Riddles and Brain Teasers

Eight Letter Word With KST

What eight letter word has kst inside, in the beginning, and at the end?

Inkstand.The letters “kst” are in the word, “in” is at the beginning, with “and” at the end. I know, it’s awkwardly worded but otherwise it wouldn’t be a riddle.

Inkstand.

The letters “kst” are in the word, “in” is at the beginning, with “and” at the end. I know, it’s awkwardly worded but otherwise it wouldn’t be a riddle.

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The Long River

How many times does the letter S appear in the name of the longest river in the world?

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Zero. The Nile is the longest river in the world. Some claim the Amazon as the longest, but that too has no “S”es (that looks weird but I don’t know how else to write the plural of “s”). The Mississippi is the 4th largest river in the world according to a href=”https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_rivers_by_length”>Wikipedia.

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A Precious Thing to Most

A precious thing to most,
In order to take it,
You must already have it.

What is it?

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Life.

By Sef Daystrom

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Your Father’s Sister’s Sister-in-law

What relation would your father’s only single sister’s sister-in-law be to you?

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Your mother.

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Fix This Roman Numeral Equation

This Roman numeral equation is wrong, but you can fix it without changing any of the elements of the equation. How is this possible?

I + XI = X

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Look at it upside down. Instead of changing the equation, you can change your perspective.

This is from Dan Brown’s novel, Origin.

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Sisters and Brothers

My daughter has as many sisters as she has brothers. Each of her brothers has twice as many sisters as brothers. How many sons and daughters do I have?

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Four daughters and three sons. Each daughter has 3 sisters and 3 brothers, and each brother has 2 brothers and 4 sisters.To figure it out mathematically, you could use the following two equations where G = the number of girls and B = the number of boys:
G – 1 = B
2(B – 1) = GSolving for G gives you 4 and plugging that in to G – 1 = B gives you a B of 3.

Four daughters and three sons. Each daughter has 3 sisters and 3 brothers, and each brother has 2 brothers and 4 sisters.

To figure it out mathematically, you could use the following two equations where G = the number of girls and B = the number of boys:
G – 1 = B
2(B – 1) = G

Solving for G gives you 4 and plugging that in to G – 1 = B gives you a B of 3.

Posted in Brain Teasers

I Make Memories That Last a Lifetime

I make memories that last a lifetime,
Without me you’ll be miserable,
If you miss me you can gourge and it’s okay.
Some say I am naturally split in two.

What am I?

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Sleep. It’s the time your mind organizes memories and knowledge. Sleep deprivation is miserable (as you well know if you’ve experienced it). If you miss a few nights of sleep, you can sleep more to catch up with no problems. And some believe that segmented sleep, where you sleep, wake for an hour, then go back to sleep, was the dominant form of sleep before the Industrial Revolution.

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Remote Cooking

You are a cook in a remote area with no clocks or other way of keeping time other than a four-minute and a seven-minute hourglass. On the stove is a pot of boiling water. Jill asks you to cook a nine-minute egg in exactly 9 minutes, and you know she is a perfectionist and can tell if you under cook or overcook the egg by even a few seconds. How can you cook the egg for exactly 9 minutes?

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1. Flip both hourglasses over and drop the egg into the water.
2. When the 4-minute timer runs out, flip it over (4 minutes elapsed, 3 remaining on the 7-minute timer).
3. When the 7-minute timer runs out, flip it over. (7 minutes elapsed, 1 remaining in the 4-minute timer)
4. When the 4-minute timer runs out, flip the 7-minute timer over. (8 minutes elapsed. 6 minutes remained in the 7-minute timer, but flipping it over leaves one minute’s worth of sand on top. When it runs out exactly nine minutes will have elapsed.)

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Right Behind You Creeps on the Ground

It’s right behind you,
And creeps on the ground,
It follows you home,
But does not make a sound.
Careful when you turn around.

What is it?

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Your shadow.

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A Four Word Admonition

What four word admonition makes the happy person sad and the sad person happy?

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The phrase, “This too shall pass.” According to Wikipedia, the well-known phrase is often attached to a fable of a great king who is humbled by these words, and to someone who is experiencing something wonderful, it can be saddening. But to one who is in the pits of despair, it is a phrase that brings relief and hope.In other words, if a happy person is told, “This too shall pass” it will make them sad. But to a person on hard times, hearing, “This too shall pass” will cheer them up.

In other words, if a happy person is told, “This too shall pass” it will make them sad. But to a person on hard times, hearing, “This too shall pass” will cheer them up.

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