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.

Survival of the Sheep

There is an island filled with grass and trees and plants. The only inhabitants are 100 lions and 1 sheep.

The lions are special:

  1. They are infinitely logical, smart, and completely aware of their surroundings
  2. They can survive by just eating grass (and there is an infinite amount of grass on the island)
  3. They prefer of course to eat the sheep
  4. Their only food options are grass or sheep

Now, here’s the kicker:

  • If a lion eats a sheep he TURNS into a sheep (and could then be eaten by other lions)
  • A lion would rather eat grass all his life than be eaten by another lion (after he turned into a sheep)

You can make the following assumptions:

  1. Assume that one lion is closest to the sheep and will get to it before all others. Assume that there is never an issue with who gets to the sheep first. The issue is whether the first lion will get eaten by other lions afterwards or not
  2. The sheep cannot get away from the lion if the lion decides to eat it
  3. Do not assume anything that hasn’t been stated above

Will that one sheep get eaten or not and why?

Riddle Answer

Four Suitors

A wise king devised a contest to see who would receive the princess’ hand in marriage. The princess was put in a 50×50 foot carpeted room. Each of her four suitors was put in one corner of the room with a small box to stand on. The first one to touch the princess’ hand would be the winner and become the new king.

The rules of the test were that the contestants could not walk over the carpet, cross the carpet, or hang from anything; nor could they use anything but their body and wits. One suitor figured out a way and married the princess and became the new king.

What did he do?

Riddle Answer

Rich Merchant’s Gold Coins

A rich merchant had collected many gold coins. He did not want anybody to know about them. One day, his wife asked, “How many gold coins do we have?”

After pausing a moment, he replied, “Well! If I divide the coins into two unequal numbers, then 32 times the difference between the two numbers equals the difference between the squares of the two numbers.”

The wife looked puzzled. Can you help the merchant’s wife by finding out how many gold coins they have?

Riddle Answer

King’s Proposal

A king finds a woman he wants to marry but she refuses. But since he is the king, she has no choice.

The king gives her a deal: he will write ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ on two pieces of paper. The papers will be put into a hat and she will choose one. If it says yes, then she will marry him, if it says no, then she will not marry him.

The only problem is that the king cheats by placing two pieces of paper that say yes into the hat, but the woman is the only one who sees this.

How can the woman avoid marrying the king?

Riddle Answer

King-size Conundrum

A medieval king needed to work out how he could recruit fighting men for the battle ahead. However, there were so many distractions around the castle, his thinking became confused. So in order to change his daze into knights, he asked for a secluded walk to be made so he could ponder in peace.

The head gardener was given the job of planting lines of high bushes. First, he planted a line running 100 paces east. Then from the end of that line he planted a line 100 paces north, then 100 west, 98 south, 98 east, 96 north, 96 west, and so on. This made a square spiral path 2 paces wide.

If the king intended to walk down the middle of the path, how long was the path?

Riddle Answer