Long Riddles

Long riddles with answers test your problem solving skills. These lengthy puzzles test your ability to piece together information and find the answer.

King Octopus and Servants

King Octopus has servants with six, seven, or eight legs. The servants with seven legs always lie, but the servants with either six or eight legs always say the truth.

One day, 4 servants met:
The blue one says: “Altogether we have 28 legs”;
The green one says: “Altogether we have 27 legs”;
The yellow one says: “Altogether we have 26 legs”;
The red one says: “Altogether we have 25 legs”.

What is the colour of the servant that is speaking the truth?

Riddle Answer

The Reclusive Inventor

There was once a reclusive inventor who became so annoyed with unwanted visitors ringing his doorbell that he decided to discourage them by inventing a new one.

The device consisted of a row of six push buttons mounted on the front door, wired in such a way that only one of the buttons would ring the bell. If an incorrect button was pressed (even simultaneously with the correct one) the bell would be temporarily deactivated.

Only his close friends were told the identity of the correct button. Everyone else had to deduce it from an inscription on the front door which read ‘Exactly one button is somewhere to the left of the one, that is three to the right of the one, that is somewhere to the right of the one, that is next to the one, that is two away from the one that is first mentioned. Ring the only button of the six that is not mentioned above.’

What was the position of the correct button?

Riddle Answer

Blind Bartender’s Problem

Four glasses are placed on the corners of a square Lazy Susan (turntable). Some of the glasses are upright (up) and some upside-down (down).

A blindfolded person is seated next to the Lazy Susan and is required to re-arrange the glasses so that they are all up or all down, either arrangement being acceptable.

The glasses may be re-arranged in turns subject to the following rules.

  1. Any two glasses may be inspected in one turn and after feeling their orientation the person may reverse the orientation of either, neither or both glasses.
  2. After each turn the Lazy Susan is rotated through a random angle.
  3. At any point of time if all four glasses are of the same orientation, a bell will ring.

Can you devise an algorithm which allows the blindfolded person to ensure that all glasses have the same orientation (either up or down) in a finite number of turns? The algorithm must not depend on luck.

Riddle Answer

Emperor Akbar’s Advisor

Emperor Akbar once ruled over India. He was a wise and intelligent ruler, and he had in his court the Nine Gems, his nine advisors, who were each known for a particular skill. One of these Gems was Birbal, known for his wit and wisdom. The story below is one of the examples of his wit. Do you have it in you to find out the answer?

A farmer and his neighbour once went to Emperor Akbar’s court with a complaint.

“Your Majesty, I bought a well from him,” said the farmer pointing to his neighbour, “and now he wants me to pay for the water.”

“That’s right, your Majesty,” said the neighbour. “I sold him the well but not the water!” The Emperor asked Birbal to settle the dispute.

How did Birbal solve the dispute?

Riddle Answer