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.

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

4 Days for School

A student has missed an excessive number of days at school and thus the principal called him to his office and requested for an explanation.

The student said, “There just isn’t enough time for school. I need 8 hours of sleep a day, which adds up to about 122 days a year. Weekends off is 104 days a year. Summer vacation is about 60 days. If I spend about an hour on each meal, that’s 3 hours a day or 45 days a year. I need at least 2 hours of exercise and relaxation time each day to stay physically and mentally fit, adding another 30 days. Add all of that up and you get about 361 days. That only leaves 4 days for school.”

The principal is confused, but can’t figure out why. What is wrong with the student’s argument?

Riddle Answer

Long Riddles

Four Suitors

Rich Merchant’s Gold Coins

King’s Proposal

King-size Conundrum

4 Days for School

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