THE CHART


(Chimera High Ability Riddle Test)

By William F. Bultas



Please see the Introduction & Ranking Scale before beginning. This 60 item test consists entirely of riddles. There is no time limit, and any reference materials (books, computers, internet, etc.) may be used, but soliciting or receiving help from other people or using someone else's answers or hints on solving these problems is prohibited. The answer to each problem is a word, which is in some cases a name. The individuals who were able to solve all 60 riddles prior to 4/22/98 had their names published on the RIDDLER LIST on this page. Other works by this author can be found at http://www.Puzz.com/. Webmasters: A link to this site would be greatly appreciated! When you feel that you won't be able to solve any more problems (this usually takes at least a few hours, & often a number of days), you can check your answers here, & rank yourself here. Special thanks to Janice Fitzgerald & Paul Cooijmans. Good luck, & have fun!



1. Although I may have eyes, I cannot see. At one time there was a dearth of me in Ireland, & people went hungry. What am I? _____________

2. I'm white & used for cutting & grinding. When I'm damaged, humans usually remove me or fill me. For most animals I am a useful tool. What am I? ____________

3. Although many teachers thought little of me, I turned out to be a genius who changed the world. I suppose I proved that all things are relative! Who am I? ___________

4. Although I'm not an insect, some people found me very difficult to exterminate. They called me something like 'insane priest.' The first half of my name means the same as 'scrape,' & my last three letters are a metal. Who am I? ___________

5. People climb me, cut me, & burn me -- they show me no respect! My rings are not of gold but do tell my age. What am I? ____________

6. Though I exist alone, there are often many of us interconnected like the threads of a web. If I am worn, there is an expression that indicates you should not leave me. A man with a name meaning something like 'knowledgeable one' once said that I was number four of a certain set, & had less than ten folds. What am I? __________

7. I am strongest when you see me as round, but I am often viewed in other forms. I lift & drop the sea with my tremendous strength, and a man with a name like 'powerful bicep' was the first to tread on me. What am I? ___________

8. I do not hold the desert, only a sample. My innards descend ever so slowly.... But in time I am turned over to begin again. What am I? ___________

9. I am an insect, & the first half of my name reveals another insect. Some famous musicians had a name similar to mine. What am I? ____________

10. I was taught by a famous philosopher, & history says that I'm great. I once cut something I couldn't untie, but I guess I was still quite the conqueror.... Who am I? ____________

11. I'm formed of incongruous parts, & my first five letters identify a metal object that makes music. I could be a mythological monster, or just a figment of your imagination. What am I? ____________

12. Many different types of my last seven letters can be found in newspapers, magazines, & journals. Physicists have built devices to get me moving very fast. What am I? _____________

13. My last half is something that can allow you entrance into a secured area, & I am also a nation. Some people find me tasty. What am I? ____________

14. Priest, witch, & doctor are my roles. My first four letters indicate something fake. What am I? ___________

15. I wrote of hairy-footed small people, rings, wizards, & other fascinating things! Many of my stories were first seen by my son while he served in World War II. Who am I? _____________

16. I'm a god & a planet, & my name also denotes something used in an instrument for determining how hot you are. Who am I? ____________

17. I go well with a certain kind of meat. My first three letters will give you a ride for a fee, my last three are a word for the amount of time that something has existed. What am I? ____________

18. I am larger than you can imagine, possibly without bounds. My last five letters name something found in poetry. What am I? ___________

19. I am a path situated between high natural masses. Remove my first letter & you have a path situated between man-made masses. What am I? ____________

20. The first half of my name means the same as 'strike,' & I tried to 'purify' the world by removing those I saw unfit. I was a monster, a coward, & certainly a twit. Who am I? ____________

21. My first half is a container, & I am language understood by few, if any. What am I? _____________

22. My name backward is a natural food for man & animal. I am the underlying pattern of the universe for a certain religion, & cannot be described in words. What am I? ____________

23. Read backward I am someone who does not tell the truth. I am essential for the movement of a connected series of carriages. What am I? _____________

24. My first half is a sealed container. I mean 'to abort.' What am I? __________

25. My last four letters are an exclamation of pain. I mean 'to attest.' What am I? ___________

26. I am an action that cleanses & protects. My last four letters identify one unit of a connected series. My last three letters are often seen on paper. What am I? ___________

27. I am a large nation. My first four letters denote a part of your upper anatomy. What am I? ____________

28. I am a state of acceptance, though not necessarily of approval. My last six letters are an allowance for daily sustenance. What am I? ____________

29. Though my last four letters indicate a smile, I am distress caused by disappointment or embarrassment. What am I? ____________

30. My first three letters identify a type of primate, and I am the 'highest point.' What am I? ____________

31. My first half is a thick, dark, sticky substance. My last half means 'to acquire.' Take aim! What am I? ____________

32. I mean 'delightful,' but my first half means 'scorch.' My last half is the name of the villain in an old science fiction comic strip. What am I? ____________

33. I am an American State. My first half is the name of a woman important in the New Testament. What am I? __________

34. I am necessary for flight for many creatures. My first three letters mean 'to succeed.' What am I? ____________

35. I am a city in the Middle East. The last half of my name is the past tense for moving quickly by a series of small jumps. What am I? _____________

36. I am related to the ear & to sound. My last half is a number, & my first four letters indicate a series of words or numbers. What am I? ____________

37. My first three letters are made in sewing, & my last four are something that keeps things secured. A poisonous drink made from me was imbibed by a famous thinker. What am I? ___________

38. My last five letters mean 'avid,' & I mean 'deficient in amount or quality.' What am I? ___________

39. Fire is often maintained above me, & if you remove my first letter, you will find the home shared by everyone you have ever known. What am I? ____________

40. I have a heart, and my last five letters mean the same as 'strangle.' What am I? ____________

41. I eradicate problems. My first half, when capitalized, is an acronym related to sleep. What am I? _____________

42. Remove my last letter & you have a dish that holds something holy. I am the legal right to something that is created. What am I? _____________

43. My last five letters mean to escape with a lover. I am a kind of container. What am I? _____________

44. My first four letters are a climbing plant, & my last three are a fish. I taste quite sour. What am I? _____________

45. I am a sensation experienced when you suddenly feel cold. My last three letters denote a state of sickness. What am I? ______________

46. I am a mutable piece of furniture. My last three letters are a unit of weight. What am I? _______________

47. My first four letters are a sound producing instrument, & my last half is often used for capturing marine organisms. I am capable of a vicious sting. What am I? ____________

48. Remove my first letter & you have something not living that has a root. My last three letters are composed mostly of nitrogen on our planet. Have a seat before trying to figure out what I am! What am I? _____________

49. My name rhymes with the dish on which a cup is placed. I produced a famous fictional set of stories told by people on a pilgrimage to a cathedral. Who am I? ____________

50. My first four letters denote the left side in some circumstances. My last four letters are a portable shelter. I am a significant occurrence that foreshadows a future event. What am I? ______________

51. A place for drinking & sometimes dancing is denoted by my first three letters. My last four letters mean the same as 'obtain.' I am a 'good deal.' What am I? ___________

52. Remove my first letter & you have the past tense of 'devour.' I am your unavoidable future. What am I? _____________

53. I am one of many successive layers. Transpose my last two letters & you have something found on many vehicles. What am I? _______________

54. My first half means 'average.' My last half means 'to put on.' I am the act of excusing a trespass. What am I? ______________

55. I allow the separation of constituents in a liquid by taking advantage of different boiling points. My last five letters mean 'motionless.' What am I? _____________

56. I am a type of glaze. Remove my third letter, & you have a word meaning the same as 'disappear.' What am I? ______________

57. Remove my first letter & you have a science of wine & wine making. I am a science dealing with prisons & those who dwell within them. What am I? _______________

58. I am a dead body. My last four letters mean 'to verify.' What am I? ____________

59. I was an American leader who had a motto that dealt with not talking roughly & holding a large club. Who am I? ______________

60. I was a queen who committed suicide shortly after my lover. The last four letters of his name are an award given for outstanding work in the theater. Who am I? _____________

Answers


Intro & Ranking Scale