Here are two statements: 1) Some men are kings. 2) All kings have golden crowns. Here are two conclusions: 1) All men have golden crowns. 2) All kings are men. Which conclusion, if any, is correct?
Think about the direction of the implications: the original statements only tell you about a subset of men (kings) and a property of kings (golden crowns), but they don't say everything about all men or all things with golden crowns.
Neither conclusion is correct. Conclusion 1 is incorrect; not all men have golden crowns because only SOME men are kings. Conclusion 2 is also incorrect; not all kings are men because all kings have golden crowns, but men do not (men are usually of a lower status than kings). Therefore, both conclusions are incorrect.
Hannah became very tired while driving. She decided to stop at a nearby two-story hotel and stay there for the night. The receptionist said that her hotel room number is 604; he even offered to show Hannah where it was. Hannah didn't believe him; she rushed back to her car, hopped inside, and sped away. Why?
Think about the physical characteristics of a two-story hotel...
The first digit of a hotel room number usually indicates the floor it is on. Room 604 is supposed to be on the sixth floor, but the hotel only has two floors.
A nurse was speaking with a young doctor just prior to their entering the room where the surgery was to take place. "You know," said the nurse, "I am surprised you are going to attempt surgery on this patient again, since you have failed in all of your previous attempts. You are lucky this patient is unable to make any complaints concerning your failed surgical attempts, and sue you for malpractice! So far, you have botched his knee, ankle, heart, and rib surgeries, and now you are going to try to remove insects from this man's stomach. What's next, brain surgery?" "After today's operation, I believe I will do just that!," replied the doctor in a defiant tone, "and this time there will be no nose bleed, or a red nose of any kind during the surgery." "That'll be the day," replied the nurse. "I will be right next to you during the operation, so when you mess up, I'll have a good laugh!" What kind of twisted, warped, medical professionals are these two? Why haven't both of them been permanently banned from practicing medicine? Just what exactly is going on here?
Think outside the operating room...
While on break, several of the doctors and nurses at a hospital have been competing against one another in the classic game of Operation. This doctor, although he failed at removing the patient’s water on the knee, wrenched ankle, broken heart, and spare ribs, felt confident he could remove the butterflies from the patient’s stomach without causing the patient’s nose to light up red and trigger a buzzer sound signifying failure.
A poor, elderly woman lived alone with her dog. One day she noticed her dog appeared to be very hungry, so she went to her food storage area where she kept her dishes and cups, to search for food to serve to him. She was surprised to find she had no food whatsoever for either herself or her dog ------ not even so much as a bone to serve to her starving pet. And so, neither she nor her dog had anything to eat. How often had these same circumstances occurred to this lady and her pet? Why had no one called Senior Services or the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (S.P.C.A.) to report these dreadful conditions? Incidentally, do you happen to know this woman's last name?
The hint is: Think about the woman's occupation and the phrase "dishes and cups" in a different context.
Her last name was Hubbard. Old Mother Hubbard went to her cupboard to get her poor dog a bone....
The marathon man timed himself and found out that if he wore a bright white outfit he ran 20 miles in 80 minutes, but when he wore a dark outfit, he ran 20 miles in one hour and twenty minutes. What does this mean for his next race?
Think about how the marathon man's outfit might be affecting his running time, and it's not because of the physical properties of the outfit itself...
Absolutely nothing, as 80 minutes equals an hour and twenty minutes.
Such a slim little stripe in a shiny, round coat! How it grows in the warm sun's bright rays! But its jacket still fits, and it's worthy of note That it isn't so, tall on cool days. Hint: It's not a fishing pole.
Think about something you might find in a garden or a park, and how it changes appearance depending on the temperature...
There is a lamp inside a photography darkroom. When the darkroom door is closed, it is impossible to tell from outside the room whether or not the lamp is on. There are two switches outside the door of the darkroom. One or both of the switches may control the lamp. It also could be that neither of the switches controls the lamp. All you know is that the light bulb is currently off and that the lamp and bulb are in working condition. The darkroom door is closed and once you open the door you cannot touch either of the switches. If you can only open the dark room door one time, how can you tell which switches, if any, control the lamp?
Here's a hint: Think about how you can use the switches to create a sequence of events that will give you the most information about the lamp's state when you open the door. Consider flipping one or both switches before opening the door, and think about what you can infer from the lamp's state when you finally see it.
Turn the first switch on and leave it on for ten minutes. After ten minutes, turn that switch off and turn the second switch on. Open the darkroom door, and lightly (in case it is hot) touch the bulb. If the lamp is on, and the bulb is quite hot, both switches work the lamp. If the lamp is on, and the bulb is cool, the second switch controls the lamp. If the lamp is off, and the bulb is hot, switch one controls the lamp. If the lamp is off, and the bulb is cool, neither switch controls the lamp.
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.
Find four numbers, the sum of which is 45, so that if 2 is added to the first number, 2 is subtracted from the second number, the third number is multiplied by 2 and the fourth number is divided by 2, then the four numbers so produced are all the same. What are the four numbers?
Think about how the operations (add 2, subtract 2, multiply by 2, divide by 2) affect the numbers, and how you can "balance" these effects to get the same result. Consider the relationships between the numbers, rather than their individual values.
(A) Use two digits to make the smallest possible positive integer.
(B) Five 3s can express 37: 37=33+3+3/3
Find another way to do it.
(C) Use six identical digits to make 100. (Several solutions are possible.)
(D) Use five 4s to make 55.
(E) Use four 9s to make 20.
(A) 1 X 1; 1/1;2/2;ect....;1-0;2-1;and many others.
(B) 37=333/3X3; 37=3 X 3 X 3 + 3/.3
(C) 99 + 99/99; 55+55- 5- 5; (666-66)/6
(D) 44 + 44/4=55.
(E) 9 + 99/9=20.
A man told his son that he would give him $1000 if he could accomplish the following task. The father gave his son ten envelopes and a thousand dollars, all in one dollar bills. He told his son, "Place the money in the envelopes in such a manner that no matter what number of dollars I ask for, you can give me one or more of the envelopes, containing the exact amount I asked for without having to open any of the envelopes. If you can do this, you will keep the $1000." When the father asked for a sum of money, the son was able to give him envelopes containing the exact amount of money asked for. How did the son distribute the money among the ten envelopes?
Think about the powers of 2...
The contents or the ten envelopes (in dollar bills) should be as follows: $1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, 256, 489. The first nine numbers are in geometrical progression, and their sum, deducted from 1,000, gives the contents of the tenth envelope.
Two camels were facing in opposite directions. One was facing due East and one was facing due West. They were in the desert so there was no reflection. How can they manage to see each other without walking around or turning around or moving their heads?
Think about the camels' positions relative to each other, rather than their directions...
The two camels were facing each other the entire time. Hence facing in opposite directions.
You walk into your house the electricity is out you see three doors that you have never seen before. You go through the one with a lion that hasn't eaten for over six months. There are another three doors you go through the one with an empty room. There's a man that says how do you want to be murdered with the gun the knife or the electric chair that will kill you in an instant. How will you survive?
The electric chair because your electricity is out.
A little girl named Sasha was left home alone with her butler, chef, and gardener. Sasha's parents went out on a date night and came home and found their daughter stabbed to death. The police questioned the chef first the gardener second and the butler last. The chef said, "I was in the kitchen preparing dinner for my little Sasha I would never do anything to hurt my princess". The gardener said, " I was outside working on the plants...I was about to come in and take a shower". And the butler said, " I was cleaning Sasha's room...I didn't even have a knife on me anyway so I couldn't of killed her". Automatically the cops knew who it was and arrested them. Who and How?
Here's a hint:
Pay close attention to the statements made by each suspect, and think about what they say about their activities and locations at the time of the murder. In particular, consider what the butler says about not having a knife on them...
The butler because the cops never mentioned that she was stabbed with a knife.
I drive people crazy, but I'm not for the lazy. Young teenagers crave me, at first, I’m amazing. I'll have your heart racing, I may make you take off the safety. I'll cause suicides and lullabies. From sunrise to compromise. To having to settle, some I'll test your mettle. Some will never know me, some will wish they never knew me. What am I?
Think about something that can be both exhilarating and devastating, often associated with intense emotions and life-changing experiences...
A psychologist goes to a village in Africa and decides to compare foot size to intelligence. He notes that in general, as foot size increases, so does intelligence. How can this be?
Think about who is most likely to have the largest feet in the village...
He is measuring everyone's feet, including the feet of the very small children. So the statistics will show that larger feet belong to the smarter people, the adults.
Two grandmothers, with their two granddaughters; Two husbands, with their two wives; Two fathers, with their two daughters; Two mothers, with their two sons; Two maidens, with their two mothers; Two sisters, with their two brothers; Yet only six in all lie buried here; All born legitimate, from incest clear. How can this be?
Think about a family tree, and consider the different relationships that can exist between people. Focus on the words "two" and "their" to help you understand how these relationships can be intertwined.
Two widows each had a son, and each widow married the son of the other and then each had a daughter.
A boy leaves home in the morning to go to school. At the moment he leaves the house he looks at the clock in the mirror. The clock has no number indication and for this reason, the boy makes a mistake in interpreting the time (mirror-image). Just assuming the clock must be out of order, the boy cycles to school, where he arrives after twenty minutes. At that moment the clock at school shows a time that is two and a half hours later than the time that the boy saw on the clock at home. What time is it?
Think about what happens when you look at a clock in a mirror...
The difference between the real time and the time of the mirror image is two hours and ten minutes (two and a half hours, minus the twenty minutes of cycling). Therefore, the original time on the clock at home that morning could only have been five minutes past seven: The difference between these clocks is exactly 2 hours and ten minutes (note that also five minutes past one can be mirrored in a similar way, but this is not in the morning!). Conclusion: The boy reaches school at five minutes past seven plus twenty minutes of cycling, which is twenty-five minutes past seven!...
There is a bus full of people travelling to San Francisco and no one gets off the bus throughout the journey. But when it gets to the other side there is not a single person left. How is this possible?
Think about the purpose of the bus and the type of people on it...
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.
The pet shop starts with some dogs, then someone comes and takes 1 of the dogs, then another person and their child take 4 dogs. After that a mother, father and their 18 kids adopt 12 dogs. Then the pet shop receaves 3 dogs and someone takes 1, now the pet shop has 2 dogs. How many dogs did they have at the beginning?
"Work backwards from the end, and think about how the numbers of people relate to the number of dogs taken..."
Some are Precious, Some are Plain, Some Used for Building, Some Used for Pain. What am I?
Think about something that can be valuable and coveted, yet also ordinary and unremarkable. It's something that can be used to create and construct, but also to hurt and harm. The answer is something you might find in a treasure chest, a construction site, or a medicine cabinet...
I'm pleasing to the eye A tool for many absent of mind A tapestry of fickle lies Blind to even the most pensive spies I'm often the breeder of fervent lust But I am by far one you shouldn't trust.
What am I?
"Think about something that is visually appealing, yet can be misleading and untrustworthy, often influencing people's desires and perceptions..."
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'.)
There is a word. It has five letters. Its last three letters refer to a skill of creating objects. Its middle three letters refer to one of the parts found at either side of your head. Its first two letters signify a male. The first four letters of it is the ability to use its middle three letters to detect sound. Its whole is found in you. What word is it ?
"Listen carefully to the answer, it's in your ear..."
What's more precious than rubies, more lasting than gold, what can never be traded stolen, or sold, what comes with great effort, takes time but then once yours will serve you again and again?
Think about something that is often earned, rather than bought, and is unique to each individual...
What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps?
Think about something you might find near a body of water, and consider the different parts of this thing and how they relate to the descriptions in the riddle.
When you don't know what I am, I am something. When you know what I am, I am nothing.
What Am I?
Think about a situation where your understanding or knowledge of something changes its significance or existence...
The answer was what that question was! The answer would be a riddle! a riddle would be nothing if you knew it and if you dunt know the answer to the riddle, it's still something.