A Walk In The Desert Riddle
Four men walk into the desert. Suddenly all four are simultaneously knocked out. They awake buried to their heads in the sand unable to look anywhere but straight ahead. They are positioned so that each man sees another's head before him. However between the first and second man there is a separating wall.
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
So the first man sees only desert. The second man sees only wall. The third man sees another's head and a wall. The fourth man sees two heads and a wall. On top of each mans head is a hat. The underside of each cap is black, but the outside of each cap is either blue or white. Before any of the men can speak, their captors tell them if they speak, they die. However, if any of them can guess the color of their cap on the first try they go free. The captors tell them that there are two blue caps and two white caps.
Being an omniscient observer of the situation, we know that the order of the caps are: blue, white, blue, white. So knowing the perspective of each man in the sand, and that they can only see the color of caps/wall/desert in front of them, which of the four men knows for certain the color of his own cap. More importantly: why?
Hint:
The third man. This is because he knows there are only two of each color cap. If the man behind him (the fourth man) saw two caps that were the same color in front of him, he would know that his own must be the opposite. However, because the caps alternate in color. The fourth man has only a 50% chance of getting his hat color correct, so therefore he stays quiet. The third man realizes that the fourth man is quiet because he must not see two caps of the same color in front of him, otherwise the fourth man would say the opposite of the caps in front of him. Therefore, the third man presumes his own cap must be the opposite of the mans in front of him, and his presumption is correct. Under this same logic, after the third man speaks his color hat, the second man, even though he sees only wall, would be the next to go free, because he knows his cap must be the opposite of whichever color the third mans cap was. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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Panning Gold Riddle
Before dying, a father left a will to his two sons telling of a gold-panning stream that had supported his father's family long and hard. The will said that the two sons could make one, only one trip to the stream to pan for gold, but for as long as they wanted, and that whoever carried the gold back got it. On their way to the stream, the two sons lost a big fraction of their supplies, reducing their stay to two months. All they had now were some food, a mule, and panning supplies. During their stay, they managed to pan and smelt a gold bar 5 inches in diameter and 5 inches in height. Back in their hometown, the two sons disputed long and hard in court over who should get the gold bar. Now, the judge was a wise one. Who did he say got the gold bar?
Hint:
The mule. A gold bar 5 inches in diameter and 5 inches in height would have weighed far too much for either of the sons to carry, only the mule could have. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
Out The Abandoned Building Riddle
A homicide detective is called at a crime scene. A man is lying dead in front of an abandoned building. It is believed that the man jumped out of a window off the abandoned building and committed suicide.
The detective asks his team to collect evidence and he heads towards the building. He goes to the first floor and towards the room that is on the front side. Inside the room, he lights a cigarette, walks towards the window facing the dead body, opens the window and throws out the cigarette. He then goes to the second floor and repeats the same process.
He keeps doing the same thing till he is done with all the floors and then takes the lift to the ground floor. Upon reaching there, he informs the team that it is not a suicide but a murder.
How did he know that it was a not a suicide?
The detective asks his team to collect evidence and he heads towards the building. He goes to the first floor and towards the room that is on the front side. Inside the room, he lights a cigarette, walks towards the window facing the dead body, opens the window and throws out the cigarette. He then goes to the second floor and repeats the same process.
He keeps doing the same thing till he is done with all the floors and then takes the lift to the ground floor. Upon reaching there, he informs the team that it is not a suicide but a murder.
How did he know that it was a not a suicide?
Hint:
If the man had committed suicide, the window that he jumped from should have been left opened. But all the windows facing the dead body were closed. This means that someone closed the window after the man died. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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John's Three Daughters Riddle
John has three daughters who are all unmarried. The youngest always lies, the oldest always tells the truth, and the one in the middle either tells the truth or lies. A very rich young man comes to John's house and says he wishes to marry one of his daughters. Naturally he wants to marry the oldest or the youngest so he will always know if she is lying or telling the truth. John agrees but says he can only ask one of the girls a yes or no question to decide which one he marries. They all look the same age.
What one question does he ask one of the daughters at random to figure out which daughter is the youngest or oldest?
What one question does he ask one of the daughters at random to figure out which daughter is the youngest or oldest?
Hint:
"Is she older than her?"
Explanation: (He would ask one of the daughters if one of the other daughters is older than the last daughter). He always should pick the younger daughter based on what he knows. If he asks the older daughter and she says yes, then the youngest daughter will be known. If he asks the older daughter and she says no, then the youngest daughter is the other one. If he asks the youngest daughter and she says yes, she is lying and he will still pick the oldest. If he asks the youngest and she says no, he will just pick the other like in the first case. If he asks the middle daughter it doesn't matter because both will be acceptable choices. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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Explanation: (He would ask one of the daughters if one of the other daughters is older than the last daughter). He always should pick the younger daughter based on what he knows. If he asks the older daughter and she says yes, then the youngest daughter will be known. If he asks the older daughter and she says no, then the youngest daughter is the other one. If he asks the youngest daughter and she says yes, she is lying and he will still pick the oldest. If he asks the youngest and she says no, he will just pick the other like in the first case. If he asks the middle daughter it doesn't matter because both will be acceptable choices. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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You Must Follow Riddle
I am a paradox. Three pieces of one picture, a cataclysmic fire, a scorching flame. A tender whisper to wipe away tears. With a nail and a tree I dispel all fears. Except fears of myself. My blood was spilled but never runs dry. I was murdered by men but never will die.
I walked with my enemies to make them my friends, my road is a hard walk, but the joy never ends. The question is my name, but for the answer you must follow. Who am I?
I walked with my enemies to make them my friends, my road is a hard walk, but the joy never ends. The question is my name, but for the answer you must follow. Who am I?
Hint:
The Card Trick Riddle
A couple had to take shelter in a hotel for they could not proceed their journey in the rain. Having nothing to do at all, they started playing cards. Suddenly there was a short circuit and the lights went off. The husband inverted the position of 15 cards in the deck (52 cards normal deck) and shuffled the deck.
Now he asked his wife to divide the deck into two different piles which may not be equal but both of them should have equal number of cards facing up. There was no source of light in the room and the wife was unable to see the cards.
For a certain amount of time, she thought and then divided the cards in two piles. To the husbands astonishment, both of the piles had equal number of cards facing up.
How did she do it?
Now he asked his wife to divide the deck into two different piles which may not be equal but both of them should have equal number of cards facing up. There was no source of light in the room and the wife was unable to see the cards.
For a certain amount of time, she thought and then divided the cards in two piles. To the husbands astonishment, both of the piles had equal number of cards facing up.
How did she do it?
Hint:
The answer is very simple. All she had to do is take the fifteen cards from the top and reverse them. This would make another pile out of that and there will be two piles - one of 15 cards and one of 37 cards. Also both of them will have the same number of inverted cards.
Just think about it and if the mathematical explanation will help you understand better, here it is.
Assume that there were p inverted cards initially in the top 15 cards. Then the remaining 37 cards will hold 15-p inverted cards.
Now when she reverses the 15 cards on the top, the number of inverted cards will become 15-p and thus the number of inverted cards in both of the piles will become same. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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Just think about it and if the mathematical explanation will help you understand better, here it is.
Assume that there were p inverted cards initially in the top 15 cards. Then the remaining 37 cards will hold 15-p inverted cards.
Now when she reverses the 15 cards on the top, the number of inverted cards will become 15-p and thus the number of inverted cards in both of the piles will become same. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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Crossing The Bridge Riddle
There are two villages separated with a river. Each day, four people cross the river through a bridge to work on the other side and earn for their families. On one night when they were returning from work, they noticed that the bridge was about to collapse. Now all of them wanted to cross the bridge before it collapsed as no one wanted to be stuck on that end without their families.
They had just one torch with them and since it was the night time, they could not see without it. The bridge had become weak and it could only accommodate two people at a time. It was going to collapse in just 17 minutes.
The four people took different times to cross the bridge. First one took only a minute, second one took 2 minutes, third one took 5 minutes and the last one took 10 minutes.
How would all of them have managed to cross the bridge in time?
They had just one torch with them and since it was the night time, they could not see without it. The bridge had become weak and it could only accommodate two people at a time. It was going to collapse in just 17 minutes.
The four people took different times to cross the bridge. First one took only a minute, second one took 2 minutes, third one took 5 minutes and the last one took 10 minutes.
How would all of them have managed to cross the bridge in time?
Hint:
Let us denote the four people with A, B, C and D.
A takes 1 minute to cross, B takes 2, C takes 5 and D takes 10.
A and B cross first spending 2 minutes.
A comes back with torch taking 1 minute.
C and D cross taking 10 minutes.
B comes back with torch taking 2 minutes.
Finally, A and B cross the bridge taking 2 minutes.
2 + 1 + 10 + 2 + 2 = 17 minutes
Thus, this is the way they all managed to cross that bridge that night. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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A takes 1 minute to cross, B takes 2, C takes 5 and D takes 10.
A and B cross first spending 2 minutes.
A comes back with torch taking 1 minute.
C and D cross taking 10 minutes.
B comes back with torch taking 2 minutes.
Finally, A and B cross the bridge taking 2 minutes.
2 + 1 + 10 + 2 + 2 = 17 minutes
Thus, this is the way they all managed to cross that bridge that night. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
YES NO
A Man Who's Not A Man
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?
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?
Hint:
A eunuch who did not see well saw a bat perched on a reed and threw a pumice stone at him which missed. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
Person In The Painting Riddle
A man walks into an art gallery and concentrates on one picture in particular. The museum curator notices this and asks the man why he is so interested in that one painting. The man replies, "Brothers and sisters have I none, but that man's father is my father's son."
Who is in the painting?
Who is in the painting?
Hint:
Girls Never Poop Riddle
Hint:
They can't keep their mouths shut long enough to build pressure! Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
A Sound Economic Reason
You will know that I am coming from the jingle of my bell, but exactly who I am is not an easy thing to tell. Children, they adore me for they find me jolly, but I do not see them when the halls are decked with holly.
My job often leaves me frozen, I am a man that all should know, but I do not do business in times of sleet or ice or snow. I travel much on business, but no reindeer haul me around, I do all my traveling firmly on the ground.
I love the time of Christmas, but that's not my vocational season, and I assure that is because of a sound economic reason.
Who am I?
My job often leaves me frozen, I am a man that all should know, but I do not do business in times of sleet or ice or snow. I travel much on business, but no reindeer haul me around, I do all my traveling firmly on the ground.
I love the time of Christmas, but that's not my vocational season, and I assure that is because of a sound economic reason.
Who am I?
Hint:
Hit By A Bus Riddle
A man walks into a restaurant, orders albatross, takes one bite of the meal, runs out into the street and is hit by a bus. Why?
Hint:
The man had been on a cruise with his wife. They had shipwrecked on a deserted island, and the mans wife had died. The people on the island were starving. One day the people brought some food to the man, saying that it was an albatross they had shot. When the man went to the restaurant and tasted the albatross, he realized that what he had eaten before must not have been albatross at all. He realized that he had likely eaten his wife. The thought made him so upset that he dashed out into the road without looking for traffic. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
The Skyscraper Ring Riddle
Hint:
The man has survived a nuclear holocaust. He has wandered the earth for months looking for another survivor, but cannot find anyone and so comes to believe that he is the only survivor. Out of loneliness, he decides to commit suicide by jumping out of a tall building. When he is falling and hears the phone ring, he realizes that he must have been wrong- there IS another survivor. He has a heart attack and dies. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
53 Bicycles Riddle
There is a room with a table, 53 bicycles, and four men. One of the four men is dead. How did he die?
Hint:
The 53 bicycles were bicycle playing cards. There were 53 instead of 52 because one of the men was cheating at the card game (had an ace up his sleeve). He was shot for cheating. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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The Glass Of Water Riddle
A man walks into a restaurant and orders a glass of water. The waiter pulls a gun out and points it at the man. The man thanks the waiter and walks out of the restaurant.
Hint:
The man had the hiccoughs, and waiter scared them out of him. Did you answer this riddle correctly?
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YES NO
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