Riddle:
A group of boys and girls are out after dark, stalking people in their homes in a Chicago neighborhood. The intimidation starts with the bravest of the youths ringing the bell or knocking at the door. When the homeowner answers the door, the children, in unison, begin to verbally threaten that person with a three-word threat, which often results in their demands being met. All of the boys and girls have chosen to disguise themselves so they can't be identified. It is hard to believe, but there are even a few adults who are walking along with the group, who actually encourage this brash behavior. Do these adults have no shame? Are these boys and girls being trained to be the criminals of the future? What exactly is going on here, and what is the three-word threat this group of ruffians use to intimidate people in their neighborhood?
Answer: It is Halloween night, and this group of boys and girls, accompanied by a few adults, are out in their neighborhood seeking candy and other goodies. The three-word threat they used at each house: “Trick or treat.”
Riddle:
Dorothy attended her family reunion last summer, but she reported an odd incident during the festivities. She was watching a group of adults and a group of children competing against one another in a race of about 30 yards. Dorothy was surprised to see a child win the race, but Dorothy also noted she was unable to see any of the participant's legs during the race. Dorothy has excellent vision, and her mental faculties are intact, but neither she nor any of the other spectators were able to see any sign of the racer's legs during the brief competition. Since none of the racers were amputees, and Dorothy wasn't imagining things, what do you suppose was the cause of her inability to see any of the racer’s legs during the race?
Answer: The adults and children were participating in a sack race at the family reunion.
Riddle:
If someone says to you, "I'll bet you $1 that if you give me $2, I will give you $3 in return", would this be a good bet for you to accept?
Answer: No. This is a situation where you lose even if you win. Assuming the other person is being wise, they would take your $2 and say, "I lose", and give you $1 in return. You win the bet, but you're out $1.
Riddle:
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?
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.
Riddle:
A bottle costs a dollar more than a cork. Together they cost 110 cents. How much does the bottle cost and how much does the cork cost?
Answer: The right answer is that the bottle costs 105 cents, and the cork costs 5 cents.
Riddle:
What is dark but made by light?
Answer: A shadow. A shadow is a dark area or shape produced by an object coming between rays of light and a surface.
Riddle:
You draw a line. Without touching it, how do you make the line longer?
Answer: You draw a shorter line next to it, and then it becomes the longer line.
Riddle:
A group of men is suddenly awakened by a loud, piercing, continuous sound. They all scramble out of their beds, get dressed, grab a pole, and disappear into a hole. What in the world are these men doing?
Answer: The men are firemen who were on night-shift duty at their firehouse. When they heard the fire alarm, they got dressed, slid down the fire pole, and got in the fire truck.
Riddle:
Little William Dilly, a five-year-old kindergarten student, approached his mother after school one day and related the following story: "Today in school I saw a man-eating lion! Then I saw a man-eating tiger! Then I saw a man-eating panther!" "That’s nice," his mother replied, only half listening to him. William continued; "And then I saw a man-eating camel and a man-eating zebra, and a man-eating sheep!" This caught his mother’s attention. "Did your class go to the zoo today? I sent no permission slip; or is your wild imagination exposing itself again --- because there are no camels, zebras, or sheep that eat people," his mother replied. "Honest, mom! I really did see everything I just told you!" Indeed, young William had seen everything he had reported to his mother. How could it be possible for William to have actually seen all he claimed to see?
Answer: Little William’s kindergarten teacher was a man who enjoyed having fun with his students. At lunchtime that day, he took out a box of animal crackers, and holding up one animal at a time he would announce to the class, “You are now seeing a man eating lion, or a man eating sheep,” etc., and then proceed to eat each cracker, much to the children’s amusement. Little William was just reporting what he had seen his teacher doing and saying that day.
Riddle:
I build up castles. I tear down mountains. I make some men blind, I help others to see. What am I?
Answer: Sand.
Riddle:
When it's gone bad and flat I hate it but when it's fresh and fizzy I love to taste it.
What is it?
Answer: Soda.
Riddle:
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?
Answer: A journey.
Riddle:
The Mills family had traveled to their vacation cabin which was next to a large, beautiful lake in the mountains. Mr. and Mrs. Mills and their three children, Brock (age 6), Cindy (age 7), and Susan (age 8) had come to the lake to relax for the weekend. They were all looking forward to taking a long, relaxing swim in the lake, and to try out the brand new boat Mr. Mills had just purchased for some family fun. As they were swimming near the middle of the lake, it dawned on Mr. Mills that their son Brock was not in the water with them. Suddenly, with no warning, the family heard motor sounds and saw their newly-purchased boat speeding directly toward them, accompanied by the maniacal laughter of their missing child, Brock. Again and again, Brock drove the boat directly at his vulnerable family, laughing insanely each time it passed near them. "I told Brock not to go near that boat unless I was with him," shouted Mr. Mills, "and now he's trying to kill us with it!" However, Mrs. Mills nonchalantly responded, "Oh, boys will be boys." Considering the circumstances, why was Mrs. Mills so cavalier concerning her son's disobedient and reckless behavior, and why did she seem unconcerned about her six-year-old driving a boat without supervision?
Answer: Mr. Mills had bought the family a new remote controlled boat, but bad boy Brock decided to ignore his father’s instructions, and sent the two-foot long boat on its maiden voyage as a mischievous prank on his family. I don’t envy Brock when his father reaches shore.
Riddle:
Uncle John, as he likes to be called, can't do the Twist like Chubby Checker did in the 1960s, but he loves to twist just the same. To be open and honest with you all, Uncle John earns his living through twisted ways. He especially enjoys exhibiting his twisted talents in front of young children. To gain their attention, he frequently gives gifts to these little boys and girls --- gifts including bicycles, flowers, and even small animals. He is often out of breath after exhibiting his twisted lifestyle to others. You might think the parents of these children would be repulsed by Uncle John, but instead, they often simply stand by, sometimes even applauding and encouraging this man!!! How can adults be so calloused as to allow this man to gain this type of control over their own children? What exactly is going on here?
Answer: Uncle John is a balloon twister who makes a living performing at children’s birthday parties. He can make almost anything out of balloons which he gives to the children; including bicycles, flowers, and small balloon animals. It’s also the reason he is often out of breath during his performances, as he has to blow up each balloon before he can twist them into the shape he wants.
Riddle:
Even if you don't love me, you probably like me a little bit. Your friends probably feel the same way about me, but I might still drive them away if we spend too much time together. I know I've made you cry, but I never meant to hurt you. Anyway, it should be me who cries. You know how thin-skinned I am. Who am I?
Answer: An onion.
Riddle:
I came to prominence in the world during a time of trouble. I brought people together but helped keep them apart. I sound like I should go fast, but I am well known for taking too long to finish. What am I?
Answer: A Zoom meeting.
Riddle:
This thing all things devours: Birds, beasts, trees, flowers; Gnaws iron, bites steel; Grinds hard stones to meal; Slays king, ruins town, And beats high mountain down. What am I?
Answer: Time!
Riddle:
Jim and Joey were on vacation and driving along a deserted country road from the town of Kaysville to the town of Lynnville. They came to multiple forks in the road. The signpost had been knocked down and they were faced with choosing one of five different directions. Since they had left their map at the last gas station and there was no one around to ask, how could Jim and Joey find their way to Lynnville?
Answer: They need to stand the signpost up so that the arm reading Kaysville points in the direction of Kaysville, the town they had just come from. With one arm pointing the correct way, the other arms will also point in the right direction.
Riddle:
The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 100 million miles. The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, and light takes eight minutes to reach the Earth from the Sun. Let's say the Sun rose at 6am this morning, and that by some freak of physics the speed of light is suddenly doubled to 372,000 miles a second.
What time will the Sun rise tomorrow?
Answer: 6am again. After all, what diffrence does the speed of light make to the answer? It's irrelevant- only the speed of the roation of the Earth matters here.
Riddle:
A husband and wife are seated facing each other with a barrier between them. Each one takes turns communicating with the other, each speaking only two words at a time. After each two-word message is conveyed, the other person answers with a one-word response. This goes on for some time, until at last, either the husband or his wife suddenly shouts out a four-word phrase which ends this scenario; however, this often causes either the husband or the wife to become angry or frustrated with the person who shouted the four-word phrase. What is going on here?
Answer: The husband and wife are playing the old game of BATTLESHIP. The two-word communications consist of a letter and a number for the coordinates of where the ships are hidden, and the one-word responses are either, "Hit" or "Miss". The final four word phrase which ends the game is, "You Sank My Battleship!"
