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.

Black and Blue Marbles

A king decided to let a prisoner try to escape the prison with his life. The king placed 2 marbles in a jar that was glued to a table. One of the marbles was supposed to be black and one was supposed to be blue.

If the prisoner picked the blue marble, he would escape the prison with his life. If he picked the black marble, he would be executed. However, the king was very mean and he wickedly placed 2 black marbles in the jars without any blue marbles. The prisoner witnessed the king only putting 2 black marbles in the jars.

The jars were not see-through, the jars were glued to the table and the prisoner was mute so he could not say anything. How did he escape with his life?

Riddle Answer

The Lady and the Tiger

The court takes decision to relax the sentence given to criminal if he can solve a puzzle. Criminal has to take decision to open one of the doors.

Behind each door is either a lady or a tiger. They may be both tigers, both ladies or one of each.

If the criminal opens a door to find a lady he will marry her and if he opens a door to find a tiger he will be eaten alive. Of course, the criminal would prefer to be married than eaten alive.

Each of the doors has a statement written on it.

The statement on door one says, “In this room there is a lady, and in the other room there is a tiger.”

The statement on door two says,”In one of these rooms there is a lady, and in one of these rooms there is a tiger.”

The criminal is informed that one of the statements is true and one is false. Which door should the criminal open?

Riddle Answer

Treasure Lock Key

In a cave there is a treasure within a big metal box with a lock on it. There is also a monster in the cave that has two keys with him; one gold and the other silver. The monster will give you only one chance to open the lock using one of the keys. If the box doesn’t open, the monster will kill you. Since the monster is a bit helpful it would give you a clue in finding out the correct key. Can you choose the correct key by deciphering the below clue?

A GKOY OEPD LYEO DCNO EAAR NNN

Riddle Answer

100 Prisoners and a Light Bulb

There is a prison with 100 prisoners, each in separate cells with no form of contact. There is an area in the prison with a single light bulb in it. Each day, the warden picks one of the prisoners at random, even if they have been picked before, and takes them out to the lobby. The prisoner will have the choice to flip the switch if they want. The light bulb starts off.

When a prisoner is taken into the area with the light bulb, he can also say “Every prisoner has been brought to the light bulb.” If this is true all prisoners will go free. However, if a prisoner chooses to say this and it’s wrong, all the prisoners will be executed. So a prisoner should only say this if he knows it is true for sure.

Before the first day of this process begins, all the prisoners are allowed to get together to discuss a strategy to eventually save themselves.

What strategy could they use to ensure they will go free?

Riddle Answer

Prisoners and Hats

Four prisoners named P1, P2, P3 and P4 are arrested for a crime, but the jail is full and the jailer has nowhere to put them. He eventually comes up with the solution of giving them a puzzle and if they answer correctly they can go free but if they fail they are to be executed.

The jailer makes prisoners P1, P2 and P3 stand in a single file. Prisoner P4 is put behind a screen. The arrangement looks like this:

P1 P2 P3 || P4

The ‘||’ is the screen.

The jailer tells them that there are two black hats and two white hats; that each prisoner is wearing one of the hats; and that each of the prisoners is only able to see the hats in front of them but not on themselves or behind. Prisoner P1 can see P2 and P3. Prisoner P2 can see P3 only. The fourth man, P4, behind the screen can’t see or be seen by any other prisoner. No communication between the prisoners is allowed.

If any prisoner can figure out and tell the jailer the color of the hat he has on his head all four prisoners go free. If any prisoner gives an incorrect answer, all four prisoners are executed. How the prisoners can escape, regardless of how the jailer distributes the hats?

You can assume that the prisoners can all hear each other if one of them tries to answer the question. Also, every prisoner thinks logically and knows that the other prisoners think logically as well.

Riddle Answer