The Hidden Treasure Puzzle

I am hidden under layers of earth, waiting to be found. I hold the story of life, but I am not alive. What am I?

A fossil.

The Airport Smuggler Puzzle

Riddle:
Two ladies were detained by security officers at an airport—one of whom claimed to be a computer scientist and one of whom claimed to be a geographer. One of them was secretly a smuggler!

A security officer asked the supposed computer scientist, “Do you know about the Gava computer program?”. The woman answered, “Do you mean Java?”.

The security officer then asked the supposed geographer, “Have you ever been to the capital of Spain, that is, Granada?”. The geographer said, “Yes! It’s a beautiful city!”.

Who was the smuggler?

The geographer was the smuggler.

Explanation:
The capital of Spain is Madrid, not Granada. A true geographer would know this. Her incorrect response reveals that she is pretending to be a geographer, making her the smuggler.

The Egg Laying Puzzle

Three hens lay three eggs in three days. How many eggs do 15 hens lay in 15 days?

75 eggs.

Explanation:

If three hens lay three eggs in three days, then one hen lays one egg in three days.
In 15 days, one hen will lay five eggs (since 15 ÷ 3 = 5).
Therefore, 15 hens will lay 15 × 5 = 75 eggs in 15 days.

The Unseen Presence Puzzle

Sometimes I am born in silence, Other times, no. I am unseen, But I make my presence known. In time, I fade without a trace. I harm no one, but I am unpopular with all. What am I?

A fart.

Explanation:
Farts can be silent or noisy. They are unseen but make their presence known through smell. Over time, the smell fades away, leaving no trace. While harmless, they are generally considered unpleasant or embarrassing.

The Patterned Names Puzzle

A pregnant lady named her children: Dominique, Regis, Michelle, Fawn, Sophie, and Lara. What will she name her next child? Jessica, Katie, Abby, or Tilly?

Explanation:
The names follow the musical scale: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La, Ti.

Dominique
Regis
Michelle
Fawn
Sophie
Lara

The next note in the scale is Ti, so the next child will be named Tilly.

The Colorful Transition Puzzle

A time when they are green, a time when they’re brown, but both of these times, cause me to frown. But just in between, for a very short while, they’re perfect and yellow and cause me to smile! What am I talking about here?

Bananas.

The Math Trick Puzzle

Pick a number from 1 to 10. Multiply it by 2, add 10, divide it by 2, and then subtract the number you picked. What is it?

The answer is 5.

Explanation:
Let the number you pick be $x$ :

Multiply it by 2:
$2 x$
Add 10:
$2 x + 10$
Divide it by 2:
$2x+102=x+5\frac{2x + 10}{2} = x + 5$
Subtract the original number ( $x$ ):
$x + 5 - x = 5$

The result is always 5, regardless of the number you start with.

The Two-Handed Puzzle

I have two hands, but I cannot scratch myself. What am I?

A clock.

The Missing Numbers Puzzle

In a certain city, 5% of all the people in town have unlisted phone numbers. If you select 100 names at random from that city’s phone directory, how many people selected will have unlisted phone numbers?

Answer:
None.

Explanation:
If someone’s phone number is unlisted, their name would not appear in the phone directory. Therefore, when you select names from the phone directory, all the names belong to people with listed numbers, and none will have unlisted numbers.

The Rearranged Verb Puzzle

What common English verb becomes its own past tense by rearranging its letters?

Eat (past tense: Ate).

Explanation:
By rearranging the letters in the verb “eat,” you get its past tense form, “ate.”