River Crossing

There is a river to cross using a river raft and there are eight people (father, mother, policeman, thief, 2 daughters and 2 sons). No one knows to operate the raft except the adults and also excluding the thief. Only two people can go in the raft at a time. The raft should keep coming back and forth in order to pick and drop the people.
Rules to be followed:
Father: the father cannot stay in the raft or outside the raft without the presence of the mother.
Mother: the mother cannot stay in the raft or outside the rat without the presence of the father.
Thief: the thief is not allowed to stay with any of the family members unless there is a policeman.
Policeman: the policeman can travel with anyone.
2 sons and 2 daughters: they are not allowed to travel in the raft without the presence of an adult. They cannot either travel in the presence of only thieves without the policeman. The sons cannot be with their mothers without their father's supervision. The daughters are not allowed to be there with their fathers without the supervision of their mothers. But the daughters and the sons can be left unsupervised (as long as the other rules are applied).
What is the sequence that the people should follow in order to cross the river through the raft keeping in mind all the rules?
The rules are applicable not only in the raft but also outside the raft.




Similar Riddles

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

Asked by Neha on 27 Dec 2020


A boy was driving a car, a girl took a lift from her. She asked his name. The boy said - my name is hidden in my car’s number, find it if you can. After this, she got down Car number was [ WV733N ] Can you guess the name now?

Asked by Neha on 22 Mar 2024

A person was killed at a house party. When the police arrive, there are six people present in the house who are the friends of the victim. The name of the friends is Rohit, Aman, Nick, Gagan, and Randy.

Near the dead body, they find a few numbers written with blood by the victim on the floor. The numbers are 8, 5, 4, and 11.

The police arrests one of the friends for the murder. Whom did they arrest and why?

Asked by Neha on 04 May 2023


This is a famous paradox which has caused a great deal of argument and disbelief from many who cannot accept the correct answer. Four balls are placed in a hat. One is white, one is blue and the other two are red. The bag is shaken and someone draws two balls from the hat. He looks at the two balls and announces that at least one of them is red. What are the chances that the other ball he has drawn out is also red?

Asked by Neha on 17 Oct 2024

Five teams were competing in cricket where they faced each other exactly once. After the tournament, the following is the point table.

DareDevils 6
SuperKings 5
Royals 4
Sunrisers 2
Riders ?

How many points did Riders end up with?

Asked by Neha on 14 Nov 2025

A swan sits at the center of a perfectly circular lake. At an edge of the lake stands a ravenous monster waiting to devour the swan. The monster can not enter the water, but it will run around the circumference of the lake to try to catch the swan as soon as it reaches the shore. The monster moves at 4 times the speed of the swan, and it will always move in the direction along the shore that brings it closer to the swan the quickest. Both the swan and the the monster can change directions in an instant.
The swan knows that if it can reach the lake's shore without the monster right on top of it, it can instantly escape into the surrounding forest.

How can the swan successfully escape?

Asked by Neha on 22 Apr 2022


Suppose that you are trapped on the surface of a frozen lake. The surface is so smooth and ideal that there is no friction at all. You cant make any grip on the ice and no wind is blowing to help you out. You have just a mobile phone with you which has got no reception disabling you to call for help.

How will you plan your escape before you freeze to death on the frozen lake?

Asked by Neha on 25 Dec 2020

It's pretty hard to give up.
If you remove a part of it, you will be left with a bit.
Even if you remove another part, the bit still remains.
Remove one more and it still remains.

What is it?

Asked by Neha on 06 May 2025

Which is faster, Heat or Cold ? Explain.

Heat or Cold ?

Asked by Neha on 23 Mar 2021


How many cubic feet of dirt are in a hole of one foot deep, three feet long, and two feet wide?

Asked by Neha on 13 Feb 2021

Hot Articles

Amazing Facts

Word ladder puzzle

The word ladder puzzle was invented by Lewis Carroll, author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.