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.
Your grandma baked three cupcakes for you, and she's letting you eat one of them. She knows that you don't like strawberries, so she lines the cupcakes in a row and tells you, "The orange cupcake is not in the middle. And the apple cupcake is not next to the orange cupcake,". Which cupcake is strawberry-flavored?
Think about the process of elimination and the clues your grandma gave you. Focus on the apple cupcake's position...
The orange cupcake is not in the middle, and the apple cupcake can't be in the middle either because it would contradict your grandma's second statement. Therefore, the orange and apple cupcakes are on the ends, and the strawberry cupcake is in the middle.
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.
A retired zookeeper owned a huge house with a very large and beautifully landscaped yard. The neighbors of the man drove past his home daily, and admired his arrangement of all the large trees and numerous healthy bushes which adorned the front yard. One day, a neighbor drove by the former zookeeper's house, and was astonished to see a living, fully-grown ostrich standing in the yard. A week later, neighbors reported seeing a live, fully-grown bear standing near the ostrich. As the next few weeks passed, the neighbors saw a tiger, a lion, a hippopotamus, and finally an elephant appear in the yard of the retired zookeeper --- all fully- grown and alive, but without any cages or bars to protect the neighborhood from them. Amazingly, not one person who lived in that area ever expressed any fear of the uncaged animals, and no one ever called the police for protection. Were these people living in the Twilight Zone? What exactly was going on here, and why weren't any of these people afraid for their lives?
Think about the profession of the homeowner...
The retired zookeeper was also a professional topiary expert. Mixing together the best of his two worlds, he sculpted zoo animals from his fully-grown, healthy, living bushes in his front yard, much to the delight of his neighbors.
A certain large animal lives happily and thrives here on Earth. One day, every single one of these critters is wiped out by a mysterious disease that affects only this particular animal. There are none left anywhere on earth -- they are all gone. About a year or so later, they begin to reappear on Earth again. How can this be?
Think about a type of animal that has a unique life cycle, where its young are born in a very different environment than where they will eventually live and thrive...
The animal is the Mule. Since all Mules are born sterile, you can only get a Mule by crossing a donkey with a horse. That is how the species is able to repopulate itself.
You have seven pens and nine pigs. You must arrange the pens so that each pen has an even number of pigs. Zero is not allowed, nor will it work. How do you do this?
Think about grouping the pigs in a way that each group has an even number of pigs, and then assign the pens accordingly. You might need to get a little "creative" with how you define a "group" of pigs...
There are 2 cops parked along a one-way street looking for traffic violations. They spot a taxi driver going in the wrong direction, yet they do nothing.
Why?
Think about the situation from a different perspective... Are the cops really "looking" at the taxi driver?
The taxi driver wasn't driving at the time, he was walking.
There is a dead man in the middle of a field, nothing is around him and there are no footprints of any sort. There is an unopened package next to him. How did he die? HINT: As he approached the field he knew he was going to die.
Many years ago, a wealthy old man was near death. He wished to leave his fortune to one of his three children. The old man wanted to know that his fortune would be in wise hands. He stipulated that his estate would be left to the child who would sing him half as many songs as days that he had left to live. The eldest son said he couldn't comply because he didn't know how many days his father had left to live, and besides he was too busy. The youngest son said the same thing. The man ended up leaving his money to his third child, a daughter. What did his daughter do?
Every other day, the daughter sang her father a song.
A rotating fragment of mineral collects no byrophytic plants. What is the proverb?
Think about a common phrase that advises against accumulating something, and consider the words in the riddle as clever substitutions for the usual words in that phrase...
Two mothers and two daughters went to the grocery store to buy watermelons. Strangely, they only walked out of the grocery store with three watermelons, but this was enough for each of them to have one watermelon. How is it possible?
Think about the relationships between the mothers and daughters... are they all distinct individuals?
Only three people went grocery shopping: a grandmother, a mother, and a daughter. The grandmother is also a mother (she is the mother's mother), and the mother is also a daughter (she is the grandmother's daughter).
There are 30 cows in a field, and 28 chickens. How many didn't?
Think about the question being asked... it's not about the number of cows or chickens, but rather about the action of doing something. What is it that some of them didn't do?
10. Listen closely: 30 cows and twenty-eight chickens. Say EIGHT and ATE. They sound the same. Therefore, it means 20 ATE chickens. 30-20=10, so 10 cows didn't eat any chickens.
I am something people love or hate. I change people's appearances and thoughts. If a person takes care of them self I will go up even higher. To some people, I will fool them. To others, I am a mystery. Some people might want to try and hide me but I will show. No matter how hard people try I will Never go down. What am I?
I am the ruler of shovels, I have a double. I am as thin as a knife, I have a wife. What am I?
Think about a common gardening tool that has a "double" or a paired counterpart, and its "wife" might be a related but distinct object. The answer is something you might find in a shed or a garden...
Double my number, I'm less than a score, half of my number is less than four. Add one to my double when bakers are near, days of the week are still greater, I fear.
What am I?
Think about a number that is closely related to baking, and consider the days of the week in your answer.
I have a head body and arm but no blood. I have eyes but can't see a nose but can't smell. I have a stage but haven't seen anyone perform. I have arms but can not carry anything you see things with me but you can't see what I am made of. What am I?
Think about a place where people often gather, and it's not a living thing...
I am the shell of something interesting. My front is very eye catching but my inside tells all. What am I ?
"Think about something you might find in a museum or a collector's shelf, and consider the difference between its attractive exterior and the valuable information it holds within..."
I am strongest when you see me as round, but I am often viewed in other forms. I lift and drop the sea with my tremendous strength, and a man with a name like 'powerful bicep' was the first to tread on me.
What am I?
Think about a natural phenomenon that can appear in different shapes and forms, and is associated with the ocean's tides...
I can be hot, I can be cold, I can run and I can be still, I can be hard and I can be soft. What am I?
Think about something that can change its state or form in various ways, and is often associated with different temperatures, textures, and movements...
I can be old or new, big or small, thick or thin. I contain information about all that is present in the entire world. I contain links to countless minds, worlds, adventures, universes, mysteries, and even mystical things. I am a place where things are out of the world and where imaginations are realities. People fill me with their thoughts, opinions, and life stories. Most children tend to think I'm boring, but there are only a few truly talented, out-of-this-world, beautiful minds who wait for me enthusiastically and when done with me, wait for my descendants. What am I?
"Think about a place where knowledge and imagination come together, and where the boundaries of reality are stretched. It's a treasure trove of information, where the thoughts and stories of many minds are collected."
Books! Come on, who doesn't love to curl up with a good book beside the fireplace?!
Four legs I do have, yet I never walk. I work not, yet I have food. All the food I get, none do I eat but you do. I cannot read yet many times I'm found with books. I am only but a carpenter's work. What am I?
Think about a common object found in a library or a study room, often associated with books, but not alive, and not capable of eating or walking...
I am the tool, for inspiring many. Buy me in the store, for not much more than a penny. Don't overuse me, or my usefulness will go, what am I? Do you know?
Think about something that sparks creativity, is very affordable, and can lose its effectiveness if used excessively...
Which of the men is so prudent and wise as to say who drives me on my path, when I rise up strong, at times severe, powerfully prominent, sometimes vengeful, I travel throughout the land, burn houses. Smoke rises, grey over rooftops. The trees on earth shall be, the violent death of men, when I shake the woods, the flowering forests, fell tall trees, roofed with rain, by the highest powers, driven in my wandering, widely sent; I have on my back what once covered men, body, and soul, both in water. Say who covers me, or how I am called, that bears that burden. What am I?
"Think about a force of nature that can be both creative and destructive, and is often associated with power, strength, and transformation. The answer is not a living thing, but it can have a profound impact on the natural world and human societies."
Think about something that can be present in a room, yet doesn't occupy any physical area... It's not a living thing, but it can be felt by everyone in the room.
What ancient device allows people to traverse through walls?
Think about something that was used in the past to help people move from one place to another, and its name has a word that is also a type of partition or barrier...
I heard of an invading, vanquishing army sweeping across the land, liquid-quick; conquering everything, quelling resistance. With it came darkness, dimming the light. Humans hid in their houses, while outside spears pierced, shattering stone walls. Uncountable soldiers smashed into the ground, but each elicited life as he died; when the army had vanished, advancing northward, the land was green and growing, refreshed. What is it?
"Think about a natural phenomenon that can be destructive, yet ultimately brings new life and growth."
A train just leaves a station and enters a tunnel. Where is the best place for a claustrophobic person to sit?
Think about the part of the train that is already OUT of the tunnel...
In the back. See, the train is still accelerating as it is leaving the station so the train will be moving faster when the back of the train enters the tunnel.