Make the Line Sorter

Birbal was jester, counsellor, and fool to the great Moghul emperor, Akbar.
The villagers loved to talk of Birbal's wisdom and cleverness,
and the emperor loved to try to outsmart him.
One day Akbar (emperor) drew a line across the floor.
"Birbal," he ordered, "you must make this line shorter, but you cannot erase any bit of it."
Everyone present thought the emperor had finally outsmarted Birbal.
It was clearly an impossible task.
Yet within moments the emperor and everyone else present had to agree that Birbal had made the line shorter without erasing any of it.
How could this be?




Similar Riddles

You may enter, but you may not come in. I have space, but no room. I have keys, but open no lock. What am I?

Asked by Neha on 23 Oct 2021


What occurs twice in a week, once in a year but never in a day?

Asked by Neha on 27 Dec 2020

John is pretty weird. He likes toffees but hates chocolates. He loves books but never reads. He likes to build his troops in an online game but does not proceed with the war. He likes to go swimming but is afraid of water.

Seeking this behaviour, can you tell whether he likes balloons and parties?

Asked by Neha on 05 May 2024


In the Wild West, you are challenged into a death match by two bounty hunters nicknamed Golden Revolver (GR) and Killer Boots (KB). You accept the challenge. None of you want to waste any of the bullet and so a certain rules are laid down:

1) All of you will shoot in a given order till the last man standing.
2) Each of you shoots only once upon his turn.
3) If any one of you is injured, the other two will finish him off with an iron rod.
4) The worst shooter of all (which is you) shoots first and the best one shoots at the last.

Now, how will you plan things if you know that you hit every third shot of yours, KB hits every second shot and GR hits every shot ?

Asked by Neha on 15 Dec 2025

Find the last number in the series below:

voN luJ yaM raM ---

Asked by Neha on 05 Jun 2023

There's one "sport" in which neither the spectators nor the participants know the score or the leader until the contest ends.

What is it?

Asked by Neha on 10 Apr 2022


What can you serve, but never eat?

Asked by Neha on 16 May 2026

When it is alive we sing, when it is dead we clap our hands. What is it?

Asked by Neha on 22 Aug 2025

What can jump higher than a building?

Asked by Neha on 24 Oct 2025


Make a sentence consisting of three words that have the whole alphabet.

Asked by Neha on 11 Dec 2025

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Out of the Box

The phrase “thinking outside the box” was popularised from the solution to a topographical puzzle involving 9 dots in a box shape.