Replace the question mark with the correct number in the below-given picture?

If in a car race, the man who came two places in front of the last man finished one ahead of the man who came fifth, how many contestants were there?

In a guessing game, five friends had to guess the exact numbers of apples in a covered basket.
Friends guessed 22, 24, 29, 33, and 38, but none of the guesses was correct. The guesses were off by 1, 8, 6, 3, and 8 (in random order).

Can you determine the number of apples in a basket from this information?

A man is found dead in his bathroom naked with blood scattered all around him. The bathroom was locked from the inside and there is no trace of any struggle. There is nothing in the bathroom except his pant with the belt still around and his shirt. Also, the medic team can't find any incision in his body that may have been the reason behind so much blood loss.

The Police department is clueless regarding this murder mystery.
Can you?

I am not a bull but I have horns.
I am not an ass but I have a pack saddle.
Wherever I go, I leave silver behind me.

Who am I?

The great emperor Akbar once ruled India. He was well known for his intelligence. But along with that, he was known for the Nine Gems in his court. One of the nine gems was Birbal, a quick witted and extremely intelligent man. The stories of his wit were widely popular.

Once a king ruling in a distant land heard of Birbal. To check his wit, he sent an invitation and called him to visit his land. Akbar allowed Birbal to go and he took off on the journey.

Upon reaching that kings kingdom, he was welcomed with flowers. He was then escorted to the palace of the king. Upon entering the palace, Birbal found that there were six people sitting in front of him adorning the same robe. They were also lookalike and it was hard to judge who the real king was.

After a couple of minutes, Birbal approached one of them and bowed in front of him greeting him.

That was the real king. How did Birbal know who was the real king ?

I welcome the day with a show of light, I stealthily came here in the night. I bathe the earthy stuff at dawn, But by noon, alas! I'm gone.

There are three boxes on a table. One of the box contains Gold and the other two are empty. A printed message contains in each box. One of the message is true and the other two are lies.

The first box says "The Gold is not here".

The Second box says "The Gold is not here".

The Third box says "The Gold is in the Second box".

Which box has the Gold?

What 4-letter word can be written forward, backward or upside down, and can still be read from left to right?

There is an exact a week gap between Christmas and New Year. Hence, It is obvious that the new year that comes right after Christmas comes on the same day of the week.

A Strange thing happened in the Year 1777. Christmas occurs on Wednesday and New Year on Monday. How is that possible?