NIEHS Kids Page -- Riddle Me This I

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What has a mouth but does not speak, has a bed but never sleeps.

You can see nothing else when you look in my face
I will look you in the eye and never lie.

I am so simple that I only point; yet I guide men all over the world.

Three times what number is no larger than two times that same number?

If three men can chop down three trees in three hours, how many men will it take to chop down six trees in six hours?

What's better than the best thing and worse than the worst thing?

The day before yesterday Cindy was 17. Next year she will be 20. How can this be?

Here is a riddle, I'm happy to say:
This gets larger, the more you take away.

The shape of my form will waver and bend,
From the things I'm destroying and the things I will rend.
My color will vary from bright red and blue,
The power I'm using will dictate my hue.

To some I'm thought beautiful, to others I'm not.
Most times I'm quite round, but sometimes I'm not.
And when I'm not round, I need more attention.

A man brought a jeweler six chains that each had five links. He wanted the jeweler to join all six chains together to make one long, closed, circular chain. The jeweler said, "It'll cost you a buck for every link I open and close. You want me to join six chains, so the job will cost you six bucks." "No, no," replied the man, "the job can be done for less." Is he right, and if so, how could it be done?

If 5 dogs can catch 5 cats in 5 minutes, how many dogs will it require to catch 100 cats in 100 minutes?

AEFHIKLMNTVWXYZ
BCDGJOPQRSU
What rationale is there for the above arrangement?

When can you travel fairly fast,
yet never get far from the first place you passed?

I do not fly, though some claim I do. I do not stand still, yet it may seem I do. You cannot stop me, no matter how hard you try. What am I?

You should keep it after giving it.

What has eight fingers and two thumbs but can't pick up anything by itself?

Before Mount Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain on Earth?

Clara Clatter was born on December 27th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible?

Frank and some of the boys were exchanging old war stories. James offered one about how his grandfather (Captain Smith)led a battalion against a German division during World War I. Through brilliant maneuvers he defeated them and captured valuable territory. Within a few months after the battle he was presented with a sword bearing the inscription:

"To Captain Smith for Bravery, Daring and Leadership, World War One, from the Men of Battalion 8."

Frank looked at James and said, "You really don't expect anyone to believe that yarn, do you?" What is wrong with the story?

In what year did Christmas and New Year's fall in the same year?

A woman from New York married ten different men from that city, yet she did not break any laws. None of these men died and she was never divorced. How was this possible?

Why are 1990 American dollar bills worth more than 1989 American dollar bills?

How many times can you subtract 5 eggs from a carton holding 25 eggs?

A taxi driver was called to take a group of passengers to the train station. The station is normally an hour away, but with traffic being extra heavy, it took a full hour and a half. On the return trip the traffic was still as heavy but it took only 90 minutes. Why?

How could you rearrange the letters in the words "new door" to make one word? Note: There is only one correct answer.

Even if they are starving, natives living in the Arctic will probably never eat a penguin's egg. Why not?

Which is correct "The yolk of the egg are white" or "The yolk of the egg is white"?

In Okmulgee, Oklahoma, you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

There were an electrician and a plumber waiting in line for admission to the "International Home Show". One of them is the father of the other's son. How could this be possible?

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National Institute ofEnvironmental Health Sciences

Tuff StuffRiddles!

National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences

Tuff Stuff
Riddles!