One fine day, an intellectual man came to the emperor's court with the aim of testing Birbal's wittiness. In order to do this, he challenged Birbal to answer his question and hence prove that he was as intelligent and witty as he was said to be.
He asked Birbal, Do you want me to ask one difficult question or a hundred easy ones?
Since both Akbar and Birbal had had a tough day and were eager to leave, Birbal hastily told the intellectual to ask him a single difficult question.
Intellectual: OK. Tell me what came first into the world, the egg or the chicken?
Of course, the chicken, Birbal replied with a smile.
This time with a note of victory in his voice, the intellectual asked Birbal, How will you demonstrate that?
What did Birbal say?

There are two words one resembles the "state of rest" and the other is related to "writing/reading material".

Can you name these two words which also sound similar?

Look at this sequence from top to bottom. What is the next number in the sequence?
1
11
21
1211
111221
312211

Find three numbers such that

* When we multiply three numbers, we will get the prime numbers.
* The difference between the second and the first number is equal to the third and second.

How many times do a clock's hands overlap in a day ?

What has many teeth, but cannot bite?

These types of puzzles are known as charades. What you have to do is to find two words that are referred to in the first stanza and the second stanza and put them together to form the third word in the third stanza.

Just for example, if my first refers to 'off' and my second refers to 'ice', then my whole will be the 'office'.

My first is present - future's past -
A time in which your lot is cast.

My second is my first of space
Defining people's present place.

My whole describes a lack of site -
A place without length, breadth, or height.

There are a number of books on a shelf. If one book is the 4th from the left and 6th from the right, how many books are on the shelf?

Count the squares in the matchstick puzzle below?

I have branches, but no fruit, trunk or leaves. What am I?