Twenty one points divide and dance,
Twirling and leaping about,
Ladies, Romans and knights of France,
Craving a victor’s rout,
Wrought of wood, ivory or bone,
An exciting yet vicious pursuit,
Ancient, forbidden and crooked,
All in search of the loot.
A die. The standard die has 21 pips (or points), divided up on the six sides of the die which dance around when rolled. Ladies, knights and Romans all played dice as a pastime (though not together). Dice can be made of wood, ivory and bone, among other materials. Dice have been used in Asia since before recorded history and many governments tried unsuccessfully to outlaw the game. Professional gamblers were common and often used loaded dice. Desperate German chaps even bet their own liberty on a single roll of the dice.
In different ways, it’s proudly shown,
though many like it to have been sewn.
It’s never torn from being worn,
but when it’s torn, it should be burned.
A flag. They are displayed proudly in a variety of ways and are sewn on shirts. They are discarded from being too worn, but if torn or worn, they’re burned out of respect.
Maya’s mother asked her to buy some stamps. The available stamps were 3 cents, 9 cents, 11 cents, 17 cents and 21 cents. Her mother asked her to buy eight each of three stamps and nine of each of the remaining two stamps. Unfortunately, Maya forgot which stamps she was supposed to buy eight and nine of. Luckily, her mother had given her $5, the exact amount required to buy the stamps. Which stamps did she buy?
On a dark, stormy Halloween night, four kids named Luke, John, Sarah and Bob walk into a haunted house during a blackout. Only one can escape. They take a staircase to the second floor, a trapdoor on the left, then go up the ladder to the right, followed by a 28-foot slide to the basement through the mouth of a Giant Panda. In one corner of the murky cellar is a chainsaw, a dagger, a rope with a noose and an electric chair. Written on the wall in blood are the words, “Only one will survive – choose your death!” Bob takes the rope, Sarah picks up the dagger, John chooses the chainsaw and Luke uses the chair.
What must be in the oven yet can not be baked?
Grows in the heat yet shuns the light of day?
What sinks in water but rises with air?
Looks like skin but is fine as hair?
You are given eight coins and told that one of them is counterfeit. The counterfeit one is slightly heavier than the other seven. Otherwise, the coins look identical. Using a simple balance scale, how can you determine which coin is counterfeit using the scale only twice?
First weigh three coins against three others. If the weights are equal, weigh the remaining two against each other. The heavier one is the counterfeit. If one of the groups of three is heavier, weigh two of those coins against each other. If one is heavier, it’s the counterfeit. If they’re equal weight, the third coin is the counterfeit.