BRAIN TEASERS

Riddle: 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? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Mr. Plessy, one of the best pilots in his town, came to his insurance company to file a report. He said that someone had robbed him in the street, but he couldn't see what the robber had looked like because of his poor eyesight. The insurance manager refused to proceed with the case and called Mr. Plessy a liar. Why? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: There are two species of citizens on a foreign planet: Hamburgs and Helphands. There are 10,000 Hamburgs, and Helphands make up 50% of the population. How many Helphands are on the foreign planet? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: A young man became famous one day when he gathered a quarter of a bushel (8 dry quarts) of a certain type of fruit, which many people call a vegetable. Evidently, this youth, whose first and last name both start with the same letter, was able to harvest these fruits (vegetables) after they had been placed into a solution of vinegar or brine while still on the vine. So, the questions which have never been answered concerning this story are #1: How many of these fruits/vegetables did he actually harvest, and #2: Where is the work of his labor now? Can you name this famous person who has the same first and last initials? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Five friends-Albert, Brenda, Carl, Diana, and Eric–raced around a track. Albert finished before Brenda but after Carl. And Diana finished before Eric but after Brenda. In what order did each friend finish? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Angela had a disease that required her to take pills. One day, her doctor prescribed her three pills that would help to cure her of her disease. She needed to take one pill every 30 minutes. How much time will pass before Angela takes all of the pills? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Peter likes tomatoes, but not potatoes; he likes cucumbers, but can't stand carrots; Peter also enjoys grapes, but not lettuce. And he likes squash, but not onions. Would Peter like pumpkins or apples more? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: A butterfly flies to a rock in the middle of a huge lake and stops to rest. If it swims North, it's five minutes to the mainland. If it swims East, it's four minutes to the mainland. If it swims South, it's three minutes to the mainland. And if it swims West, it's two minutes to the mainland. In which direction should the butterfly swim? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: "What are you looking at so intently?" he said. "Oh, it's just a musical symbol," she replied. "No. I'm pretty sure that’s English money," he answered. "Well, now that I think about it, I'm quite certain it is a total of 0.45359237 kilograms,” she responded. "Are you trying to impress me?" he retorted. "No. I'm just stating an important fact," she said." "You must learn to keep things simple! It is nothing more than a type of cake," he corrected. "You are both wrong," said a stranger who was eavesdropping on their strange conversation. "That's what Lucy frequently threatens to do to her brother Linus in the Peanuts comic strip." What in the world are these people talking about? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Two young adventurers, Tristen and Lawrence, travel to the state of Pennsylvania in search of the legendary Phantom --- to face it, and conquer it, if possible. The Phantom is famous for exacting revenge on any who challenge it, but the two daredevils are undaunted. When the brave crusaders finally spot the Phantom, they are awestruck, and approach the Phantom as if they are hypnotized. The Phantom’s henchmen then put the two into a strange carriage, restraining them with metal bars. The Phantom then uses a chain to hoist the pair high into the air. Suddenly, they are released and plummet downward, where they are roughly tossed to and fro until Tristen throws up on Lawrence as a result of this abuse. However, because they are both still alive and breathing, they are released from their restraints by the henchmen, and are permitted to leave. Although it sounds truly unbelievable, Tristen and Lawrence decide to return to challenge the Phantom that very same day. Have these two adventurers lost their minds? Are they both in need of immediate mental health treatment; or is there a more sensible explanation for these events? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Simon Simpleton was born in London, England. His mother was Welsh and his father Scottish. When Simon was eight his mother died. When Simon was ten his father married an Irish women and suddenly Simon had an Irish sister. When Simon was twenty four he graduated as a lawyer and took a job in Edinburgh, Scotland. He is now sixty six. Why can he not be buried on the banks of Loch Lomond in his favourite village of Luss, in Bonnie Scotland? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: I'm alive, but without breath; I'm as cold in life as in death; I'm never thirsty, though I always drink. What am I? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: You walk into a room and see a bed. On the bed, there are two dogs, four cats, a giraffe, five cows, and a duck. There are also three chickens flying above the bed. How many legs are on the floor? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: A woman, who is the executive director of a large and profitable business, has an interesting job description. Among her many duties, she is primarily responsible for the gathering and dispensing of pictures of dead people. In fact, she has a special room within her facility which is specifically designed to hold many thousands of these pictures, and she is assigned the task of securing this room against any and all unscrupulous scoundrels who might try to steal them. Her gang of laborers spend most of the week exchanging these pictures with those who frequent her establishment, sometimes collecting, and sometimes giving these pictures to others at their request. This woman and her employees appear to enjoy their work, as they all carry these pictures of deceased individuals in their purses and wallets outside of work. Is this woman and her gang of laborers morbidly deranged, or are they more normal than they initially appear to be? Just what is this business in which these people are engaged? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Lucille had recently received her real estate license and was out evaluating a bunch of properties in a certain neighborhood. As she traveled around the area, she saw some properties which were very expensive, and others that were more affordable. The area was sprinkled with a mixture of little greenhouses, a couple of hotels, a few businesses, and she noticed there was also some access to railway travel. Some of these properties were for sale but others were not. The bizarre thing is, Lucille ended up in jail three separate times that day and had to be bailed out on each occasion! She received no traffic citations and swears she did absolutely nothing wrong, and yet, she was incarcerated three times that day. What do you suppose happened that caused her to be locked up in jail three times in one day? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Terry had been driving for nearly an hour when he encountered a backup of several cars which were all waiting to pass through a tunnel. He was listening to the weather report on his car's radio while awaiting his turn when he heard that a severe mixture of snow and rain accompanied by flash flooding and powerful winds were expected to strike the area within minutes. Terry dreaded this type of dangerous winter driving, so he wanted to get home quickly. As he paid the required fee to pass through the tunnel, Terry could only think about the weather report and the severe driving conditions predicted. Suddenly, a downpour of water, followed by a curtain of liquid white covered Terry's car. He did not use his windshield wipers though, and in fact, he removed both hands from the steering wheel just as another downpour of water blasted his car. A few seconds later, a second deluge of water crashed down on his car, followed by a mighty wind. At that point, Terry again grasped the steering wheel and regained control of the car. After these events, Terry was able to drive home safely. Did Terry panic during this encounter by not using his windshield wipers and removing his hands from the steering wheel, or is Terry a better driver than these events indicate? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Ron and Terry are both dressed in camouflage clothing and are completely surrounded by dead bodies. As veterans of the Army, they are both on a mission to locate some of their comrades. Neither Terry nor Ron are carrying any weapons, but they have no fear of being harmed. They look about the terrain which surrounds them, but all they see are grass and large and small stones. Terry jumps up on one of the large stones to get a better view of their surroundings, but Ron suggests to Terry that his standing on the big stone might be viewed as disrespectful, and Terry jumps down. "I counted 27 flags while I was up there," says Terry to Ron, "so let's go check them out." In what activity are Ron and Terry engaged? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Sixteen players start the game. One player gets involved in every play but doesn't care who wins. Each team has seven players who stay loyal to their team, but despite their loyalty, they often leave before the game is over. The final player has no loyalty to either team, but is committed to the game and never leaves until the end. What game is it? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Zane is a big boss in a hugely successful company. Every week, however, he finds out that one of his worst employees has been stealing his documents. After a whole year of stolen documents, Zane rounds up his three worst employees– Kelly, Raymond, and Natalia– and questions them. Kelly says, "Raymond has been stealing your documents!". Raymond says, "I haven't been stealing your documents!". Natalia says, "I haven't been stealing your documents, either!". Only one of the employees is telling the truth. Who has been stealing the documents, and which employee is telling the truth? Show Answer Hide Answer

Riddle: Irene and her friend Mark were walking down the street when they saw two houses. Mark wanted to play a game with Irene. He said, "One family lives in each house. And each family has two pets: either dogs or cats. The first family has a dog who likes dry food, while the other pet likes canned food. The second family has a 6-year-old dog and a newborn pet. If you can guess which family has a cat, I'll take you out for lunch." Irene manages to get the riddle right, and the two of them go out for lunch. Which family did she choose? Show Answer Hide Answer