critical thinking riddles for college students

7 Puzzles to Challenge Your Critical Thinking

Can you spot the connections and sort these items.

Posted March 5, 2015 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

The theme of this post is critical thinking—and the kinds of puzzles that can be constructed around it. This term is used frequently in psychology and education . There are various definitions, but the one that best suits our purpose and which is, in the end, perhaps the best, is the ability to comprehend the logical connections among ideas, words, phrases, and concepts . In the relevant scientific literature, of course, the term is used much more broadly as a framework for understanding human cognition . But in my opinion, the best way to understand things is to construct puzzles to illustrate their basic essence.

Critical thinking involves skill at recognizing a pattern in given information and especially recognizing how the information is connected to the real world. Here are a couple of very simple examples. First, consider the five words below:

• Cruise ship
• Walking on foot
• Automobile (not a race car)

Now, put them in order from the slowest to the fastest, when they are going at maximum speed. The solution, of course, is: 4-2-5-1-3.

As with all such puzzles, there might be slightly different solutions—one could claim that some automobiles go faster than cruise ships. This “indeterminacy” characterizes this kind of thinking. However, some puzzles are straightforward. For instance, what do the following five things have in common?

The answer? These are all words referring to shades of blue.

The seven puzzles below are to the ones above, though hopefully more challenging. Some involve knowledge of facts, but critical thinking is still involved in such cases because the organization of the facts according to some principle is always involved—for example, a puzzle may ask you to put five items in order of their dates of invention.

The following tongue-in-cheek definition of critical thinking by Richard W. Paul, a leading expert on critical thinking theory, says it all: “Critical thinking is thinking about your thinking while you’re thinking in order to make your thinking better.”

I. What do the following 5 things have in common?

• Orange juice

II. Put the following buildings or structures in order of height, from the shortest to the tallest.

• Typical camping tent

III. What do the following animals have in common?

IV. Put the following inventions in order from earliest to most recent.

V. What feature do the following words have in common?

• Imagination

VI. Put these bodies of water in order in terms of volume, from smallest to largest .

VII. What do the following landmasses have in common?

I. They are all drinkable liquids. II. 5-1-4-3-2 III. They all have a tail. They are also all quadrupeds. IV. To the best of my knowledge: 5-4-3-1-2 V. They start with a vowel: a, e, i, o, u VI. 4-2-1-5-3 VII. They are all peninsulas.

Marcel Danesi, Ph.D. , is a professor of semiotics and anthropology at Victoria College, University of Toronto. His books include The Puzzle Instinct and The Total Brain Workout .

• Find a Therapist
• Find a Treatment Center
• Find a Psychiatrist
• Find a Support Group
• Find Online Therapy
• United States
• Brooklyn, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• New York, NY
• Portland, OR
• San Diego, CA
• San Francisco, CA
• Seattle, WA
• Washington, DC
• Asperger's
• Bipolar Disorder
• Chronic Pain
• Eating Disorders
• Passive Aggression
• Personality
• Goal Setting
• Positive Psychology
• Stopping Smoking
• Low Sexual Desire
• Relationships
• Child Development
• Therapy Center NEW
• Diagnosis Dictionary
• Types of Therapy

Understanding what emotional intelligence looks like and the steps needed to improve it could light a path to a more emotionally adept world.

• Emotional Intelligence
• Gaslighting
• Affective Forecasting
• Neuroscience

• Get started with computers
• Learn Microsoft Office
• Apply for a job
• Improve my work skills
• Design nice-looking docs
• Getting Started
• Smartphones & Tablets
• Typing Tutorial
• Online Learning
• Basic Internet Skills
• Online Safety
• Social Media
• Zoom Basics
• Google Docs
• Google Sheets
• Career Planning
• Resume Writing
• Cover Letters
• Job Search and Networking
• Business Communication
• Entrepreneurship 101
• Careers without College
• Job Hunt for Today
• 3D Printing
• Freelancing 101
• Personal Finance
• Sharing Economy
• Decision-Making
• Graphic Design
• Photography
• Image Editing
• Learning WordPress
• Language Learning
• Critical Thinking
• For Educators
• Translations
• Staff Picks
• English expand_more expand_less

Critical Thinking and Decision-Making  - Using Brain Teasers to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking and decision-making  -, using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills, critical thinking and decision-making using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills.

Critical Thinking and Decision-Making: Using Brain Teasers to Build Critical Thinking Skills

Lesson 4: using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills.

/en/problem-solving-and-decision-making/decisionmaking-strategies/content/

Using brain teasers to build critical thinking skills

Here's a brain teaser: A rooster is on the roof of a barn facing east. The wind is blowing to the west at 10 miles per hour. The rooster lays an egg. Which direction does the egg roll?

The answer appears below the image.

Answer: There is no egg. The rooster didn't lay one because roosters are male. Did you get it right? Let's pick this apart and see why so many people have difficulty with this brain teaser, and so many others.

Watch the video below to learn more about how you can use brain teasers to improve your critical thinking.

The answer is in the details

It's easy to overlook details or accept them without questioning. In the brain teaser above, the answer could be found in the second word: r ooster .

In hindsight, we realize it's impossible for roosters to lay eggs. But it's easy to overlook this when it's casually mentioned in the brain teaser.

Misdirection

Another process at work in this brain teaser is misdirection . There were several details included that we may have paid too much attention to: The fact that the rooster was facing east, and that the wind was blowing west at 10 miles per hour.

In the end, these details had nothing to do with the actual answer. However, they seemed important in the context of the brain teaser! This directed us away from the relevant information.

Applying these ideas to the real world

The same techniques we use to solve brain teasers can also be applied to real-world situations . When you're trying to figure something out, it's important to analyze the information that's available to you and ask the following questions:

• Are there any key details I may be missing?
• Am I being misled by something?
• Could I be thinking about this in another way?

Brain teasers not only help to keep your mind sharp, but can help improve your critical thinking skills as well.

Let's finish things off with another brain teaser...

You are in a dark room with a single match. The only objects available to you are a candle, an oil lamp, and a gas stove. Which item do you light first?

Answer: The match!

/en/problem-solving-and-decision-making/navigating-todays-health-crazes/content/

School is Easy Tutoring

Tutoring Agency

4 Critical Thinking Riddles That Challenge Your Mind

School is Easy Tutoring March 18, 2024

4 Riddles That Challenge Your Critical Thinking

Solving riddles can be both entertaining and intellectually rewarding!

Riddles are a mental exercise that challenges us to think critically and creatively, much like solving complex problems in real life. Riddles are crafted to make us look beyond the obvious, honing our ability to analyze and think deeply. The best part about riddles is that they work just as well with younger people as they do with adults because they teach us all to approach problems from different angles and foster a deeper understanding of the underlying concepts.

To give your child’s mind a workout, we’ve compiled four thought-provoking riddles that will test their critical thinking abilities. Read these to your child aloud and have them come up with the solution (without peeking at the answers)!

1. The Pirate Captain

You are a salty sea captain well known for your pirating skills! The seven seas have never witnessed one pirate take more treasure from than you, and you don’t seem to stop with one treasure chest – you want more, more, more!

However, there is a problem… the sailor who normally counts your treasure chests is sick with the flu and you’re the only one who can keep count! To get you back on the high seas to pillage more ships, you need to do your own inventory of the treasure you have so far:

• In your first raid, you received 28 treasure chests.
• In your second raid, you received 13 more chests, but eight of them were distributed to the crew for all their hard work.
• After your fourth raid, you took in 21 more treasure chests but had to distribute five more to your crew.
• Finally, on the fifth raid, you hauled in 37 treasure chests, but lost four on the way to the boat and 12 more when a few of your crew stole them on your way back home.

What color are the captain’s eyes?

Answer: The eye color is that of whoever is solving the riddle.

Critical Thinking: To solve this riddle using critical thinking, you need to carefully look at the information given and pick out the important parts. In this case, you should understand that the answer doesn’t depend on the details about the pirate captain’s treasure or actions. Instead, it’s a play on words related to the question. You need to pay attention to how the riddle is worded to figure out the correct answer. It’s a clever trick that makes you question what you assume should be the answer.

2. The Angry Cat

Rachael and Monica’s last apartment was completely ruined by a cat, and have been forced to move into a home with several roommates.

When the two were shown upstairs to their private accommodations and when the landlord opened the door, Monica was immediately shocked to find an incredibly ornery and overly aggressive cat occupying the room when they walked in.

However, Rachael hung her jacket on a nearby piece of furniture and has no problems with the accommodations. Why?

Answer: Rachael didn’t have a problem with the cat because the cat had been living with her the whole time: Monica is her cat. When they were shown their room, Monica immediately freaked out (like so many animals do) after seeing their reflection in a mirror. Monica thought that it was another cat challenging her for territory. Fortunately, Rachael can cover up the mirror with her jacket until Monica becomes settled.

Critical Thinking: This riddle may seem odd, but it can be solved with critical thinking. To find the answer, carefully consider the details provided: Monica’s reaction after seeing the cat (herself), and Racheal not caring AFTER hanging her jacket on a piece of furniture (a mirror). Then, notice the behavior of the cat (Monica) and understand its reaction to seeing its reflection. This solution requires thinking beyond the obvious and paying attention to subtle clues within the scenario.

3. Master Thief

The Fashion Plaza recently opened a brand-new location with state-of-the-art security. At its grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremony, a normal woman in normal clothes walks into the store past the CEO, the mayor, and even the chief of police.

After noticing the security guard, she proceeds to fill her basket to the top, then leaves the store without paying. Although security records her movements, and the guard is fully aware of her presence, no one calls the police or attempts to stop her.

The woman works as a cleaner in the store. She is filling the basket with trash and taking it out to the dumpster.

Critical Thinking:

To solve this riddle, you must consider the context and the details provided. Although there were several points made – such as the state-of-the-art security, the number of people, the attention given to this special day – nothing is said about the woman other than she is “normal.” Critical thinking requires understanding the situation from all perspectives. By observing her interactions and behavior – i.e., not having any issue gaining entrance, waving to the security guard, not standing out in the crowd – it becomes clear that she is not actually stealing but is performing her job as a cleaner.

4. A Riddle in Time

What occurs twice in every moment, once in every minute, but also never, ever in a hundred thousand years?

Answer: The letter “M.”

Upon hearing this question, the mind will automatically correlate the question and answer with something to do based on time. However, this is just a misdirection and the actual answer is actually much simpler and lies in plain sight of the question itself. To solve this, you must think outside the box in the sense that you must first think further than the concept of time for this question, but rather look deeply into the context and the wording of the question itself.

Riddle Me This

The fun thing about critical thinking puzzles is that there are so many to be discovered and solved. These riddles that require critical thinking provided are just some of the more famous yet difficult ones. If you had fun giving your brain a little workout with this article, consider reading some of the other blogs on our website!

Your kids CAN overcome difficult subjects in school – we believe it!

Get professional, screened, trained and experienced tutors.

Book a Tutor Online Now!

For further information or to schedule a free consultation, please fill in your details below.

We'd love to connect with you..

103 Fun and Engaging Classroom Riddles: Students Will Laugh Hysterically

Classroom riddles have long been a popular and effective way to engage students in learning. They provide an entertaining challenge that can spark curiosity, foster critical thinking skills, and encourage collaboration among peers. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the many benefits of incorporating riddles into your teaching repertoire.

We’ll begin by sharing 103 intriguing riddles for you to use in your classroom across various subjects and grade levels. These perplexing conundrums are certain to grab the attention of your pupils while simultaneously advancing their problem-solving capabilities.

Next, we’ll delve into the numerous advantages of using riddles as educational tools, from improving critical thinking skills to making connections across different subject areas. We will also offer practical advice on how best to implement these classroom riddles effectively within your lessons – including tips on timing activities, providing hints when necessary, and encouraging group discussions around answers.

Table of Contents:

Bonus riddle activity ideas:, improving critical thinking skills, enhancing problem-solving abilities, making connections across subjects, timing your riddle activities, providing hints when necessary, encouraging group discussions around answers, what can kids make but never hold or see, what follows you everywhere but can’t be caught, what is a room no one can enter, what is the world’s hardest riddle, 103 riddles for the classroom.

Incorporate these 103 riddles into your classroom to engage students, encourage critical thinking, and create a joyful learning environment. Each riddle can be used as an icebreaker or brain teaser during lessons or transition times throughout the day.

• What has keys but can’t open locks? (Answer: A piano)
• What has a face and two hands but no body? (Answer: A clock)
• What has a heart that doesn’t beat? (Answer: A deck of cards)
• What has a bed but never sleeps? (Answer: A river)
• What has ears but can’t hear? (Answer: A cornfield)
• What has one eye but can’t see? (Answer: A needle)
• What goes up but never comes down? (Answer: Your age)
• What has hands but can’t clap? (Answer: A clock)
• What can be seen in the middle of March and April but can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month? (Answer: The letter “R”)
• What has a thumb and four fingers but is not alive? (Answer: A glove)
• What has a neck but no head? (Answer: A bottle)
• What gets wet while drying? (Answer: A towel)
• What has many teeth but can’t bite? (Answer: A comb)
• What is full of holes but still holds water? (Answer: A sponge)
• What has a face that doesn’t frown, smiles, or gets mad? (Answer: A clock)
• What has hands but can’t hold anything? (Answer: A clock)
• What is always in front of you but can’t be seen? (Answer: The future)
• What can you catch but not throw? (Answer: A cold)
• What can you break, even if you never pick it up or touch it? (Answer: A promise)
• What has to be broken before you can use it? (Answer: An egg)
• What can travel all around the world without leaving its corner? (Answer: A stamp)
• What can you hold in your right hand but not in your left hand? (Answer: Your left hand)
• What can you hear but not touch or see? (Answer: Your name)
• What goes up and down but doesn’t move? (Answer: A staircase)
• What has a bottom at the top? (Answer: Your legs)
• What has cities but no houses, forests but no trees, and rivers but no water? (Answer: A map)
• What has a face that can’t smile, a back that can’t bend, and two arms that can’t hug? (Answer: A clock)
• What can you hold in your left hand but not in your right hand? (Answer: Your right elbow)
• What has legs but can’t walk? (Answer: A table)
• What has an eye but can’t see? (Answer: A needle)
• What has a head and a tail but no body? (Answer: A coin)
• What starts with the letter “t,” is full of “t,” and ends with “t”? (Answer: A teapot)
• What is always coming but never arrives? (Answer: Tomorrow)
• What has a face that doesn’t frown, smile, or get mad? (Answer: A clock)
• What has no legs but can run? (Answer: A river)
• What can you keep after giving it to someone else? (Answer: Your word)
• What has teeth but can’t bite? (Answer: A comb)
• I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I? (Answer: An Echo)

Using classroom riddles, like those listed above, helps make learning fun while also challenging students’ minds and promoting creative thinking skills.

• Riddle of the Day: Start each morning with a new riddle for your class to solve together.
• Riddle Relay Race: Divide your class into teams and have them race to answer different riddles on index cards placed around the room.

Benefits of Using Riddles in the Classroom

Riddles require students to think outside the box and analyze information from various angles. This type of mental exercise helps develop their critical thinking skills, which are essential for success in both academics and life.

Solving riddles often involves breaking down a problem into smaller parts or using logical reasoning to find a solution. These strategies can be applied across many areas of study, helping students become more effective problem solvers overall.

Riddles often incorporate elements from multiple subject areas – such as math, language arts, science or history – encouraging students to draw on their knowledge from various disciplines while solving them. This cross-curricular approach reinforces learning by highlighting how different subjects relate to one another.

How to Implement Riddles Effectively

To maximize their impact on student engagement and learning outcomes, use these strategies when incorporating riddles into your classroom activities – such as using them during transitions between lessons or subjects; providing hints if needed; encouraging group discussions; and celebrating correct answers together.

Ideally, you should introduce riddles at strategic points throughout the day when students need a mental break or an energy boost. For example:

• Incorporate a “Riddle Warm-Up” activity before starting class each morning;
• Pose a new riddle during transitions between subjects or lessons;
• Use a riddle as a “brain break” in the middle of long, challenging tasks.

If students are struggling to solve a particular riddle, offer subtle hints to guide them toward the answer. This can help prevent frustration and maintain their motivation to keep trying. You might also consider providing multiple-choice options for younger students who may need more support.

Riddles can spark lively debates among classmates as they share their thoughts on possible solutions. Encourage these discussions by asking open-ended questions like:

• “Why do you think that’s the correct answer?”
• “Can anyone come up with an alternative solution?”

This collaborative approach not only promotes critical thinking but also fosters positive social interactions and teamwork within your classroom community.

Key Takeaway: 

This article provides 100 classroom riddles that can be used as icebreakers or brain teasers to engage students and promote critical thinking skills. Using riddles in the classroom not only adds fun but also enhances problem-solving abilities, improves critical thinking skills, and encourages cross-curricular learning. Teachers are encouraged to implement these activities during strategic points throughout the day while providing hints if necessary and encouraging group discussions around answers.

Let’s dive into the details.

Riddles require students to think outside the box and analyze information from various angles. By presenting them with a challenging question or scenario that has a hidden meaning or solution, you encourage them to dig deeper into their thought processes. Riddles can promote the growth of essential skills for excelling in and out of school, such as critical thinking.

• Cognitive flexibility: Solving riddles requires students to consider multiple perspectives and possibilities before arriving at an answer.
• Analytical reasoning: Students must break down complex problems into smaller parts while solving riddles – a skill that is transferable across many academic disciplines.
• Evaluation: As they work through potential solutions for each riddle, students learn how to assess the validity of their ideas based on available evidence.

In addition to improving critical thinking skills, incorporating riddles into your lessons can also enhance problem-solving abilities among your students. Many times, finding the correct answer involves using logic as well as trial-and-error methods – both valuable strategies when tackling real-world challenges later in life. Furthermore,

• Persistence: Solving tricky puzzles teaches children the importance of perseverance, even when faced with difficult tasks.
• Adaptability: As students attempt to solve riddles, they may need to adjust their approach or consider alternative solutions – a skill that is essential for navigating life’s many obstacles.
• Creativity: Riddles often require lateral thinking and the ability to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. Fostering creativity can have a positive impact on academic performance, something which riddles are well-suited to facilitate.

Riddles are not only entertaining but also educational tools that can be used across various subjects. For example, math teachers might use number-based puzzles to reinforce concepts like fractions or algebraic expressions; language arts instructors could present wordplay challenges as part of vocabulary-building exercises; and science educators might incorporate riddles related to scientific principles or phenomena into their lessons.

By weaving these brain teasers throughout your curriculum, you encourage students to draw on knowledge from multiple disciplines while honing their problem-solving skills. Additionally,

• Interdisciplinary learning: Riddles provide an opportunity for students to see how different subject areas intersect and complement one another – fostering a more holistic understanding of the world around them.
• Intrinsic motivation: The satisfaction derived from solving a challenging puzzle can boost student engagement and inspire them to take ownership over their own learning experiences.
• Social interaction: Sharing riddle solutions with classmates encourages communication, collaboration, and healthy competition among peers – all important aspects of building strong classroom communities.

As you can see, incorporating riddles into your teaching routine offers numerous benefits for both students and educators alike. By challenging their minds and promoting critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and interdisciplinary connections, you help prepare them for success in the classroom – and beyond.

Introducing riddles in the classroom promotes critical thinking, enhances problem-solving abilities and helps students make connections between different subjects. Riddles require students to think outside the box and analyze information from various angles, encouraging them to dig deeper into their thought processes while developing cognitive flexibility, analytical reasoning, evaluation skills and enhancing persistence, adaptability and creativity. Additionally, incorporating riddles into lessons fosters interdisciplinary learning by providing an opportunity for students to see how different subject areas intersect and complement one another while boosting student engagement through intrinsic motivation.

How to Use Riddles to Boost Student Engagement

Maximize student engagement and learning outcomes by incorporating riddles into your classroom activities. Use these strategies:

Use riddles as icebreakers, transitions, closure activities, or integrate them into lessons.

Offer gentle nudges, clue-by-clue, or use Socratic questioning to guide students towards discovering the answer themselves.

Divide your class into pairs or small groups, use the jigsaw method, or fishbowl discussion to promote collaboration and communication skills.

Celebrating Correct Answers Together

Boost morale and reinforce critical thinking skills by offering verbal praise, tangible rewards, or creating a riddle leaderboard.

Incorporating riddles into your classroom activities is an effective way to engage students while promoting critical thinking skills and fostering collaboration. By utilizing these tactics, you’ll create a stimulating educational atmosphere that will benefit both the instructor and their students.

“Boost student engagement and critical thinking skills with classroom riddles. Learn how to incorporate them into your lessons with these helpful strategies. #teachingtips #classroomactivities ‍” Click to Tweet

FAQs in Relation to Classroom Riddles

Kids can make a noise, such as laughter or singing, but they cannot physically hold or see the sound waves. Sound is created by vibrations that travel through the air and are perceived by our ears.

Your shadow follows you wherever you go, but it cannot be caught because it is simply an area where light has been blocked by your body. Shadows change in size and shape depending on the angle of light sources.

A mushroom is often referred to as a “room” no one can enter due to its name being a play on words. This riddle uses wordplay to create humor and challenge students’ critical thinking skills.

The Cheryl’s Birthday problem gained widespread attention for its difficulty when shared online in 2015. However, there isn’t necessarily one definitive “hardest riddle,” as people find different types of puzzles challenging based on their individual strengths and experiences.

Challenge your students’ critical thinking skills with Classroom Riddles – a fun and engaging way to promote problem-solving abilities and cross-subject connections. Incorporating the list of 100 riddles provided into your lesson plans is easy and effective.

Timing is key when implementing riddles, and providing hints can help struggling students while promoting group discussions around answers encourages collaboration among classmates. By using riddles in your teaching strategy, you can keep your students engaged and promote learning in a fun way!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Want a daily email of lesson plans that span all subjects and age groups?

Subjects all subjects all subjects the arts all the arts visual arts performing arts value of the arts back business & economics all business & economics global economics macroeconomics microeconomics personal finance business back design, engineering & technology all design, engineering & technology design engineering technology back health all health growth & development medical conditions consumer health public health nutrition physical fitness emotional health sex education back literature & language all literature & language literature linguistics writing/composition speaking back mathematics all mathematics algebra data analysis & probability geometry measurement numbers & operations back philosophy & religion all philosophy & religion philosophy religion back psychology all psychology history, approaches and methods biological bases of behavior consciousness, sensation and perception cognition and learning motivation and emotion developmental psychology personality psychological disorders and treatment social psychology back science & technology all science & technology earth and space science life sciences physical science environmental science nature of science back social studies all social studies anthropology area studies civics geography history media and journalism sociology back teaching & education all teaching & education education leadership education policy structure and function of schools teaching strategies back thinking & learning all thinking & learning attention and engagement memory critical thinking problem solving creativity collaboration information literacy organization and time management back, filter by none.

• Elementary/Primary
• Middle School/Lower Secondary
• High School/Upper Secondary
• College/University
• TED-Ed Animations
• TED Talk Lessons
• TED-Ed Best of Web
• Under 3 minutes
• Under 6 minutes
• Under 9 minutes
• Under 12 minutes
• Under 18 minutes
• Over 18 minutes
• Algerian Arabic
• Azerbaijani
• Cantonese (Hong Kong)
• Chinese (Hong Kong)
• Chinese (Singapore)
• Chinese (Taiwan)
• Chinese Simplified
• Chinese Traditional
• Chinese Traditional (Taiwan)
• Dutch (Belgium)
• Dutch (Netherlands)
• French (Canada)
• French (France)
• French (Switzerland)
• Kurdish (Central)
• Luxembourgish
• Persian (Afghanistan)
• Persian (Iran)
• Portuguese (Brazil)
• Portuguese (Portugal)
• Spanish (Argentina)
• Spanish (Latin America)
• Spanish (Mexico)
• Spanish (Spain)
• Spanish (United States)
• Western Frisian

sort by none

• Longest video
• Shortest video
• Most video views
• Least video views
• Most questions answered
• Least questions answered

Can you solve the magical maze riddle?

Lesson duration 04:51

337,918 Views

How to make smart decisions more easily

Lesson duration 05:16

1,076,894 Views

Can you solve a mystery before Sherlock Holmes?

Lesson duration 05:17

468,810 Views

Can you solve the secret assassin society riddle?

Lesson duration 05:01

687,565 Views

How to overcome your mistakes

Lesson duration 04:52

897,500 Views

Can you solve the cursed dice riddle?

Lesson duration 04:31

686,389 Views

Why some people don't have an inner monologue

Lesson duration 12:03

2,759,926 Views

Science vs. Pseudoscience

Lesson duration 05:48

349,442 Views

Can you solve the time traveling car riddle?

Lesson duration 05:18

625,272 Views

This one weird trick will get you infinite gold

Lesson duration 05:08

1,001,403 Views

How to quit your job — without ruining your career - Gala Jackson

Lesson duration 06:13

105,162 Views

What if you experienced every human life in history?

Lesson duration 05:21

2,790,259 Views

How to design climate-resilient buildings - Alyssa-Amor Gibbons

Lesson duration 14:12

43,014 Views

The case for free, universal basic services - Aaron Bastani

Lesson duration 19:09

80,173 Views

Can you steal the most powerful wand in the wizarding world?

Lesson duration 05:20

759,906 Views

History vs. Thomas Jefferson

454,477 Views

The best way to apologize (according to science)

Lesson duration 05:06

1,445,281 Views

How do we determine the value of a life?

Lesson duration 06:06

705,393 Views

What’s the smartest age?

Lesson duration 04:53

1,558,637 Views

The Boltzmann brain paradox

Lesson duration 05:40

1,111,478 Views

The 4 greatest threats to the survival of humanity

Lesson duration 05:24

485,601 Views

Can you outsmart the college admissions fallacy?

Lesson duration 06:17

814,739 Views

Can you solve the fortress riddle?

Lesson duration 05:23

1,205,981 Views

Can you solve the private eye riddle?

1,292,714 Views

Engage Their Minds

50 Riddles to Challenge Your Students

What goes around the world and stays in a corner?

For my Fun Friday Post this week, I direct you to this page on Edgalaxy .   50 Riddles to Challenge Your Students is a fun collection of short brain teasers that are sure to delight your students.  They are good for using during those “rare” periods during the day when you are in transition: lined up outside the bathroom or water fountain, waiting for class pictures, packing up for dismissal, etc…  Most of these are popular riddles that we have all probably heard, but it’s handy to have a list of them for reference.

Answer:  A stamp

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)

Published by Terri Eichholz

Terri is a curriculum and tech integration specialist, speaker, and author with a passion for engaging and empowering learners. She delivers engaging professional learning, consultations on a variety of educational needs, and professional articles for various outlets . Find out more about Terri on the About page in the site menu. View all posts by Terri Eichholz

1 thought on “50 Riddles to Challenge Your Students”

Nice riddles! I advise you to try DaVinci Mystery game for iPhone and iPad http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/davinci-mystery/id553442078 , a lot of exciting riddles!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Discover more from engage their minds.

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Type your email…

Continue reading

• Search Search Search …
• Search Search …

Critical thinking puzzles for adults (with answers)

Critical thinking can help to better navigate the information-dense and complex world we live in. By thinking critically we can better identify priorities, take a sensible approach to problem-solving and reach conclusions logically in line with evidence. Puzzles are an excellent way both to learn and practice critical thinking skills.

If you’d like to learn more about critical thinking or simply practice your skills with some puzzles, then this is the article for you. Read a little bit more about critical thinking skills and how to apply them first, or just skip straight to the puzzles and see how you get on.

What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is a broad approach to problem solving and analysis based on logic and evidence. It brings together a wide range of intellectual competences and the ability to combine and cross-reference them. Some of the most important elements of a critical thinking approach include:

Analytical skills:

• understanding of questions and concepts
• differentiation of relevant / irrelevant evidence and information
• identification of similarities, connections and differences
• use of metaphors or analogies to communicate ideas

Powers of inference:

• extraction of meaning from data using inductive or deductive reasoning
• extrapolation of data or abstraction into concepts and patterns
• correct identification and deployment of analogies and assumptions
• grasp of causal relationships, allowing development of conclusions and theories.

Data and theory evaluation:

• assessment of how strong, important or credible a theory might be
• taking on board new data and new arguments which alter understanding of ideas and theory

Rational decision-making:

– application of all the skills and competences above in order to come to a rational conclusion.

Problem-solving attitude: In addition to being able to think critically, you must also be personally inclined to think critically when facing a difficult or complex challenge. Developing qualities including curiosity and fairness, while distancing yourself from ideologies and group-think, should all help to create the kind of psychological landscape where critical thinking can flourish.

How can I learn critical thinking?

Critical thinking skills are hard to develop from only reading books or listening to lectures. The most effective way to sharpen and deepen critical thinking faculties is to practice critical thinking . Critical thinking puzzles offer a fun way to learn and the eight critical thinking puzzles we’ve chosen for this article should help you make a good start.

The aMAZEing PuzzleBox

Level 7 sequential discovery puzzle box​

Made from original LEGO® bricks​

Find the  GOLDEN BAR  to complete the challenge

CAN YOU HANDLE IT?..

Eight critical thinking puzzles – with answers

Puzzle 1 – letter puzzles.

What common feature do the following words share?

Answer: All of these words begin with a vowel. This type of puzzle may send your mind off in the wrong direction, thinking about the objects or concepts described by the words, and the properties they might share. In fact, the solution lies in a far more simple consideration of the alphabet. Puzzle 1 is a simple example of a common type of letter or word puzzle.

Puzzle 2 – Commonalities and differences

What do the following items have in common and which is the odd one out?

Orange Juice

Answer: These items are all liquids and the odd one out is petrol, since all the others are drinkable liquids.

Puzzle 3 – Falling on his feet

A man who lives in a high-rise building decides to exit through the window one morning rather than using the door. Somehow he survives the fall without a scratch and walks away to work. How did this happen?

Answer: The man lived on the ground or first floor and merely stepped or jumped down to the pavement outside. By stating early on that the building in question was a high-rise building, it’s easy for someone reading quickly to assume that the man jumped from a window on a high store but this it s not necessarily the case.

Puzzle 4 – Walk this way

A group of five people enter a windowless meeting room together. An hour later when the meeting ends, four walk out of the door, leaving the room empty. What has happened to the fifth member of the group?

Answer: The fifth person was in a wheelchair and wheeled out of the room rather than walked. Solving this puzzle requires you to think laterally about the question and the possible solutions. The answer can be found by asking yourself whether the emphasis of the question is on the emptiness of the room or the means by which the other four people left.

Puzzle 5 – Shapes and symbols

When lying on my side, I am everything, but when cut in half, I am nothing. What am I?

Answer: The number 8. This puzzle requires that you think about a shape being repositioned or cut in a way that can change it to “everything” or “nothing”. Number 8 on its side is the mathematical symbol for infinity (i.e. everything) and also shaped like two small number 0s put together.

Puzzle 6 – Three hard options

The hero is escaping the lair of an evil super-villain and is faced with three possible exits:

• Door A leads into a pit of bubbling lava
• Door B leads to a room housing a deadly hitman
• Door C leads to the den full of lions that haven’t had a meal for a year.

Which door should the hero choose?

Answer: Door C. If the lion hasn’t eaten in a year, it will definitely be dead by now. This type of puzzle requires you to consider the full implications of the information given, rather than being drawn into a comparison of the relative dangers of lava, hitmen and lions…

Puzzle 7 – The bus driver’s eyes

You are a bus driver. Today the bus is empty at the start of your route but at the first stop, four people get onto the bus. Eight people get on at the second stop, while three alight. When the bus reaches the third stop, one more gets off, and three get on.

At the fourth stop, two people get off the bus and one gets on. The bus is traveling at an average speed of 30mph and its tires are new.  What color are the bus driver’s eyes?

Answer: You are the bus driver so the color will be the color of your own eyes. This type of puzzle tries to confuse you and obscure the single piece of relevant information by presenting large quantities of irrelevant information.

Puzzle 8 – Losing weight

A man walks into a room, closes the doors behind him and presses a button. In a matter of seconds the man is 20lb lighter. Despite this, he leaves the room at the same weight he entered it.

Answer: The room in question is actually an elevator. When the man gets in and presses the button, the elevator moves downwards with an acceleration that reduces the effect of gravity and makes the man temporarily 20lb lighter. Once the lift stops moving, the man’s weight is subject to normal gravity, just the same as before. Solving this puzzle requires a small piece of general physics knowledge.

A final word…

We hope you’ve enjoyed our critical thinking puzzles for adults and that your critical thinking skills are feeling refreshed and sharpened after reading our article. Whether at school, in the workplace, or in general life, critical thinking can be a valuable tool for success and anyone can learn to use it.

Get more critical thinking puzzles on our Youtube channel:

20 Challenging Lateral Thinking Puzzles That Are Harder Than They Seem

You may also like

What is the Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test? An Overview

The Watson Glaser Critical Thinking Test is a popular assessment tool used by employers to evaluate the critical thinking skills of job […]

What is logical thinking

We observe many things in our life with intention or without. This is the usual tendency of all human beings from all […]

Solving Life’s Different Challenges with the 9 Mental Models

Life, as they say, is unpredictable. It is filled with variables, alternatives, and branching paths that require a person to respond in […]

Why Critical Thinking is Important for Success

In today’s fast-paced world, success often relies on individuals’ ability to think critically. Critical thinking, the skill of objectively analyzing and evaluating […]

EduTalkToday

50 Riddles For College Students

Feeling that pre-exam pressure?

Textbook overload got your brain fried?

Don’t worry, fellow scholars, there’s a cure for the academic blues (besides a nap, which is always a good option). It’s time to exercise those mental muscles in a different way – with riddles!

Yep, riddles.

Those brain teasers that combine a little wit with a lot of thinking.

They’re a perfect way to take a mental break, challenge yourself, and maybe even impress your friends with your impressive problem-solving skills (who doesn’t love a little know-it-all moment?).

Let’s check them out.

Riddles For College Students

• You find a cabin deep in the woods. Inside, there are two dead bodies on the floor. There’s no sign of forced entry, violence, or any other people around. How did they die ?
• A man is found dead in a locked room with a puddle of water and a piece of metal. There are no windows, and the only door was locked from the inside. How did he die?
• Two men are found dead in a desert. They have a pack of matches and an unopened bottle of water with them. How did they die?
• A man is found dead in his car . The windows are up, the doors are locked, and there’s no sign of foul play. However, there’s a hole in the car. How did he die?
• Three people visit an island and find a pile of coconuts. They agree to split them equally the next morning. During the night , each person sneaks out separately and takes one-third of the coconuts, discarding one coconut each time to make the division even. In the morning, they split the remaining coconuts equally. How many coconuts were there originally?
• You are in a room with three light switches , each corresponding to one of three lightbulbs in the next room, which you cannot see into. You can only enter the next room once. How can you determine which switch corresponds to which bulb?
• A man lives on the 10th floor of a building. Every day, he takes the elevator to the ground floor to go to work. When he returns, he takes the elevator to the 7th floor and walks the rest of the way up, except when it’s raining . Why?
• Four people need to cross a bridge at night. They have one flashlight and can’t cross without it. The bridge can only hold two people at a time. Each person walks at a different speed: 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, and 10 minutes. What is the quickest time they can all get across?
• Two people eat exactly the same meal . One dies, but the other lives. The food was not poisoned. How is this possible?
• A bookkeeper mistakenly wrote a purchase amount as $72 instead of $27. If the error went unnoticed and the total balance is correct, where did the missing $45 go?
• A plane crashes exactly on the border of two countries . Where do they bury the survivors?
• A man dies and leaves a will stating that a specific room in his house should not be opened until one year after his death. When it’s opened, they find a large sum of money . How did he know there would be money there?
• An explorer finds an island inhabited by two tribes: one always tells the truth, and the other always lies. He meets two inhabitants – A and B. A says, “B is a liar.” What tribe does A belong to?
• At a bar, four friends ordered a soda. Three drank their sodas fast and died. The one who drank slowly survived. All drinks were poisoned. How did the survivor live?
• A car without any mechanical problems stops abruptly on a country road without running out of fuel. There were no obstacles or other vehicles involved. Why did it stop?
• A man goes into a library and asks for a book . The librarian hands him a book, leading to the man’s arrest. What did he ask for?
• A man was murdered in his office. The suspects are Peter, Julie, Jason, Molly, and Brian. Written on a calendar with blood were numbers 6, 4, 9, 10, 11. Who is the murderer?
• A woman shoots her husband, then holds him underwater for over five minutes. Next, she hangs him. Right after, they go out for a lovely dinner. How is this possible?
• A man tells his friend, “I have two children. One is a boy born on a Tuesday.” What are the odds he has two boys?
• You’re trapped in a cave with two doors. One leads to certain death, and the other to freedom. You can ask one question to the guard at one door. One guard always lies, and the other always tells the truth. What question do you ask?
• A ship is anchored at a port. Its ladder is hanging down with its bottom rung at the water’s surface. The rungs are one foot apart, and the tide rises at 12 inches per hour. How long before three rungs are submerged?
• A book has 1,000 pages, numbered from 1 to 1,000. How many digits have been used to number the pages?
• Two chess masters played five games of chess. Each won the same number of games, and there weren’t any ties. How is this possible?
• A vase is broken, and three people are questioned. Alex said he didn’t break it. Sam said he didn’t break it. Charlie said Alex broke it. Only one is telling the truth. Who broke the vase?
• A farmer died, leaving 17 cows to his three sons. In his will, the eldest son gets half, the middle son a third, and the youngest son a ninth. How did they divide the cows without killing any?
• A woman reports her expensive necklace stolen. The suspects are the gardener, the maid, the cook, and the son. The necklace was found in the soup. Who stole it?
• A stamp collector has a rare stamp that disappears from a locked room. The room has no windows and only one door, which was under constant surveillance. How was the stamp stolen?
• A photographer goes to a secluded beach to capture sunrise photos. He finds an unconscious man with no footprints around him. How did the man get there?
• A car is found in a field with no tire tracks around it. The doors are locked, and a man is found dead inside. How did the car get there?
• A boat crashes on a deserted island. There are several survivors, but no casualties. A month later, a rescue team finds no one on the island. How is this possible?
• An employee at a mint factory is accused of making a mistake that led to flawed currency being circulated. However, he has a solid alibi for the entire week. How did he do it?
• A digital lock uses a four-digit code, which is the same as the number of squares on a chessboard. What is the code?
• An egg is dropped from a 20-foot building and doesn’t break. How is this possible?
• A painting is stolen from a gallery; the thief left no fingerprints or evidence. The only clue is a set of tire tracks outside. How did they steal the painting?
• A train leaves at 8:00 PM from New York to Boston and another at 8:00 PM from Boston to New York. The journey takes 4 hours. Do the trains meet at midnight?
• You must cross a river that’s home to crocodiles. You don’t have a boat, but you see a sign that says the crocodiles are at a meeting. How do you cross?
• A ship sinks with valuable cargo. Everyone is saved, but the cargo is lost. A few days later, the cargo is found floating. How is this possible?
• In a room, if you add the number of corners to the number of square feet on the floor, you get the total number of years in a century. How many corners does the room have?
• A man lives on the 10th floor of a building. Every day, he takes the elevator to the ground floor to go to work. When he returns, he takes the elevator to the 6th floor and walks the rest of the way up, except when it’s raining or when others are in the elevator. Why?
• A hiker finds a dead body in the forest with a backpack nearby. Inside the backpack is a sealed envelope. The hiker doesn’t open it but knows what’s inside. How?
• A woman receives a call at midnight, but it’s not a wrong number, a prank, or an emergency. Why did the phone ring?
• A car is found in the middle of a deserted island. There are no roads or bridges connecting to the island. How did the car get there?
• A submarine sinks in shallow waters. The crew survives but can’t escape. Rescue teams can’t reach them for several days. How do they survive?
• A rope burns from one end to the other in 60 minutes. How can you measure 45 minutes using the rope?
• A famous painting is reported missing from a locked gallery. The frame is still hanging, and there are no signs of a break-in. How was the painting stolen?
• You hear an echo that returns to you in 2 seconds. How far away is the reflecting surface?
• A hiker gets lost and encounters two paths. One leads to safety, the other to danger. Two siblings, one who always lies and one who always tells the truth, guard the paths. What question does the hiker ask to find the safe path?
• A clock chimes 6 times at 6 o’clock, 12 times at 12 o’clock. How many times will it chime at midnight?
• You have a 3-gallon jug and a 5-gallon jug and need to measure exactly 4 gallons of water. How do you do it?
• An apple hangs from a tree branch. No one touches it or cuts it, but it disappears. How?
• They died in a plane crash. The “cabin” was part of a small airplane.
• He died of hypothermia. The metal was part of a broken heater, and the water was from the melted ice .
• They died in a hot air balloon crash. The matches and water were part of their emergency supplies.
• He died from a golf ball hitting the car, creating the hole and causing a fatal injury.
• There were originally 27 coconuts.
• Turn on the first switch, wait a few minutes, turn it off, and then turn on the second switch. Enter the room: the bulb that’s on corresponds to the second switch, the warm bulb to the first, and the off and cool bulb to the third.
• He’s short and can’t reach the 10th-floor button unless he uses an umbrella on rainy days.
• The quickest time is 17 minutes.
• One of them ate slowly, and during that time, a deadly bacteria in the food multiplied to lethal levels.
• The bookkeeper’s error didn’t create or lose any money. The accounts would still balance.
• Survivors are not buried.
• The room contained a safety deposit box that matured to a large sum over time.
• A belongs to the tribe that tells the truth. If B were a truth-teller, A’s statement would create a paradox.
• The poison was in the ice. Drinking slowly, the survivor’s ice didn’t have time to melt.
• The car was a toy car being pushed by a child, who stopped pushing.
• He asked for “a book on how to make bombs.”
• Julie. Each number corresponds to the first letter of months. Julie is the fourth month, April.
• She shot him with a camera, then developed the photo in a dark room before hanging it to dry.
• The odds are 13/27. The specific mention of “born on a Tuesday” introduces additional combinations.
• Ask either guard, “What would the other guard say is the door to death?” and then choose the opposite door.
• The ladder will rise with the ship, so the rungs will never submerge.
• 2,892 digits.
• They were not playing against each other.
• Sam is telling the truth. So, Alex or Charlie broke it. Since Charlie claims Alex did, and only one is truthful, it must be Charlie.
• The eldest son gets 9 cows, the middle son 6 cows, and the youngest son 2 cows. This sums up to 17.
• The cook. He could have hidden the necklace in the soup to avoid suspicion.
• The stamp was stuck to the inside of the door. When the door was opened, it was concealed behind it.
• The man fell from the sky (e.g., a skydiver whose parachute didn’t open).
• The car was dropped from a helicopter.
• The “survivors” were part of the rescue team, who arrived later and left before the second team.
• The employee had programmed a machine to create the flawed currency remotely.
• The code is “2048” (64 squares in total, each contributing to multiple larger squares).
• The egg was dropped from ground level.
• The painting was painted on the road; the tire tracks are over it.
• No, they do not meet at midnight. Each train will have completed its journey by midnight.
• You can cross the river since the crocodiles are not there.
• The cargo was buoyant or in watertight containers.
• The room has 4 corners. (100 years in a century – 100 square feet = 4 corners)
• The man is too short to reach the buttons higher than the 6th floor unless he uses an umbrella or someone else presses the buttons.
• The envelope is addressed to the police and marked as “evidence.”
• It was a scheduled alarm or reminder set by the woman herself.
• The car was air-dropped or transported by boat for a film or scientific project.
• The submarine was still partially above water, or they had access to an air pocket.
• Light the rope from both ends and from one end of a second rope. When the first rope burns out (30 minutes), light the other end of the second rope.
• The painting was painted directly on the wall, and only the frame was added.
• Sound travels approximately 340 meters per second, so the reflecting surface is 340 meters away.
• Ask either sibling, “Which path would your sibling say leads to safety?” and take the opposite.
• It will chime 12 times.
• Fill the 5-gallon jug, use it to fill the 3-gallon jug, leaving 2 gallons in the 5-gallon jug. Empty the 3-gallon jug and transfer the 2 gallons to it. Fill the 5-gallon jug again and use it to top off the 3-gallon jug, leaving exactly 4 gallons in the 5-gallon jug.
• The apple was eaten by a bird or an animal .

Share this Post!

Founder - EdutalkToday.com

Part Time Blogger | Full Time Questioner

Similar Posts

40 Rat Riddles

40 Birthday Riddles with Answers

30 Plant Riddles

27 Giraffe Riddles with Answers

49 Riddles about Electricity

44 Spider Riddles

+91 811 386 7000

Categories (658 Blogs)

Select category.

• For Parents (105)
• For Schools (223)
• For Students (256)
• For Teachers (183)
• Career (13)
• Early Year Foundation Stage (8)
• Education Blog (97)
• Educational app (14)
• Edutainment (13)
• Health and Nutrition (5)
• Infographics (12)
• Safety and Security (12)
• Whats New on Edsys (6)

Watch Right Now

Teacher App - Class Schedule & Attendance Management App

Parent App from Edsys

Best School Bus Tracking System

Cashless School - For Smart Schools of Tomorrow

13 Puzzles to Boost Students Logical Thinking

Food to the brain comes in the form of logic puzzles that students can solve so that they can better their logical thinking. These are brain games that challenge the higher-order thinking of students. It is through these logic exercises that you as students will be prompted to solve the puzzle by posing the “What”, “Why”, “When” and “How” to puzzles.

Free Puzzles Apps (Check it NOW)

Here are 13 such brain teaser sources that will make logical thinking a fun-filled exercise, alongside improving your reasoning and problem-solving abilities.

• Puzzles Shows A Logical Path to A Sharper Brain

Puzzles.com features an exciting collection of 20 riddles which can be solved by students to sharpen their brains. All these puzzles come with answers and an explanation that clarifies all the steps to arrive at the final result. To name a few, “Find Hidden Animals Riddle”, “Which country am I?”, and “Who are we?” are some of the fun-filled riddles. These are the puzzles that will excite and stimulate the brains of students to come up with solutions using nothing but logic.

• Animeyume.com – A Set of 5 Lateral Thinking Brain Teasers

Check out this site Animeyum.com and you will find five puzzles that come with solutions supported by hints. It is interesting to note that the solution and hints come in white text and you can view them only when you use your cursor to highlight the text. With every hint, you get closer to the solution and then finally arrive at the solution. These puzzles come in the form of story narrations which are made interesting through the use of Manga artwork.

• Smartest Brain – A Multi-Angle Brain Challenge

Students can look up the Smartest Brain site to solve a collection of lateral thinking puzzles and brain teasers. Allowing you to look at the problem from different angles, an assembly of dozen puzzles are waiting to be solved. Every puzzle comes with the “view entire puzzle and answer” hyperlink that will clearly explain to you all the parameters of the teaser while handholding you to come up with the right answer.

• So True to Its Name- PuzzlesandRiddles.com

Students can work their way through various puzzles that feature on PuzzlesandRiddles  site. Promising a reasoning workout to your brain, you can select from an array of riddles, brain teasers, word games and perceptual puzzles that will improve your logical thinking in one or the other way. Not one or two, a dozen puzzles are eagerly looking forward to your brainy intervention. After you have solved all of them, you can enjoy the thrill of being named as the one with a smart and creative brain.

• Big Riddles – A Platform that Collates Riddles and Teasers from Online Browsers

You can put your brain to its ultimate test by checking out the largest repository of riddles of various flavors; be it a lateral puzzle or a puzzle which deals with probability or is based on logical thinking. A set of detective puzzles featured here challenge your inquisitiveness so that you can dismantle and solve a particular case study. You can answer a series of puzzles posted by the community of brainy online browsers to get recognized as the one who is proud of his sharp and logical brain. Students can visit this site Big Riddles  to solve different brain teasers that come with high-quality solutions.

• Learning Tree – An Interesting Array of Matchstick Puzzles

Featuring interesting puzzles befitting students of all age groups, check out the Learning Tree site to unleash your imaginary side. These are lateral thinking puzzles that show up a collection of pre-deigned matchstick kits with complete instructions. And the aim of the puzzle is to follow the instructions and come up with a figure using the matchsticks. But here comes a twist in the tale! You need to complete the picture in a certain number of moves. You should move only the pre-defined number of matchsticks to arrive at the final figure.

• “I Riddler” Can Tickle Your Creative Side

Check out the iRiddler  site to solve a number of dark puzzles that come with hints and the final solution. This site enlists a host of short yet tricky brain teasers that will sharpen the logical abilities of students.

• Brain Food – The Cop-Murderer Puzzles

The perfect merger of narrating a story with a puzzle results in lateral thinking puzzles that sharpen the brains of students. Brain Food presents a series of stories and you will start reading them while collecting some clues that are revealed about the scenario in question. But the clues are incomplete. Hence, the onus is on you to plug in the details to churn out a compelling story. There can be many solutions to such a puzzle, but with practice, you begin to understand that only one solution will be the perfect match.

• Word Juxtapoz – A Stimulating Repository of Language-Centric Riddles

Inviting students to check out the Word Juxtapoz site for a stimulating collection of brain teasers, riddles, idioms and proverbs. An additional incentive of this option comes in the form of laying your hands on educational material that improves your vocabulary. Tagged as original creations, this site vouches for the authenticity of the puzzles with a guarantee that you will not get to see any of these puzzles in any other online source.

• Puzzles.com – An Exhaustive Collection of Puzzles

Puzzles can be tagged as a perfect online destination to improve your logical thinking. Featuring a long list of playful puzzles, you can check out the puzzle projects along with a host of logic puzzles and brain teasers. All in all, this site helps you stretch your imagination to come up with a befitting solution to a plethora of interactive puzzles.

• IQ FIT Helps You Enjoy A Road-Ride

IQ Fit  is a logical puzzle, from the house of Smart Games. Taking you on a road trip full of car journeys, you will be allowed to go on a holiday. A solution to the puzzle comes when you try to place vibrantly-colored 3D shapes into a case. You will also have the support of puzzle cards to complete this puzzle.

• Rush Hour – The Puzzle of Arranging Plastic Vehicles

This is a puzzle that allows you to arrange plastic vehicles on a puzzle grid. To do this, you can refer to the puzzle card and then move the pieces so that you make room for a particular car to speed away. Visit this site Thinkfun to download this puzzle which comes with three gaming levels including easy, medium and hard.

• Laser Maze Game Lights Up Your Target

Another captivating puzzle that sharpens your logical thinking is the Laser Maze. The aim of this puzzle is to light up your target. To make this possible, you can rely on a set of puzzle cards that come with certain conditions that should be adhered to. Following these conditions, you should peg these pieces in their right places. You can visit this site Laser maze to challenge your mind.

Closing Thoughts

All the above mentioned 13 puzzles and puzzle collections help you grasp the logic behind a particular scenario that becomes the backdrop of your puzzle story. You simply have to connect all the dots and eliminate blind spots. By doing this, you will not only enjoy the rush of fulfilment but also sharpen your brain to take on more challenging tasks that life will eventually throw at you. All in all, these puzzles will let your creative juices to flow at all times with a guarantee that you can effortlessly provide a solution to any puzzle under the sun.

Recent Blogs

15 Best Free Apps for Online Teaching

40 Motivational Movies For Students in Hindi

50 Inspirational International Women's Day Quotes for 2023

23 Innovative Ideas to Make Your Teaching Methods More Effective

Our Educational Services

• Teacher App

Time Table App

School Smartcards

• School Management Software

Popular Blogs

General Knowledge For Kids (230+ Simple GK Questions and Answers)

8 Union Territories of India and Their Capitals

14 Best Parental Control Apps

15 Free Math Apps that Students should never miss

18 World Famous Biosphere Reserves in India

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

Sign Up and Recieve the Latest News

QUICK CONTACT

Our sister sites.

• TrackSchoolBus
• SchoolSmartCards

Our Solutions

• Video Conferencing
• Online Student Attendance
• Timetable Management
• Smart Card Solutions
• Command Center
• Educational ERP
• School Bus Attendance
• Work Force Management
• Parent Portal
• S-Info Screen Sharing
• Library Management System
• Product Security

Education Directory

• Education Institutions
• Colleges in India
• Schools in India
• Education Apps
• Edtech Apps

Our Pricing

Copyright © 2024, Edsys Pvt Ltd. All Rights Reserved | Digital Marketing by JointViews | Privacy Policy

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

100 Riddles To Keep Your Students Engaged and Entertained!

August 17, 2023 //  by  Natalie Willet

There are many benefits to incorporating riddles into your classroom. Riddles are wonderful ways for children to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Solving riddles together emphasizes teamwork, social skills, and language development.

Whether you’re looking to challenge your students to think critically, develop their language skills, or just break the ice and get them laughing, these 100 riddles are sure to keep kids engaged and entertained, all while learning!

Math Riddles

1. what can you put between a 7 and an 8 so that the result is greater than a 7, but less than an 8.

Math riddles are a great way for students to practice basic arithmetic and more complex problem-solving skills.

Answer : A decimal. 

2. A man is twice as old as his little sister and half as old as their dad. Over a period of 50 years, the age of the sister will become half of their dad’s age. What is the age of the man now?

Answer : 50 

3. 2 mothers and 2 daughters spent the day baking, but only baked 3 cakes. How is it possible?

Answer : There were only 3 people baking – 1 mother, her daughter, and her daughter’s daughter.

4. Molly has a bag full of cotton, which weighs 1 pound, and another bag of rocks, which weighs 1 pound. Which bag will be heavier?

Answer : Both weigh the same. 1 pound is 1 pound, no matter what the object is.

5. Derek has a really big family. He has 10 aunts, 10 uncles, and 30 cousins. Each cousin has 1 aunt who is not Derek’s aunt. How is this possible?

Answer : Their aunt is Derek’s mother.

6. Johnny is painting door numbers on all the doors of a new apartment building. He painted 100 numbers on 100 apartments, which means he painted from number 1 to 100. How many times will he have to paint the number 7?

Answer : 20 times (7, 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 67, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 87, 97).

7. When Josh was 8, his brother was half his age. Now that Josh is 14, how old is his brother?

Answer : 10

8. A grandmother, 2 mothers, and 2 daughters went to a baseball game together and bought 1 ticket each. How many tickets did they buy in total?

Answer : 3 tickets because the grandmother is the mother of the 2 daughters, who are mothers.

9. I am a 3-digit number. My second digit is 4 times bigger than the 3rd digit. My 1st digit is 3 less than my 2nd digit. What number am I?

Answer : 141

10. How can we make 8 number 8s add up to one thousand?

Answer : 888 + 88 + 8 + 8 + 8 = 1000.

Food Riddles

Food riddles are great opportunities for younger children and second language learners to practice vocabulary and talk about their favorite foods!

11. You throw away my outside, eat my inside, then throw away the inside. What am I?

Answer : Corn on the cob.

12. Kate’s mother has three children: Snap, Crackle, and ___?

Answer : Kate!

13. I am green on the outside, red on the inside, and when you eat me you spit out something black. What am I?

Answer : A watermelon.

14. I am the father of all fruits. What am I?

Answer : Papaya.

15. What begins with T, finishes with T, and has T in it?

Answer : A teapot.

16. I’m always at the dinner table, but you don’t eat me. What am I?

Answer : Plates and silverware.

17. I have many layers, and if you get too close I’ll make you cry. What am I?

Answer : An onion.

18. You have to break me before you can eat me. What am I?

Answer : An egg.

19. What two things can you never eat for breakfast?

Answer : Lunch and dinner.

20. If you took 2 apples from a pile of 3 apples, how many apples would you have?

Answer :  2 

Color Riddles

These riddles are great for younger students learning about primary and secondary colors.

21. There’s a 1-story house where everything is yellow. The walls are yellow, the doors are yellow, all the couches and beds are yellow.  What color are the stairs?

Answer : There aren’t any stairs – it’s a 1-story house.

22. If you drop a white hat in the Red Sea, what does it become?

Answer : Wet!

23. There are purple, orange, and yellow crayons in a crayon box. The total number of crayons is 60. There are 4 times as many orange crayons as yellow crayons. There are also 6 more purple crayons than orange crayons. How many crayons of each color are there?

Answer : 30 purple, 24 orange, and 6 yellow crayons.

24. I have every color in me, and some people think I even have gold. What am I?

Answer : A rainbow.

25. I am the only color that is also a food. What am I?

Answer : Orange

26. I am the color you get when you win a race, but second place.

Answer : Silver

27. Some say you are this color when you’re feeling down Your eyes might be this color if they’re not green or brown

Answer : Blue

28. I am the color you get when you’ve done your very best, or when you discover a treasure chest.

Answer : Gold

29. A man sits on his blue couch in his brown house in the North Pole sees a bear from his window. What color is the bear?

Answer : White because it’s a polar bear.

30. What’s black and white and has many keys? 

Answer : A piano.

Challenging Riddles

The difficulty level of these riddles makes them ideal for older students or those who really like to be challenged!

31. What word in the English language does the following: the first 2 letters signify a male, the first 3 letters signify a female, the first 4 letters signify greatness, while the entire word signifies a great woman.

Answer : Heroine

32. What 8-letter word can have consecutive letters taken out and still remain a word until only one letter is left?

Answer : Starting (starting – staring – string – sting – sing – sin – in).

33. 2 in a corner, 1 in a room, 0 in a house, but 1 in a shelter. What is it?

Answer : The letter ‘r’

34. Give me food, and I will live. Give me water, and I will die. What am I?

Answer : Fire

35. You are running a race with 25 people and you pass the person in 2nd place. What place are you in?

Answer : 2nd place.

36. Give me food, and I will live and get stronger. Give me water, and I will die. What am I?

37. if you have it, you don’t share it. if you share it, you don’t have it. what is it.

Answer : A secret.

38. I can fill a room, but I take up no space. What am I?

Answer : Light

39. Grandpa went for a walk in the rain. He didn’t bring an umbrella or a hat. His clothes got soaked, but not a hair on his head was wet. How is this possible?

Answer : Grandpa was bald.

40. A girl fell off a 20-foot ladder. She wasn’t hurt. Why?

Answer : She fell off the bottom step.

Geography Riddles

These riddles help students remember and practice concepts related to the world and physical geography.

41. What would you find in the middle of Toronto?

Answer : The letter ‘o’.

42. What is the laziest mountain in the world?

Answer : Mount Everest (Ever-rest).

43. What part of London is in France?

Answer : The letter ‘n’.

44. I go over rivers and all through towns, up down and all around. What am I?

Answer : Roads

45. I travel around the world but I always stay in 1 corner. What am I?

Answer : A stamp.

46. I have seas but no water, forests but no wood, deserts but no sand. What am I?

Answer : A map.

47. What was the largest island in the world before Australia was discovered.

Answer : Australia! 

48. An elephant in Africa is called Lala. An elephant in Asia is called Lulu. What do you call an elephant in Antarctica?

Answer : Lost

49. How do mountains see?

Answer : They peek (peak).

50. Where do fish keep their money?

Answer : In river banks.

51. What animal is always at a baseball game?

Answer : A bat.

52. What kind of dog keeps the best time?

Answer : A watchdog.

53. I have a tail. I can fly. I’m not a bird. What am I?

Answer : A kite.

54. I have keys but open no locks. I have space but no room. I allow you to enter but not go in. What am I?

Answer : A keyboard.

55. What has one horn and gives milk?

Answer : A milk truck.

56. What bird can lift the most?

Answer : A crane.

57. What kind of cat should you never play cards with?

Answer : A cheetah.

58. What animal dresses up as other animals for Halloween?

Answer : A zebra, because it can dress up as a barcode.

Miscellaneous Riddles

This category contains a wide range of riddles that don’t fall into our other specific categories. They center on everything from everyday objects and popular culture to geography, food, and much more; providing a diverse array of questions to intrigue students and spark non-traditional thought!

59. What goes up and down, but still remains in the same place?

Answer : A thermometer.

60. I am a type of vehicle. I spell the same forwards and backwards. What am I?

Answer : Racecar.

61. If you throw a white stone into the Red Sea, what does it become?

Answer : Wet.

62. What type of wave makes the most noise?

Answer : A wave at a stadium.

63. Which letter of the alphabet has the most water?

Answer : C.

64. What goes up, but never comes down?

Answer : Your age.

65. What gets sharper the more you use it?

Answer : Your brain.

66. What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?

Answer : Your name.

67. What kind of fish is famous?

Answer : A starfish.

68. What kind of tree can you carry in your hand?

Answer : A palm.

69. Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?

Answer : Grant.

70. When was Rome built?

Answer : In the daytime.

71. What is black and white and read all over?

Answer : A newspaper.

72. I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?

Answer : Pencil lead.

73. What is as light as a feather, but even the world’s strongest man couldn’t hold it for more than a minute?

Answer : His breath.

74. What gets wetter and wetter the more it dries?

Answer : A towel.

75. Why did the scarecrow win an award?

Answer : Because he was outstanding in his field.

76. Who can shave 25 times a day and still have a beard?

Answer : A barber.

77. You see a house with two doors. One door leads to certain death and the other door leads to freedom. There are two guards, one in front of each door. One guard always tells the truth, and the other always lies. You do not know which guard is which, nor which door leads to freedom. You can ask one guard one question to determine the door to freedom. What do you ask?

Answer : You ask one guard what the other guard would say if you asked him which door leads to freedom, and then choose the opposite door.

78. Which months of the year have 28 days?

Answer : All of them.

79. What has many keys but can’t open any doors?

80. What runs around the house but doesn’t move?

Answer : A fence.

81. What has hands but can’t clap?

Answer : A clock.

82. You walk into a room with a match. There is a stove, a heater, and a candle. What do you light first?

Answer : The match.

83. What’s full of holes but can still hold water?

Answer : A sponge.

84. What starts with “e” and ends with “e” but only has one letter?

Answer : An envelope.

85. What is seen in the middle of March and April that can’t be seen at the beginning or end of either month?

Answer : The letter ‘r’

86. I’m light as a feather, yet the strongest person can’t hold me for more than 5 minutes. What am I?

Answer : Your breath.

87. I have keys, but no locks. I have space, but no room. You can enter, but can’t go outside. What am I?

88. I run, but I don’t walk. I have a mouth, but I don’t talk. I have a bed, but I never sleep. What am I?

Answer : A river.

89. What gets bigger when more is taken away?

Answer : A hole.

90. What is so fragile that saying its name breaks it?

Answer : Silence.

91. What comes once in a minute, twice in a moment, but never in a thousand years?

Answer : The letter ‘m’.

92. I can be cracked, made, told, and played. What am I?

Answer : A joke.

93. What loses its head in the morning and gets it back at night?

Answer : A pillow.

94. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with the wind. What am I?

Answer : An echo.

95. I fly without wings, I cry without eyes. Wherever I go, darkness follows me. What am I?

Answer : A cloud.

96. The more you take, the more you leave behind. What am I?

Answer : Footsteps.

97. What can be broken, but is never held?

Answer : A promise.

98. What begins and has no end? What is the ending of all that begins?

Answer : The letter ‘e’.

99. What is in seasons, seconds, centuries, and minutes but not in decades, years or days?

100. I am a word of letters three. Add two and fewer there will be!

Answer : Few.

Did your students enjoy the riddles? Let us know which ones they found most baffling or hilarious in the comment section below. If your students really enjoy solving riddles,  have them come up with their own to stump the adults in their life!

From: https://kidadl.com/articles/food-riddles-for-your-little-chefs

20 Math Riddles for Kids

from https://parade.com/947956/parade/riddles/

Critical Thinking Exercises

• Writing Research Papers
• Writing Essays
• English Grammar
• M.Ed., Education Administration, University of Georgia
• B.A., History, Armstrong State University

Critical thinking is a skill that students develop gradually as they progress in school. While the skill becomes more important in higher grades, some students find it difficult to understand the concept of critical thinking .

The reason critical thinking can be difficult to grasp is because it requires students to set aside assumptions and beliefs to learn to think without bias or judgment.

Critical thinking involves suspending your beliefs to explore and question topics from a "blank page" point of view. It also involves the ability to distinguish fact from opinion when exploring a topic.

These exercises are designed to help develop critical thinking skills.

Critical Thinking Exercise 1: Tour Guide for an Alien

This exercise provides an opportunity to think outside your normal way of thinking.

Pretend that you have been assigned the task of conducting a tour for aliens who are visiting the earth and observing human life. You're riding along in a blimp, viewing the landscape below, and you float over a professional baseball stadium. One of the aliens looks down and is very confused by what he sees. You explain that there is a game going on and he asks several important questions.

• What is a game? 
• Why are there no female players?
• Why do people get so excited about watching other people play games?
• What is a team?
• Why can't the people in the seats go down on the field and join in?

If you try to answer these questions fully, it will quickly become apparent that we carry around certain assumptions and values. We support a certain team, for instance, because it makes us feel like we're a part of a community. This sense of community is a value that matters to some people more than others.

Furthermore, when trying to explain team sports to an alien, you have to explain the value we place on winning and losing.

When you think like an alien tour guide, you are forced to take a deeper look at the things we do and things we value. Sometimes they don't sound logical from the outside looking in.

Critical Thinking Exercise 2: Fact or Opinion

Do you think you know the difference between fact and opinion? It's not always easy to discern. When you visit websites, do you believe everything you read? The abundance of available information makes it more important than ever for students to develop critical thinking skills. Additionally, it's an important reminder that you must use trustworthy sources in your school work.

If you don't learn the difference between fact and opinion, you may end up reading and watching things that continue to reinforce beliefs and assumptions you already own.

For this exercise, read each statement and try to determine whether it sounds like a fact or an opinion. This can be completed alone or with a study partner .

• My mom is the best mom on earth.
• My dad is taller than your dad.
• My telephone number is difficult to memorize.
• The deepest part of the ocean is 35,813 feet deep.
• Dogs make better pets than turtles.
• Smoking is bad for your health.
• Eighty-five percent of all cases of lung cancer in the U.S. are caused by smoking.
• If you flatten and stretch out a Slinky toy it will be 87 feet long.
• Slinky toys are fun.
• One out of every one hundred American citizens is color blind.
• Two out of ten American citizens are boring.

You will probably find some of the statements easy to judge but other statements difficult. If you can effectively debate the truthfulness of a statement with your partner, then it's most likely an opinion.

• Questions for Each Level of Bloom's Taxonomy
• Introduction to Critical Thinking
• Higher-Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) in Education
• Critical Thinking in Reading and Composition
• Critical Thinking Definition, Skills, and Examples
• What Is the Bandwagon Fallacy?
• 2020-21 Common Application Essay Option 4—Solving a Problem
• What Does It Mean to Make a Claim During an Argument?
• 10 Ways to Make Learning Fun for Students
• How to Practice Critical Thinking in 4 Steps
• Time Management Exercise
• Common Application Essay Option 3 Tips: Challenging a Belief
• Unreliable Sources for Your Research Project
• Building Character Vocabulary
• The Horse Problem: A Math Challenge
• How to Understand Newspaper Headlines

• _Popular Puzzles
• _Easy Puzzles
• _Medium Level Puzzles
• _Tough Puzzles
• _Puzzle Videos
• _Puzzle Links
• Brain Teasers
• _Logic Brain Teasers
• _Maths Brain Teasers
• _Picture Puzzles
• _Chess Puzzles
• _Word Puzzles
• _Sudoku Variations
• _Conceptis Puzzles
• _Optical Illusions
• _Write a Guest Post
• _Content Sharing Guidelines
• _Privacy Policy

8 Best Brain Teaser Puzzles for College Students

What are the best brain teaser puzzles for college students.

1. Finding the Hidden Object Puzzles

2. Grid-Based Logic Puzzle

3. Word Puzzles

4. Sudoku Puzzles

5. Rebus Puzzles

6. Magic Square

7. Droodles

8. Numerous Number-Based Puzzles

Post a Comment

Best Brain Teasers

Brain puzzles, guest posts, no comments:.

Recent Puzzles

3d artworks paintings images on walls at selfie museum.

Fun With Puzzles Pages

• Blog Archive Links
• Contact Me Page
• Guidelines for Sharing and Republishing Content
• Puzzles Index Page

100+ of the Best Riddles for College Students

Share a laugh with a friend!

• Facebook 33
• Pinterest 9

Just because your kids are off on their next adventure, college, doesn’t mean they won’t need a good laugh once in a while. Thank goodness we have the best riddles for college students to take their minds off all the stress of school!

Riddles and jokes are a great way to relax and destress when life gets a little overwhelming. Thankfully these riddles for college students will come in handy this year as I send Colby off to college for the very first time. He’s excited, I’m anxious… It’s like the perfect combination. I am trying to decide if I can throw some lunch box jokes in his suitcase to ready every day. Okay. I know that is a bit much, but seriously who doesn’t love a good riddle or joke right?

If you love these riddles, then be sure to check out our computer riddles and our candy riddles as well for even more fun!

Do your kids love jokes?

Grab these fun joke cards for them to laugh at all the time! These make great lunch box jokes, joke card series, bedtime laughs, and more!

Grab your set now! There are over 50+ pages of jokes included! This is a digital download, so it is easy! Just download, print, and enjoy!

The Best Riddles for College Students

• Q: You’re in a race and you pass the person in second place. What place are you in now? Second place. Too easy?
• Q: How can you go 10 days without sleep? You sleep at night. 
• Q: You throw away my outside, eat my inside, then throw away the inside. What am I? Corn on the cob.
• Q: An Uber driver is going the opposite way down a one-way street. He passes five policemen along the way, none of which stops him. Why not? Because the Uber driver was walking.
• Q: What has 13 hearts, but no lungs or stomach? A deck of cards.
• Q: If you have it, you don’t share it. If you share it, you don’t have it. What is it? A secret.
• Q: Two fathers and two sons are in a car, yet there are only three people in the car. How? They are a grandfather, father, and son.
• Q: A man shaves many times during the day, but at the end of the day, he still has a beard. How is this possible? The man is a barber.
• Q: The person who makes it has no need of it, and neither does the person who buys it. But the person who uses it can neither see nor feel it. What is it? A coffin. 
• Q: While a cat was outside, it started to downpour. The cat couldn’t find any shelter and got completely soaked by the rain, yet not a single hair was wet. How could this be? It was a hairless cat.
• Q: You are in a dark room with a box of matches. Nearby are three things: a candle, an oil lamp and a log of firewood. Which do you light first? The match
• Q: This vehicle is spelled the same from the front as well as from the back. What is it? A racecar
• Q: What can go up a chimney down, but cannot go down a chimney up? An umbrella. 
• Q: What has no beginning, end, or middle? A doughnut.
• Q: If there are three apples and you take two, how many do you have? Two

• Q: I call the trees my home, yet I never go inside, and if I ever fall off the tree I will surely be dead. – Leaves.
• Q: Two people were playing chess and both won. How did this happen? They were playing against other opponents. 
• Q: A cowboy rode into town on Friday. He stayed in town for three days and rode out on Friday. How was that possible? Friday was the name of his horse. 
• Q: What eight-letter word remains a word as you keep removing one letter from it? Starting.
• Q: It has four fingers and a thumb but isn’t alive. What is it? A glove
• Q: Tom is younger than Dave but older than Jill. Lou is older than Sally who is older than Tom. Dave is older than Lou. Who is the middle child? Sally.
• Q: What is heavy going forward but not going backward? Ton
• Q: What goes up and never comes down? Your age.
• Q: What can go through glass without breaking it? Light
• Q: What comes up to let us go, or goes down to make us stay? An anchor.
• Q: Here’s a list of sports: golf, darts, tennis, cricket, football, badminton. Which should come next: archery, boxing, squash, gymnastics, or baseball? Gymnastics.
• Q: I start in little but I end in full, you’ll find me in half and complete. The letter “l.” 
• Q: What question can you never answer yes to? Are you asleep?
• Q: I am an odd number. Take away a letter and I become even. What number am I? Seven.
• Q: What word is always spelled wrong? Wrong.
• Q: There is an electric train which is headed towards the east. So, where does the smoke go? There is none: An electric train produces no smoke. 
• Q: I am a ball that rolls but can’t bounce or be thrown. What am I? An eyeball.
• Q: I am the only organ that named myself. What am I? The brain. 
• Q: How far can a fox run into the woods? Halfway; otherwise he’d be running out of the woods.

• Q: Which word is least like the others? Third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, or ninth? Third. 
• Q: What goes up and down stairs without moving? Carpet
• Q: Give it food and it will live; give it water and it will die. Fire
• Q: What can you catch but not throw? A cold
• Q: I run, yet I have no legs. What am I? A nose
• Q: Take one out and scratch my head, I am now black but once was red. A match
• Q: What goes around the world and stays in a corner? A stamp
• Q: What gets wetter the more it dries? Towel
• Q: The more there is, the less you see. Darkness
• Q: They come at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen. Stars
• Q: What kind of room has no windows or doors? A mushroom
• Q: I have holes on the top and bottom. I have holes on my left and on my right. And I have holes in the middle, yet I still hold water. What am I? A sponge
• Q: I look at you, you look at me, I raise my right, you raise your left. What is this object? A mirror
• Q: It has no top or bottom but it can hold flesh, bones, and blood all at the same time. What is this object? A ring
• Q: The more you take the more you leave behind. Footseps
• Q: Light as a feather, there is nothing in it; the strongest man can’t hold it for much more than a minute. Breath
• Q: What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, has a head but never weeps, has a bed but never sleeps? River
• Q: I went into the woods and got it, I sat down to seek it, I brought it home with me because I couldn’t find it. Splinter
• Q: What can fill a room but takes up no space? Light
• Q: It is weightless, you can see it, and if you put it in a barrel it will make the barrel lighter? A hole
• Q: No sooner spoken than broken. What is it? Silence

• Q: Only two backbones and thousands of ribs. – Railrod
• Q: Four jolly men sat down to play, And played all night till the break of day. They played for cash and not for fun, With a separate score for every one. When it came time to square accounts, They all had made quite fair amounts. Now, not one has lost and all have gained, Tell me, now, this can you explain? Four men in a dance band
• Q: Jack and Jill are lying on the floor inside the house, dead. They died from lack of water. There is shattered glass next to them. How did they die? Jack and Jill are goldfish.
• Q: Why don’t lobsters share? They are shellfish
• Q: A barrel of water weighs 20 pounds. What must you add to it to make it weigh 12 pounds? Holes
• Q: Big as a biscuit, deep as a cup, Even a river can’t fill it up. What is it? A kitchen strainer
• Q: A girl was born on December 27th, yet her birthday is always in the summer. How is this possible? She lives in the Southern Hemisphere.
• Q: He has married many women but has never married. Who is he? A priest
• Q: If a rooster laid a brown egg and a white egg, what kind of chicks would hatch? None. Roosters don’t lay eggs.
• Q: You can’t keep this until you have given it. A promise
• Q: Take off my skin, I won’t cry, but you will. What am I? An onion
• Q: What book was once owned by only the wealthy, but now everyone can have it? You can’t buy it in a bookstore or take it from the library. A telephone book
• Q: What can go up and come down without moving? The temperature
• Q: What do you serve that you can’t eat? A tennis ball
• Q: What has a foot on each side and one in the middle? A yardstick
• Q: What has to be broken before it can be used? An egg
• Q: What kind of coat can be put on only when wet? A coat of paint
• Q: What kind of coat can be put on only when wet? “Are you asleep?”
• Q: What’s the greatest worldwide use of cowhide? To hold cows together
• Q: Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg are white?” or “The yolk of the egg is white?” Neither, the yolks are yellow.

• Q: You answer me, although I never ask you questions. What am I? A telephone
• Q: What has a face, but can’t smile. A clock
• Q: What is a bunny’s favorite kind of music?  Hip hop music.
• Q: What begins with T, finishes with T, and has T in it? A teapot.
• Q: What is brown, has a head, and tails, but no legs? A penny.
• Q: What room do ghosts avoid?  The living room.
• Q: What belongs to you, but other people use more? Your name.
• Q: What is bright orange with a green top and sounds like a parrot?  A carrot.
• Q: What two things can you never eat for breakfast?  Lunch and dinner.
• Q: You buy me to eat, but you never eat me. What am I? A fork.
• Q: What has an eye but can’t see anything? A needle.
• Q: What do dogs have that no other animal has?  Puppies.
• Q: I have no eyes, ears, or legs, but I can help you move earth. What am I? An earthworm.
• Q: What is as big as an elephant but weighs nothing?  An elephant’s shadow.
• Q: How can a pants pocket be empty but still have something in it?  If it has a hole in it.
• Q: Why is the Mississippi such an unusual river?  Because it has four “i’s” and can’t even see.
• Q: Why isn’t your nose 12 inches long?  Because then it would be a foot.
• Q: What is the best place to grow a garden in school?  In kindergarten.
• Q: Why did the boy bury is flashlight?  Because the batteries died.
• Q: What kind of shower doesn’t need water?  A baby shower.

Q: A girl fell off a 25-foot ladder but didn’t get hurt. How?  She fell off the bottom rung. Q: What is the hardest part about skydiving?  The ground. Q: A king, a queen, and two twins are in a room. How are there no adults?  They are beds. Q: I shave every day but my beard stays the same. How?  I’m the barber. Q: A dog crossed a river without a bridge or a boat, but didn’t get wet. How?  The river was frozen. Q: What has lakes with no water, mountains with no stones, and cities with no buildings?  A map. Q: What do dogs and trees have in common?  Bark. Q: I can travel up to 100 miles an hour but never leave the room. What am I?  A sneeze. Q: I have seven rings that you can’t wear on your fingers. What am I?  Saturn. Q: I can be 100 yards long but you can hold me in your hand. What am I?  A ball of yarn. Q: What is really easy to get into but really hard to get out of? Trouble. Q: What can be full without eating a thing?  The moon. Q: A boy throws a ball as far as he can and it comes back to him without anyone touching it. How?  He throws the ball straight up. Q: What five letter gets shorter when you add two letters to it? Short. Q: If a rooster is sitting on top of a barn and lays an egg, which way will it roll off?  Roosters don’t lay eggs! Q: Which weighs more: a pound of bricks or a pound of feathers?  They both weight a pound. Q: Grandpa went for a walk in the rain with no umbrella but his hair didn’t get wet. How is that possible?  Grandpa is bald. Q: What starts with P, ends with E, and has over a thousand letters in it?  The post office. Q: What do you find at the end of the rainbow?  The letter W. Q: What can you put between a 7 and an 8 so that the result is greater than a 7, but less than an 8? A decimal

What are some other great riddles for college students that we should add to the list? Share with us in the comments so we can add them!

Love Riddles? Check out these!

• The Best Riddles for Kids
• Rabbit Riddles for Kids
• Train Riddles for Kids
• Cowboy Riddles for Kids
• Plant Riddles for Kids
• Computer Riddles for Kids
• Back to School Riddles
• Riddles for College Students
• Candy Riddles for Kids
• Halloween Riddles for Kids
• Paint Riddles for Kids
• Thanksgiving Riddles for Kids
• Pig Riddles for Kids
• Ice Cream Riddles
• Fire Riddles for Kids
• Christmas Riddles for Kids
• Art Riddles for Kids
• Horse Riddles for Kids
• Space Riddles for Kids
• Campfire Riddles
• Penguin Riddles
• Eye Riddles
• Wind Riddles
• Sun Riddles
• Running Riddles
• Fish Riddles
• Book Riddles
• Banana Riddles
• Smile Riddles
• Dinosaur Riddles
• Dad Riddles
• Riddles for Teenagers
• Moon Riddles
• Tree Riddles
• Spring Riddles
• Map Riddles
• Food Riddles
• Library Riddles
• Beach Riddles
• Gold Riddles
• Clock Riddles
• Chair Riddles

How Do I Access My Riddle Cards?

Fill in the form above. You will receive an email in your inbox. If you don’t see it check your spam folder! You will then click to confirm your subscription. Once confirmed you will be taken to Airtable (a different website) where all our free printables will be waiting for you! It is free to sign up for Air Table!

How Do I Print A PDF?

You’ll need a program that supports PDFs. Adobe Acrobat is a great option. Open the program, click file then print. Select your printer and the number of copies you want to print. Be sure you click double-sided if you want it to print on both sides. 

Can I Resell These?

You may not resell any printable that you find on our website or in our resource library. You may use them for class parties, at church, at home, or in the classroom. You may get these printed at an office supply store or copy center at your own expense.

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Critical thinking definition

Critical thinking, as described by Oxford Languages, is the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgement.

Active and skillful approach, evaluation, assessment, synthesis, and/or evaluation of information obtained from, or made by, observation, knowledge, reflection, acumen or conversation, as a guide to belief and action, requires the critical thinking process, which is why it's often used in education and academics.

Some even may view it as a backbone of modern thought.

However, it's a skill, and skills must be trained and encouraged to be used at its full potential.

People turn up to various approaches in improving their critical thinking, like:

• Developing technical and problem-solving skills
• Engaging in more active listening
• Actively questioning their assumptions and beliefs
• Seeking out more diversity of thought
• Opening up their curiosity in an intellectual way etc.

Is critical thinking useful in writing?

Critical thinking can help in planning your paper and making it more concise, but it's not obvious at first. We carefully pinpointed some the questions you should ask yourself when boosting critical thinking in writing:

• What information should be included?
• Which information resources should the author look to?
• What degree of technical knowledge should the report assume its audience has?
• What is the most effective way to show information?
• How should the report be organized?
• How should it be designed?
• What tone and level of language difficulty should the document have?

Usage of critical thinking comes down not only to the outline of your paper, it also begs the question: How can we use critical thinking solving problems in our writing's topic?

Let's say, you have a Powerpoint on how critical thinking can reduce poverty in the United States. You'll primarily have to define critical thinking for the viewers, as well as use a lot of critical thinking questions and synonyms to get them to be familiar with your methods and start the thinking process behind it.

Are there any services that can help me use more critical thinking?

We understand that it's difficult to learn how to use critical thinking more effectively in just one article, but our service is here to help.

We are a team specializing in writing essays and other assignments for college students and all other types of customers who need a helping hand in its making. We cover a great range of topics, offer perfect quality work, always deliver on time and aim to leave our customers completely satisfied with what they ordered.

The ordering process is fully online, and it goes as follows:

• Select the topic and the deadline of your essay.
• Provide us with any details, requirements, statements that should be emphasized or particular parts of the essay writing process you struggle with.
• Leave the email address, where your completed order will be sent to.
• Select your prefered payment type, sit back and relax!

With lots of experience on the market, professionally degreed essay writers , online 24/7 customer support and incredibly low prices, you won't find a service offering a better deal than ours.

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Win a $200 Amazon Gift Card in Today's Teacher Appreciation Giveaway 🎁!

100+ Clever Riddles for High School Students

Encourage creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

Good riddles can leave high school students both stumped and laughing. Trying to solve them and find the answer encourages creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. It’s also a lot of fun! Want to share some with your class? Here’s a list of riddles for high school students to bring some energy to the classroom.

Riddles for High School Students

Which month has 28 days.

All months have 28 days.

A woman builds a house with all four walls facing south. A bear walks past the house. What color is the bear?

White. It is a polar bear.

Which is the sweetest and most romantic fruit?

I grow richer with alcohol but die with water. what am i, what do you break before you use it, what problem does a teacher with uncontrollable eyes have.

He cannot control his pupils.

What do you get when you mix sulfur, tungsten, and silver?

Trees are my home, but i never go inside. when i fall off a tree, i am dead. what am i, what can make an octopus laugh.

Ten-tickles.

How many books can you pack inside an empty backpack?

One. It is no longer empty after that.

I have hands, but I cannot shake your hands. I have a face, but I cannot smile at you. What am I?

What kind of food do mummies eat, i have no doors, but i have keys. i have no rooms, but i have space. you can enter, but you cannot leave. what am i.

A keyboard.

If you drop me on the ground, I survive. But if you drop me in water, I die. What am I?

What has a bottom at the top, you can hear me, but you cannot see or touch me. what am i, what is the similarity between “2 + 2 = 5” and your left hand.

Neither is right.

What sounds like a war machine but is a piece of clothing?

What is black and white and read all over.

A newspaper.

What has a thumb and fingers but is not alive?

How can a man go for eight days without sleeping.

He sleeps at night.

You live in a one-story house made entirely of redwood. What color are the stairs?

What stairs? It is a one-story house.

What do you find at the end of a line?

The letter “E.”

Name three consecutive days that aren’t the days of the week.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

What is a snowman called in summer?

There are two fathers and two sons in a car. how many people are in the car.

Three people—a grandfather, a father, and a son.

What is full of holes but holds water?

My first letter is in chocolate but not in ham. my second letter is in cake and jam, and my third is in tea but not in coffee. what am i, a man shaves throughout the day, yet he has a beard. how.

He is a barber.

What has a head and a tail but no body?

An electric train is traveling from east to west, and the wind is blowing from north to south. in which direction does the smoke go.

None. Electric trains don’t produce smoke.

Which windows can’t you open literally?

The Windows on your laptop.

Kate’s mother has four daughters: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and _____. What is the name of the fourth daughter?

I can fill up a room but take no space. what am i, where does divorce come before marriage.

In the dictionary.

What starts with a P and ends with an X and has hundreds of letters in between?

It is lighter than a feather, but you can’t hold it for more than two minutes. what is it.

Your breath.

What type of music do rabbits like?

What gets wetter the more it dries, which weighs more, a pound of iron bars or a pound of feathers.

They both weigh the same.

What has a neck but no head?

I am made of water, but i die when you put water on me. what am i, what is the ancient invention that allows people to see through walls, what can’t be kept until it is given, what did the math book say to the pencil.

I have a lot of problems.

What gets sharper the more you use it?

Your brain.

A farmer walks toward his field and he sees three frogs sitting on the shoulders of two rabbits. Three parrots and four mice run toward him. How many pairs of legs are going toward the field?

One pair—the farmer’s.

What goes up but never comes down?

What room has no windows or doors.

A mushroom.

Which fruit is always sad?

A blueberry.

When I am young, I am tall. I grow shorter as I become older. What am I?

What has a mouth but cannot eat and runs but has no legs, what is a teenager’s favorite phrase during math class.

“I can’t even.”

What has branches but no leaves or fruits?

What has 13 hearts but no brains.

A pack of playing cards.

Which tree can you carry in your hand?

A palm tree.

If you are running a race and you pass the person who is running second, which position are you in?

When do you go at red and stop at green.

While eating a watermelon.

What is the center of gravity?

The letter “V.”

What has no beginning, end, or middle?

What grows bigger the more you take away from it, i am smooth as silk and can be hard or soft. i fall but cannot climb. what am i, what did the angry electron say when it was repelled.

Let me atom!

What do you place on the table and cut but never eat?

What did the english book say to the algebra book.

Don’t change the subject.

What vehicle is a palindrome?

What breaks the moment you say its name, what becomes shorter when you add two letters to it.

The word “short.”

During which month do people sleep the least?

February—it has the fewest days.

The person who buys me cannot use me, and the person who uses me cannot buy or see me. What am I?

Which english word has three consecutive double letters.

Bookkeeper.

You can hear me but cannot see me. I don’t speak until you do. What am I?

What can you find in a minute or an hour but never in a day or a month.

The letter “U.”

What is the only English word with “ii” in it?

You are alone at home and sleeping. your friends ring the doorbell. they have come for breakfast. you have cornflakes, bread, jam, a carton of milk, and a bottle of juice. what will you open first, what is the only english word with “uu” in it, i am hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget. what am i, i have seas with no water, mountains with no land, and towns with no people. what am i, what did the beach say when the tide came in.

Long time, no sea.

When you have me, you want to share me. But if you share me, you don’t have me any longer. What am I?

Find the number less than 100 that is increased by one-fifth of its value when its digits are reversed..

45 (1/5*45 = 9, 9+45 = 54)

What goes all around the world but stays in one place?

Forwards i am heavy, but backward i am not. what am i, an apple is 40 cents, a banana is 60 cents, and a grapefruit is 80 cents. how much is a pear.

40 cents. The price of each fruit is calculated by multiplying the number of vowels by 20 cents.

What has one eye but cannot see?

Everyone has me but nobody can lose me. what am i, there was a plane crash and every single person died. who survived, what invention lets you look right through a wall, they come out at night without being called and are lost in the day without being stolen. what are they, what has four legs but can’t walk, what goes up when rain comes down.

An umbrella.

I am your mother’s brother’s brother-in-law. Who am I?

Your father.

What has a tongue but never talks, and has no legs but sometimes walks?

I am a vegetable that bugs stay away from. what am i, born in an instant, i tell all stories. i can be lost, but i never die. what am i, with shiny fangs, my bloodless bite will bring together what’s mostly white. what am i, a plane crashed on the border of the united states and canada. where do they bury the survivors.

Nowhere—the survivors are alive.

What type of bow can never be tied?

What can be found at the beginning of eternity, the end of time and space, and the beginning of every end, there is only one word spelled wrong in the dictionary. what is it, what begins with t, finishes with t, and has t in it, what room do ghosts avoid.

The living room.

Bonus: Christmas Riddles for High School Students

What do you call a person who is scared of santa claus.

Claustrophobic.

If a lion had a Christmas music album, what would it be called?

Jungle bells.

What keeps a Christmas tree smelling fresh?

Orna-mints.

What do elves learn in school?

The elfabet.

Which reindeer can you see in outer space?

What is your parents’ favorite christmas carol.

“Silent Night.”

Can Christmas trees knit well?

No, they always drop their needles.

Share your riddles for high school students in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group  on Facebook!

Enjoy these riddles for high school students for more laughs, check out our favorite grammar jokes  and  science jokes..

You Might Also Like

The Big List of Funny Extra Credit Questions

When you want to make your students smile. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Wages, employment, inflation are up, causing headaches for the Fed

Scott Horsley

Restaurant prices rose 4.2% over the last year. But Americans continue to dine out regularly. Michael Mathes/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Restaurant prices rose 4.2% over the last year. But Americans continue to dine out regularly.

The Federal Reserve has promised to be "data driven" in deciding when to cut interest rates. But some of the recent economic data has the central bank driving in circles.

Economic growth is slowing. But hiring appears to be picking up. Cars are getting cheaper but auto insurance is more expensive. Inflation is lower than it was a year ago but higher than it was last month.

As they try to sift through sometimes contradictory economic signals, Fed policymakers are likely to stick with their go-slow approach, leaving interest rates unchanged this week — and possibly for months to come.

"If you want to join the kennel of data dogs, what's the first rule of the kennel?" Chicago Fed president Austan Goolsbee said recently . "If you are unclear, stop walking and start sniffing. And with these numbers, we need to do more sniffing."

23-year-high interest rates through summer

Inflation fell sharply in the second half of last year, leading some to believe the Fed would soon be ready to take its foot off the brake and start cutting interest rates. But that progress on prices has since slowed, and Fed watchers now expect the Fed to keep its benchmark interest rate at a 23-year high, at least through the summer.

Columbia University students take over building, as college antiwar protests grow

"I think we have to recalibrate," Goolsbee said. "It doesn't look like it's going to be as rapid as it looked for the previous six or seven months."

'The mystery is economic strength, not economic weakness'

Inflation numbers released by the Commerce Department last week showed prices climbing 2.7% during the 12 months ending in March — the biggest annual increase in four months. Former White House economist Ernie Tedeschi says he's not worried that inflation is picking up steam, but he agrees with Goolsbee that it's no longer cooling.

"I think it's clear at this point that the progress that we've made lowering inflation towards [the Fed's 2%] target has stalled," says Tedeschi, who's now director of economics at the Yale Budget Lab. "This is a good challenge for the Fed, although certainly a challenge. What's underpinning the Fed's concern and mystery is economic strength, not economic weakness."

The job market remains strong, with unemployment under 4%. And while the economy grew more slowly in the first three months of the year than forecasters expected, consumer spending is still robust.

U.S. bans noncompete agreements for nearly all jobs

Spending continues to increase.

Higher interest rates have cut into spending on big-ticket items. But spending on services continues to increase.

"You typically take out a loan for when you make a big goods purchase, like a car, certainly a house," Tedeschi says. "Services spending is generally less interest rate-sensitive."

So while the Fed can influence demand for cars and houses by adjusting interest rates, its ability to tamp down demand for restaurant meals or concert tickets is more limited.

"We have one tool, basically," Goolsbee said, referring to interest rates. "If you ask the question, 'How interest rate-sensitive are elective plastic surgeries?' I have no idea. So we're trying to match our tools to the moment and that's not totally straightforward."

Planet Money

How do you counter misinformation critical thinking is step one.

What's more, many Americans are largely insulated from the Fed's high interest rates, if they don't carry a balance on their credit card and they locked in a low, fixed interest rate on their mortgage.

"That's one of the reasons why the consumer remains fairly willing to go out to restaurants and go to the mall," says Oren Klachkin, financial market economist at Nationwide. "They're not feeling that pain of the high-rate environment. Of course, that means that inflation is not going to come down as fast. But that's kind of the tradeoff that we're in right now."

Job market still strong, wages increasing

Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell has said the central bank can afford to be patient in battling inflation, since high interest rates have so far not hurt the job market. U.S. employers added an average of 276,000 jobs a month in January, February and March — up from 212,000 jobs on average in the three previous months. (April jobs numbers will be released on Friday.)

Employers' cost for labor rose 4.2% in the 12 months ending in March, according to figures released Monday by the Labor Department . While rising wages could put more upward pressure on prices, they're also a big reason that people keep spending money.

"They have jobs. Their wages are increasing," Klachkin says. "It's not to say that there's not risks. We're seeing credit card delinquencies increase. The savings rate is quite low. This leaves them fairly exposed if and when the labor market does soften. But until that happens, the consumer is going to remain in a spending mood."

• Federal Reserve
• consumer spending
• U.S. economy

Editorial: Campus protestors want to spew hate,…

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)
• Entertainment
• Multimedia/Video

Opinion Editorials

Editorial: campus protestors want to spew hate, anonymously.

You can stand up and be counted, or you can be anonymous. You can’t do both, no matter how much the masked, publicity-shy protestors roiling American campuses wish it were so.

A flyer announcing pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University last week advised participants to hide their identity. Demonstrators shouting anti-Jewish slogans around the country wrap their faces in keffiyehs or COVID masks. These coverings are not the marks of savvy social justice warriors.

They are the costumes of cowards.

The endgame is to foment as much hate, spread as much ignorance and disrupt as many operations as possible, all without reprisal.

Which begs the question: how can they be so passionately devoted to a cause, and yet so unwilling to be seen advocating for it? The United States has seen its fair share of demonstrations, including the violent campus scenes in 1968. Protestors were bare-faced and being arrested for their actions was a point of pride.

Now, however, students are skittish. They’re willing to shout, to break the law by camping out on public streets and taking over university buildings, but keep their names and faces out of it, please.

Some psychiatrists are blaming the whole thing on the pandemic. Students were isolated and angered by school shut-downs and social distancing and are desperate to find a connection, community and a voice, experts told the New York Post.

The pro-Palestinian cause allows discontented youth to express “long-withheld rage,” said forensic psychiatrist Carole Lieberman. It gives them an “opportunity to identify with the ‘oppressed’ against ‘oppressors.’ ”

It’s terrifying to think that the result of being cut off from the prom or hanging out in the cafeteria is spewing antisemitic hatred en masse. While that does offer a possible reason for the collective desire to make signs and pitch tents, it doesn’t explain the aversion to being identified.

We’d like to think that underneath the ignorance, the disregard of historic facts and understanding what colonization is and isn’t, there is a modicum of morality that knows that calling for the extermination of Jews is wrong. They haven’t worked out how to criticize the Israeli government for the way it is handling the war without being useful idiots in the service of Hamas terrorists.

And so they shout and ride the wave of mob mentality. Parallels to 1938 Germany are lost on them, but some twinge of awareness must at least tell them that the Nazis weren’t the good guys. And so they hide their faces in shame.

The more likely reason, sadly, is that the concept of facing consequences for their actions is anathema. Students are shocked at school suspensions, as some colleges are doing. This could affect their graduation status, future jobs, they lament.

As the Post reported, more than 100 Barnard and Columbia faculty staged a “Rally to Support Our Students” last week condemning the student arrests and demanding suspensions be lifted.

The campus protestors, while accountable for their actions in full, have nonetheless been let down by the adults in their lives: the progressive, anti-Israel faculty who replaced lessons in critical thinking with pro-Hamas propaganda, and the parents who taught them that they shouldn’t have to face consequences for their actions.

The students aren’t the ones who should be hiding their faces.

More in Opinion

Opinion Columnists | Howie Carr: Wreak havoc on Harvard with endowment tax

Moore: Why small businesses hate Bidenomics

Grizzle: Data center growth calls for more power

SUBSCRIBER ONLY

Thomas: reagan’s lessons on handling college protests.

‘You want to get it right’: As Gaza protests roil Emerson, student journalists at center of dispute

Campus paper has faced criticism before and works to build trust while covering divisive protests.

As police clad in riot gear cleared the tents of pro-Palestinian protesters at Emerson College, arresting more than 100 people early Thursday, Emerson’s campus newspaper leapt into action, sending six student journalists to the scene to snap pictures and send dispatches to cover the events in real time.

Their all-night efforts to cover the dramatic events reflected The Berkeley Beacon’s evolution this semester as it has grappled with how to quickly, but comprehensively, cover the constant protests over Israel’s war in Gaza. The staff has also struggled with a very different challenge: how, in the midst of a divisive controversy, to improve the paper’s reputation with students who have pilloried some of its editorial decisions in recent years.

“I’ve never experienced this. I’ve never had to cover a war,” said Sophia Pargas, the paper’s editor in chief. “It has been so, so difficult, and so stressful, because you want to get it right.”

Long a difficult job, student journalism has become even harder as the war in Gaza rages on, and domestic reaction has surged. College campuses across the country have been plunged into a maelstrom of student protests , presidential office shakeups , and sweeping questions about safety and freedom of speech .

As everyone from lawmakers to college professors has struggled with the difficulty of discussing the war, covering the conflict has forced the Beacon’s leadership to weigh extraordinarily demanding and difficult coverage decisions.

The paper is navigating its role with increased sensitivity — critics call it timidity — having recently opted to delay a major breaking news story, not name speakers at protests, and not publish photographs of demonstrators’ faces.

Those decisions sometime chafe against traditional journalistic practices, to go where the story is, without fear or favor. Some current and former editors question whether the paper is bending too far to satisfy its critics. But the Beacon’s editors said that its approach has helped them capture the full picture of what’s happening, most recently through its coverage of Boston police clearing student encampments.

Advertisement

Last month, the paper waited two days to report on the arrests of 13 pro-Palestinian protesters at the Emerson president’s inauguration. That was a result of taking necessary time to vet information before publishing, Pargas said.

“In the past, we’ve acted very quickly and tried to be the first one to get the information and try to break a story when really we didn’t know what the story was yet,” Pargas said.

But the delay drew some criticism.

“Your job is to inform and by declining to publish you failed your student body desperate for accurate information,” wrote one critic in response to Pargas’s piece explaining the decision.

The Beacon isn’t the only student paper that has faced backlash for coverage decisions in recent years, which in some cases underscores a divide between traditional journalistic standards and the more cautious approach of some student journalists who are learning on the go how to cover complex and consequential stories. And since protests erupted nationally and in Boston over the murder of George Floyd, some student outlets have shifted their thinking about how to cover protests, said Kelly McBride, a senior vice president at the Poynter Institute.

“They started being very cautious about how they identified them,” McBride said. “They were trying to demonstrate care around people that they perceive to be vulnerable. And that’s not a bad thing.”

That new calculus only intensified after Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, prompting the war in Gaza. Student journalists have faced even more vitriol for reporting on the war and related protests, said Mike Hiestand, senior legal counsel at the Student Press Law Center, based in Washington, D.C.

“This really has gotten to a new level,” Hiestand said. “I have not heard really of any student taking a public stance on the war — trying to cover it, trying to talk about it — who has not been attacked in some way.”

Even in the absence of nationwide protests, student reporters have to balance learning the fundamentals of journalism, in what is often their first crack at real-world reporting, while also serving as campus watchdogs — and campus peers. Their audience often holds them to the same standard as professional journalists and expects timely and accurate information, all while reporting on their fellow students and juggling classes.

“On every college campus, you have people who have what can be diametrically opposite points of view and both of them claiming the moral high ground,” said McBride, who added that the student press has a role in fostering conversations about those difficult topics.

“But that’s a skill as well, and you got to know how to do it,” she added.

At Emerson, the latest controversies have come as the Beacon’s staff of 40 journalists has tried to repair its relationship with students who have lost trust in it in recent years.

In the fall of 2020, in the wake of protests over Floyd’s murder, the Beacon published an article about a student seeking donations after she said her father had cut her off financially for supporting Black Lives Matter. Students slammed the article for focusing on the plight of a white student and not on people of color and the support they need. The Beacon retracted the article and almost 20 staffers resigned . One editor later wrote: The furor “was deserved — we had screwed up. Royally.”

The Beacon again drew controversy last year after it reported that a “dead body” was found in a campus building. Later, reporters learned it was a student who had died . The paper later removed that blunt phrase and called the person “deceased,” with a note: “A previous headline for this story has been changed to more sensitively reflect the situation. The Beacon regrets any distress the previous headline may have caused.”

“The language that was used — it didn’t lend itself to the fact that it was a member of our school, of our community,” said Emma Cooper, a journalism student not involved with the campus paper.

The Beacon, whose graduates often go on to work in newsrooms across the country, has been meeting with student groups and explaining its editorial process to try and rebuild ties. Pargas said the staff has also had several internal conversations about the Beacon’s role and how it should sometimes challenge traditional journalistic norms.

Those efforts coincided with an emotionally charged time since Oct. 7. Prior to that, the generally progressive Emerson community had seemed largely in agreement on current affairs, said Camilo Fonseca, a former Beacon editor and current Emerson senior.

“The war in Gaza was the first real thing that I think had people realizing that they are on diametrically opposite sides of an issue,” Fonseca said.

Now, the constant Israel-Gaza protests lend an intensity to the campus climate that feels reminiscent of the 1960s, when activism over civil rights and the Vietnam War also roiled colleges, said Lu Ann Reeb, the interim chair of Emerson’s journalism department. She added that the journalism faculty recognized the Beacon with an award for its ongoing coverage of campus protests.

“Everyone on campus is feeling an immense emotionality of all of it,” Reeb said.

Those emotions erupted on March 22, when Emerson students protested the war and tuition hikes during the inauguration of the college’s new president, Jay Bernhardt. Thirteen students were arrested; 12 were Emerson students.

The Beacon’s first story came on March 24, two days after the arrests and following articles from professional news outlets. The Beacon knew people had been arrested, but chose to wait until staffers had more details on why.

“We decided that we would wait until we could put out something that was balanced and that spoke to both the college, the police, and the students’ perspectives, and let the first-person accounts lead the narrative that day,” Pargas said. She later posted a letter from the editor explaining the delay.

The Beacon ultimately published a series of stories related to the arrests, including an interview with Bernhardt, reactions from student groups, and a report about increased student arrests nationwide.

“They’ve done such a thorough, balanced job of reporting it,” said James Sullivan, the Beacon’s faculty adviser. (Sullivan also contributes to the Globe.)

The follow-up coverage included a story about a pro-Palestinian class walkout that omitted student names with an editor’s note: “To respect the sensitive nature of the walkout, the Beacon refrained from conducting interviews and identifying student speakers.”

It was a difficult decision, said managing editor Hannah Nguyen, but the paper’s editors reasoned such anonymity would protect the publication’s ability to cover the story as it unfolded. Part of the editors’ concerns with naming protesters has been that, unlike in the past when articles only appeared in print, names published in online articles are searchable forever, which might jeopardize students’ future job prospects.

“We were thinking of it in a long-term sense of: How can we be able to report on this without continuing to lose trust?,” Nguyen said. “Because that was already an issue to begin with.”

Some current and former Beacon staffers were critical of the decision to wait to cover the inauguration arrests, arguing the paper should have published a breaking news article with as much information as they could provide at the time, then update the piece as they could.

“I felt like it was our job as the school newspaper to be the first ones to kind of jump on this story,” said Hailey Akau, an assistant magazine editor at the Beacon.

These student journalists also worried the decision was driven by the wrong motive — a fear of another backlash.

“It’s journalistic integrity versus the paper’s reputation,” Fonseca said.

(Fonseca and Nguyen have both worked as co-ops at the Globe.)

Students, professors, and other readers also voiced anger at the delay in reporting through texts, emails, and in-person comments, Pargas and Nguyen said.

In response, Pargas said the Beacon chose to cover the arrests the way it did because of a lack of information, not because it was bending to pressure or because the paper opposes publishing breaking news.

“We’ve been able to learn from it and our coverage now is both quick and holistic,” she said, referencing the paper’s stories about the encampments off Boylston Street. “As students, we have to learn from these constructive criticism.”

Some students respected the delay. Owen Buxton, one of the Emerson students camping out in protest of Israel’s campaign to annihilate Hamas in Gaza, and who identified as part-Jewish, said he’d heard the Beacon was trying to be thoughtful, which he appreciated. But, he added: “I don’t know anybody who reads it regularly.”

Allie Montenegro, a sophomore interdisciplinary studies major, said the Beacon is “controversial.”

“I personally don’t go to them,” she said, adding that she often checks the social media pages of campus activists. “I feel like it’s a better source.”

This past week, the coverage from the Beacon was robust. Since students began setting up encampments last Sunday night, the paper provided daily coverage of the pro-Palestinian protests.

Their reporting reached a climactic moment early Thursday morning, when Boston police began arresting protesters shortly before 2 a.m. The Beacon quickly launched a live blog , with updates posted every few minutes, as a team of six reporters fed information to three editors huddled over Zoom. Into the weekend, much of the Beacon’s homepage was dedicated to the arrests, including stories on student reactions , a photo series , and a report that the student government would call on Emerson’s president to resign.

“We were able to be a little bit more prepared,” Pargas said after the arrests on Thursday morning. She cited the Beacon’s commitment to fostering good relationships with the protest organizers and its previous protest coverage as crucial factors to gearing up for the coverage, marking substantial growth from just last month.

The evolution in the Beacon’s coverage also shows how a big part of student journalism is learning on the job, as Reeb noted in an email Thursday.

“Our student journalists have learned more in the past 24 hours than the past 3 months in classes,” she said.

Aidan Ryan can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him @aidanfitzryan .