Riddles

What can you catch but cannot throw?

• A tennis ball

• A cold

• Your Toys

• A boomerang

Answer explanation

When you get the sniffles, it's common to say that you "Caught a cold". Now you can't throw that at someone, can you? Interestingly, the common cold can be caused by at least 200 separate viruses.

Pick me up and scratch my head. I'll turn red and then black. What am I?

• A match

• Candle

• Catepillar

• None of the above

Answer explanation

What w have in this riddle is a simple explanation for striking a match! The red signifies the flame and the black is the burnt wook after the flame has been extinguished

I have a neck, but I don’t have a head, and I wear a cap. What am I?

• A ghost

• A bottle

• A snake

• A clam

Answer explanation

he long part of the bottle is called the neck, and the metal part that keeps it closed is called a cap. But, there's no head to be found!

What tree do we all carry in our hands?

• Cedar

• Oak

• Eucalyptus

• Palm

Answer explanation

Palms are a type of tree, and also the front part of your hand (fingers excluded.) Did you know that some palm trees can live to be 150 years old?

Of the options below, what has four legs, one head and one foot?

• An Amazonian rabbit

• A three-legged dog

• A bed

• A chair

Answer explanation

Well, technically not all beds have a headboard, but for the purpose of this riddle, they do! And the foot? That refers to the foot of the bed! We also concede that not all beds have legs, but traditionally speaking, they have four.

What runs around a house but does not move?

• A dog

• An alarm

• A garden gnome

• A fence

Answer explanation

We acknowledge that this riddle only works if a fence actually goes around the entire house. It wasn't until the 1940s that white picket fences became a symbol of suburban America.

The person who made it doesn’t want it, the person who paid for it doesn’t need it, and the person who needs it doesn’t know it. What is it?

• A cake

• A car

• A meal

• A coffin

Answer explanation

Let's break this one down! If you're making coffins, you're making them to sell. If you're buying them, you're definitely alive and not planning to use them yourself. If you're using one, well, you're definitely not alive and therefore, aren't capable of knowing anything.

I can’t be seen, but I can be heard. I won’t answer until spoken to. What am I?

• A dream

• Echo

• Children

• A voice

Answer explanation

An echo happens when sound waves hit another surface and are reflected back. The length of time until you hear an echo depends on how far the sound waves travel before hitting something that reflects them back.

What is as light as a feather but can’t be held by anyone for very long?

• Tissue paper

• A baby

• Your word

• Your breath

Answer explanation

Yes, you certainly can't hold your breath for very long...well, unless you are a free diver. Did you know that riddles are an important part of other cultures, as well? In Germany, a riddle is called a "Rätsel."

What has branches, but no bark?

• A dog pound

• A library

• A car

• A forest

Answer explanation

Short and simple, this riddle is another example off how everyday words can pertain to many things. Did you know that there are two types of riddles? The enigma, a riddle that is expressed metaphorically, and the conundrum, a riddle that has a tricky problem in which a pun is found in the answer or the question.