New Riddles With Answers - page 47 of 53
Who is credited with the theory of evolution?
Charles Darwin published 'On the Origin of Species' in 1859.
What country has the most tornadoes?
The U.S. experiences around 1,200 tornadoes per year due to its unique geography.
What do you call molten rock before it has erupted?
Magma is below the surface; once it breaks the surface, it's called lava.
How do you determine the age of a tree?
Each ring typically represents one year of growth in a tree's life.
What element is used to create nuclear energy?
Uranium-235 is the primary fuel used in nuclear power plants.
What do you call a volcano that’s not currently erupting?
A dormant volcano is one that hasn't erupted for a long time but could again.
Which is the most abundant element in the universe?
Hydrogen makes up about 75% of the elemental mass of the universe.
What is the study of fungi called?
Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi.
How many colors are in the rainbow?
The rainbow consists of 7 colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.
What do you call the study of weather and atmosphere?
Meteorology focuses on atmospheric conditions and weather forecasting.
What do you call an animal that eats both plants and animals?
Omnivores, like humans and bears, consume both plant and animal matter.
How many elements are on the periodic table?
There are 118 confirmed elements, from Hydrogen to Oganesson.
What are the three layers of the Earth?
The Earth consists of the outer crust, the thick mantle, and the central core.
What is the fastest animal on land?
The cheetah can reach speeds up to 70 mph (112 km/h).
What is the largest planet in our solar system?
Jupiter is the gas giant with the largest mass and volume in our solar system.
Next element in: H, Be, F, S, Mn, Kr, In, Gd, Tl?
This sequence follows the atomic numbers (1, 4, 9, 16, 25...) which are perfect squares. The next is 92 (Uranium).
How many bounces will it take for a ball to stop?
In a theoretical model with a restitution coefficient, the ball bounces infinitely many times with decreasing height.
Why did Andrew die after mopping bleach with a rag and fluid?
Mixing bleach with ammonia-based cleaners creates toxic chloramine gas, which is lethal.
If you hammer a nail into a tree, where is it 5 years later?
Trees grow from the top (apical meristems), so a nail in the trunk stays at the same height.
How much more powerful is an earthquake 0.5 higher on the scale?
The Richter scale is logarithmic; an increase of 0.5 corresponds to about sqrt(10) or 3.16 times the energy.
The beginning of the end, as well as the end of time and space.
This is a word riddle; the letter 'E' is the start of 'End' and the last letter of 'time' and 'space'.
I'm sometimes full, but I never overflow.
The Moon goes through phases, including a 'Full Moon,' but it is a solid celestial body.
At night they come without being fetched, by day they are lost.
Stars are always there but only become visible to us when the sun goes down.
I make up almost of the universe, but no one knows about me.
Dark energy is a mysterious force driving the universe's expansion, making up ~68% of it.
I am a god, I am a planet, and I can measure the temperature.
Mercury is a Roman god, the closest planet to the sun, and the liquid used in thermometers.
If you give it food, it'll live if you give it water, it will die.
Fire requires fuel (food) to burn but is extinguished by water.
What has a mouth but can't chew?
A river has a 'mouth' where it meets the sea, but obviously cannot chew anything.
What goes around the wood but never goes into the wood?
The bark is the outermost layer that surrounds the trunk but doesn't enter the interior wood.
What is neither water nor land but is always soaking wet?
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, creating a unique, soggy ecosystem.
Born in the ocean and white as snow; disappears in water.
Salt is harvested from the sea and dissolves (disappears) when put back into water.
What four elements make up something that terrifies criminals?
The symbols for Carbon (C), Oxygen (O), Phosphorus (P), and Sulfur (S) spell 'COPS'.
Benzene ring with iron atoms replacing carbon atoms?
A 'Ferrous Wheel' is a pun on 'Ferris Wheel' and the chemical term for iron (ferrous).
I am a unit of chemical elements, but I can never be trusted. Why?
A pun on 'Atoms' (the unit) 'making up' (inventing) things and being the fundamental building blocks of matter.
I come as a gas, and I'm in line with Neon. Home of a Super man.
Krypton is a noble gas in the same group as Neon, and also the name of Superman's home planet.
What number do Nickel and Neon make when they are combined?
The chemical symbols Ni (Nickel) and Ne (Neon) spell 'NiNe'.
Which element is derived from a Norse god?
Thorium is named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder.
What do you do with a dead chemist?
This is a classic pun riddle -- "barium," the chemical element, sounds just like "bury 'em," which is exactly what you'd do with the deceased chemist.
Which two elements heal?
A pun on the symbols He and Al, which spell 'Heal'.
Black when you get it, red when you use it, grey when you are finished.
Charcoal is black, glows red when burning, and turns into grey ash when consumed.
What chemical doesn't like to follow?
A pun: 'Lead' is a metal, but the word 'lead' also means to be at the front or guide others.
What can eat a lot of iron without getting sick?
Rust (iron oxide) forms when iron reacts with oxygen and water, essentially 'consuming' the metal.
I am the equivalent of a one-way street in the universe. What am I?
Time only moves in one direction�forward�according to the second law of thermodynamics.
What period of time is the lightest/weighs the least?
Wordplay: A 'day' can be 'light' (daylight), unlike the night.
Which concept in physics is the loneliest?
A singularity is a point of infinite density, often described as 'one' or unique in space-time.
What goes up and down without moving?
Temperature readings on a thermometer rise and fall without the device itself moving.
You can find me in Mercury, Earth, Mars, and Jupiter. But not Neptune or Venus.
This is a wordplay riddle; the letter 'R' appears in the names of the first four mentioned planets but not the others.
You can't see me but I can see you. I can see right through.
X-rays have high energy and can pass through soft tissues but not bones, making them useful for imaging.
It is very hard to create me, but I can't be destroyed. I can only change form.
The Law of Conservation of Energy states energy cannot be created or destroyed.
I can be hot, cold, hard, and go through anything. What am I?
Water can be steam (hot), ice (hard/cold), and flow through various substances.
Which is heavier, a ton of feathers or a ton of rocks?
A ton is a measure of weight, so 2000 lbs of anything weighs exactly the same.
What is the center of gravity?
This is a wordplay riddle; the letter 'v' is the literal middle letter of the word 'gravity'.
You can't see me, I can't be touched... but I cook your lunch. What am I?
Microwaves are electromagnetic waves that vibrate water molecules to generate heat.
Lots of people have heard it, but no one has seen it. It will not speak back unless spoken to.
An echo is a reflection of sound that returns to the source after a delay.
When liquid splashes me, none seeps through; when I am hit, I change color. What am I?
Skin is waterproof and bruises (changes color) when struck or injured.
I am a ball that can be rolled, but never bounced or thrown. What am I?
An eyeball is spherical and rotates (rolls) in the socket but cannot be bounced.
One monkey has a banana, one a stick, one nothing. Which primate is the smartest?
Humans are primates, and you (the person answering) are the smartest primate in this scenario.
Your mom and dad each gave you 23 of these threadlike strands. What are they?
Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, one set from each parent.
What grows only upwards and can never come down?
Height refers to the measurement of how tall something is, which increases as you grow.
I can be good for you, but I can also be bad for you, and you will find me wherever you go. What am I?
Bacteria exist everywhere; some are beneficial (probiotics) while others cause disease.
I'm great at tasting but horrible at smelling. What am I?
The tongue contains taste buds but does not have olfactory (smell) receptors.
I love to roam, but I always stay home. If you carried what I carried, you'd end up breaking your back! What am I?
A snail carries its heavy shell everywhere it goes as its home.
I am under your face and outside your mind. What am I?
The skull protects the brain (mind) and is located beneath the facial features.
I am needed for flight but cannot fly on my own. What am I?
Feathers provide lift and insulation but require a bird's movement to fly.
I am hard as a stone but you can find me on your body. What am I?
Teeth are the hardest substance in the human body, similar to stone.
What can you hold for no longer than a few seconds, even without your hands?
You can only hold your breath for a short time before needing to inhale.
What are 10 things that you can always count on?
A play on words; you use your fingers to count numbers.
I am a gas that is essential for plants but I can't be bought at the gas station. What am I?
Plants use Carbon Dioxide for photosynthesis to produce food.
I burn and burn and never fall; I am made with glass walls.
A lantern holds a flame (burns) and is typically made with glass panes (walls) to protect the light.
Men love me, women adore me. I am never free.
Gold is a precious metal that everyone wants, but it is never free due to its high market value.
What type of man is always above a board?
In the game of chess, the 'men' (pieces) are literally moved across a board.
What is an "age" that most travelers have with them?
This is a pun on the suffix '-age'. Travelers carry physical baggage, which fits the wordplay.
I grow with age; you need a lot of me to be known as a sage.
Wisdom is an abstract concept that is traditionally said to increase with age and experience.
Only time it's okay to lock lips with a stranger for encouragement?
Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation (CPR) involves locking lips with a stranger to save their life.
Jack and Jill died in mud/liquid with broken glass near a train station.
The 'broken glass' was a fish tank. Without water, the fish died on the floor.
Six glasses (3 full, 3 empty). Move only one to make them alternate.
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
Is a wine container more or less than half full without using measuring tools?
By tilting the container, if the liquid reaches the lip and you can see the bottom, it is exactly half full.
Fred killed innocents and caused $4.7 million in damage but never had to pay. Why?
Fred is the name of a natural disaster (hurricane). Natural disasters cause damage but aren't legal entities that can pay for it.
I add 5 to 9 and get 2. How is this correct?
This logic uses 'clock arithmetic'. On a standard 12-hour clock, adding 5 hours to 9:00 results in 2:00.
A 7-letter word: if you take out 4, you have 1 left.
Think about the literal properties of a 'someone.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Children: Aerodynamics, Engines, Illustrator, Animal wisdom. Who are we?
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
Everyone has one of these. They are both hard and easy to keep.
Think about the literal properties of a 'secrets.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
What has teeth but doesn't possess a mouth?
Think about the literal properties of a 'a saw.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Others get wrinkles as they get old, but the older I get, the fewer wrinkles I have.
Think about the literal properties of a 'tires.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I creep upon you slowly. I change shades, and I grow. I weep and weep.
Think about the literal properties of a 'spring.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
It takes a good scholar to learn what I am. I am full of knowledge and have many words.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a book.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I am one hole in one pole. I pack a hole the color of milk. You use me less at night.
Think about the literal properties of a 'an eye.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I have 6 faces and 21 eyes. I have no body and cannot see.
Think about the literal properties of a 'dice.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I have a temper, and I blow my top when I make a mess of everything.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a volcano.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
A man and his boss have the same parents but are not related. How?
This is a lateral thinking puzzle where the solution relies on a non-obvious interpretation of the words used.
I am a house. People walk in blind, but when they leave, they can see.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a church.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can help make you see or blind you. I can build a castle but not one that you can live in.
Think about the literal properties of a 'sand.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I am afraid of cats. I have two colors on my skin. I am always with my pack.
Think about the literal properties of a 'a zebra.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
How many 9s are between the number one and the number 100?
Think about the literal properties of a '20'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
What grows bigger and bigger the more you contract it?
Think about the literal properties of a 'debt.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I never swallow anything, but I have a hard bite. I go all over the hills and make a pretty sight.
Think about the literal properties of a 'frost.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
Today is the day prior to a couple of days after the one before tomorrow is the sixth day. What day is it?
Think about the literal properties of a 'friday.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can fill your body, but you are unable to touch me. Death is something I can bring.
Think about the literal properties of a 'smoke.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I grow, but I am not alive. I am fun to have on hand with friends, and I love summertime.
Think about the literal properties of a 'marshmallow.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I come in many varieties and can bring harmony. You move when you hear me, but you can't touch me.
Think about the literal properties of a 'music.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.
I can be repeated but only sometimes in the same way. I cannot be changed, but I have been rewritten.
Think about the literal properties of a 'history.'. The riddle uses metaphors to describe its physical form or function.