Ask Me Help Desk - A riddle for you

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

Now try the Gatsby one. That one made me mad. I was looking for grammatical errors (not qualified but looked anyway, couldn't find any), or spelling (qualified but found none), and everything else I could think of. I even started to question whether or not the story was accurate, but that wasn't it.

When I finally figured it out I wanted to smack my head on a desk. So simple, but something I didn't look at until 2 days after I heard the riddle.

If you don't get it by tonight, I'll tell you. I'm hoping WG will take a look, see if she figures it out. :)
Want a hint or do you want to mull it over for a bit first?

Again, it's simple.

Something about the crowd or the girl backing toward him. Broadway crowd. Let me think?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kitkat22

Again, it's simple.

Something about the crowd or the girl backing toward him. Broadway crowd. Let me think?

You're getting colder.

Nothing is wrong with the paragraph. Everything is perfect with the paragraph. There's just something unusual about it.

Hint: The thing that makes it unusual has nothing to do with an error, not in the grammatical sense or the story being told. The thing that makes it unusual is barely noticeable, but once you notice it, you'll want to bang your head up against a wall repeatedly for not having seen it before.

Hint #2: When you read it, does it flow easily off the tongue? Wonder why? That may lead you in the right direction, or it may not. It depends. :) No, I'm not being cryptic. ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

You're getting colder.

Nothing is wrong with the paragraph. Everything is perfect with the paragraph. There's just something unusual about it.

Hint: The thing that makes it unusual has nothing to do with an error, not in the grammatical sense or the story being told. The thing that makes it unusual is barely noticeable, but once you notice it, you'll want to bang your head up against a wall repeatedly for not having seen it before.

Hint #2: When you read it, does it flow easily off the tongue? Wonder why? That may lead you in the right direction, or it may not. It depends. :) No, I'm not being cryptic. ;)

Maybe something about "his Honor"... Let me think about till tomorrow.:)

None of the words are wrong. It has nothing to do with punctuation, capitalization, grammar, any of that. It's just unusual. :)

If there is a grammatical error, that's my fault, not the riddles. Don't look at grammar or any mistakes. There is no mistake. The paragraph is perfectly written.

It's just unusual. :)

Where's WG? Where did everyone else go?

Come on people, take a crack at it. :)

Here's the paragraph again, so people don't have to go back to find it.

The paragraph below is most unusual. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you'd think nothing was wrong with it - and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though. Why?

"Gatsby was walking back from a visit down in Branton Hill's manufacturing district on a Saturday night. A busy day's traffic had had its noisy run; and with not many folks in sight, His Honour got along without having to stop to grasp a hand, or talk; for a mayor out of City Hall is a shining mark for any politician. And so, coming to Broadway, a booming bass drum and sounds of singing, told of a small Salvation Army unit carrying on amidst Broadway's night shopping crowds. Gatsby , walking towards that group, saw a young girl, back toward him, just finishing a long, soulful oration ... "

The above passage is taken from the book "Gatsby" written by Ernest Vincent Wright in the late 1930's

Any spelling errors or missing punctuation and the like, that's my fault. There is nothing wrong with the paragraph. Nothing! It's just unusual.

Can you give me another hint?

It rhymes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

One especially for WG.

The paragraph below is most unusual. How quickly can you find out what is so unusual about it? It looks so ordinary you'd think nothing was wrong with it - and in fact, nothing is wrong with it. It is unusual though. Why?

"Gatsby was walking back from a visit down in Branton Hill's manufacturing district on a Saturday night. A busy day's traffic had had its noisy run; and with not many folks in sight, His Honour got along without having to stop to grasp a hand, or talk; for a mayor out of City Hall is a shining mark for any politician. And so, coming to Broadway, a booming bass drum and sounds of singing, told of a small Salvation Army unit carrying on amidst Broadway's night shopping crowds. Gatsby , walking towards that group, saw a youg girl, back toward him, just finishing a long, soulful oration ... "

The above passage is taken from the book "Gatsby" written by Ernest Vincent Wright in the late 1930's

I don't know if this is it based on your clues, but I noticed there are no e's in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

Can you give me another hint?

Big hint!

Something is missing. Not from the sentence, not punctuation or a capital, or anything of that nature. But something very common is missing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Looking

I don't know if this is it based on your clues, but I noticed there are no e's in it.

WINNER!! :) :) :)

E is the most common letter in the English language, yet this entire paragraph doesn't have even one "e" in it.

Yay JLO! :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

WINNER!!!! :) :) :)

E is the most common letter in the English language, yet this entire paragraph doesn't have even one "e" in it.

Yay JLO! :)

:D More, more.

There is no one in a lake. 20 people jump in. 24 heads come up. All heads human. How is this possible?

And yes all heads were on their shoulders!

That's it?? :rolleyes: :)

Conjoined twins?

I emailed this to my daughter and she said it was one of the things they studie in Creative writing... You'll never guess... No E's in the entire book.

Oops - deleted due to reading comprehension problem :p

There were already 4 people in the lake?

Yes, I said there is no one in a lake, 20 people jumped in...

Heheheh

They were dead people weren't they?

LOL. No, no dead people. Want another hint.

Look for a play on words.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

LOL. No, no dead people. Want another hint.

look for a play on words.

There was no one but there were 4... :eek:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

LOL. No, no dead people. Want another hint.

look for a play on words.

20 people jumped in, and the other 4 entered some other way - dove, swam, walked?

Quote:

There is no one in a lake. 20 people jump in. 24 heads come up. All heads human. How is this possible?

The 24 heads that came up weren't in the lake. They were on the beach. They looked up when the 20 people jumped in the lake.

Am I close?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Looking

20 people jumped in, and the other 4 entered some other way - dove, swam, walked?

Thrown... :eek: They were already there not one but 4?

Nope. Do you guys give up?

Does Stringer know?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

Nope. Do you guys give up?

Does Stringer know?

Stringer! If you know, than tell! We're dying here! ;)

Okay, I give up.

20-foreheads came up.

LMAO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

Stringer! If you know, than tell! We're dying here! ;)

Okay, I give up.

Come on Stringer:)

Bella... LOL>>>I would have never guessed that.

HAhahaha I am seriously laughing out loud, while ducking, glad no one is in arms length of me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aurora_Bell

20-foreheads came up.

LMAO.

Oh that's bad! That's really bad! :rolleyes:

Run! :p

Okay, here's the riddle from Die Hard. When we watched it, I solved it while it was happening on screen, then I spent 3 hours explaining it to hubby. To this day he still doesn't get it. See if you do.

You have a 5 gallon jug and 3 gallon jug and more than enough water. You need exactly 4 gallons of water in order to defuse a bomb. Not one drop more than 4 gallons.

How do you get exactly 4 gallons?

DON'T spill a drop.

LMAO. Of course Bella, but how do you get exactly 4 gallons of water when you only have a 3 gallon jug and a 5 gallon jug, and you can't guess, it has to be exactly 4 gallons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Altenweg

Okay, here's the riddle from Die Hard. When we watched it, I solved it while it was happening on screen, then I spent 3 hours explaining it to hubby. To this day he still doesn't get it. See if you do.

You have a 5 gallon jug and 3 gallon jug and more than enough water. You need exactly 4 gallons of water in order to defuse a bomb. Not one drop more than 4 gallons.

How do you get exactly 4 gallons?

Do the jugs have the amount of each gallon and ounce like you would have on a measruring cup.

This one is too easy lol. I'll wait and see if someone else gets it.

I'll take a stab at it.

I'd fill the 5 gallon jug, and pour it into the 3 gallon. What is left in the 5 gallon jug is 2 gallons. Dump the 3 gallons of water. Mark the point on the 5 gallon jug that is 2 gallons. Pour the 2 gallons into the 3 gallon. Fill the 5 gallon to the 2 gallon mark and between the 2 jugs, you have 4 gallons - or pour the 2 gallons in the 3 gallon jug into the 5 gallon jug and there are now 4 gallons in the 5 gallon jug.

I've lost all of you - huh? :p

OR...

Ok, they filled the 3 gallon jug and poured it into the 5 gal. jug. Then filled it again and poured the 3 gal into the 5 gal until it was full.
This left exactly one gallon in the 3 gallon jug.
Then they poured out the 5 gallon jug and put the 1 remaining gallon into the 5 gallon jug. So now there is one gallon in the 5 gallon. Now all you have to do is fill the 3 gal. up again and pour it into the 5 gallon.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Looking

I'll take a stab at it.

I'd fill the 5 gallon jug, and pour it into the 3 gallon. What is left in the 5 gallon jug is 2 gallons. Dump the 3 gallons of water. Mark the point on the 5 gallon jug that is 2 gallons. Pour the 2 gallons into the 3 gallon. Fill the 5 gallon to the 2 gallon mark and between the 2 jugs, you have 4 gallons - or pour the 2 gallons in the 3 gallon jug into the 5 gallon jug and there are now 4 gallons in the 5 gallon jug.

I've lost all of you - huh? :p

And then BOOOOM! Sorry Alty, you Bella and jlo make me laugh so hard I can't concentrate.:D

I think you've got it JLo, but there's no marking involved.

Here, maybe this explanation is easier.

1. Fill the 5 gallon jug to the top.
2. Pour water from 5 gallon jug into 3 gallon jug, leaving you with exactly 2 gallons in the 5 gallon jug.
3. Empty the 3 gallon jug.
4. Pour the 2 gallons you have left in the 5 gallon jug into the now empty 3 gallon jug. You now have exactly 2 gallons in the 3 gallon jug, leaving 1 gallon of space.
5. Fill the 5 gallon jug to the top again.
6. Pour 1 gallon from the 5 gallon jug into the 1 gallon of empty space in the 3 gallon jug giving you exactly 4 gallons in the 5 gallon jug.

Okay, that sounded easier when I wrote it. ;)