Hey there, Grade 8 learner! Are you ready to dive into a world of riddles and mysteries? Imagine you’re at a university, and it’s the end of the semester. Everyone’s busy with their final exams, but there’s a twist—some strange things are happening, and it’s up to you to solve the mysteries!
The university president is having a rough day. Someone stole the physics final exam from his office, and the door and windows were closed. How did they get in? It turns out, the ventilation panel above his desk was moved. Someone crawled through there! But who could it be? To find out, you’ll need to solve more riddles.
As the president walks down the hall, the power goes out. In the break room, there are three suspects: the cleaner, Rachel, and Simon. Who did it? It was Rachel! She claimed to be a new transfer student, but it’s the end of the semester—no one transfers right before finals!
Next, someone dumped a whole bag of sugar into a pot of soup in the cafeteria. Among the students eating soup, one has a fork instead of a spoon. He wasn’t planning to eat the soup because he knew it would taste terrible!
In a professor’s office, a painting has been graffitied. Three students look guilty, but one is hiding her hands. She’s the culprit—probably trying to hide paint on her fingers!
During the physics exam, the president senses someone is cheating. It’s the student with his legs crossed—he wrote the answers on his calf! But where did he get the answers? From a friend, of course.
The fire alarm goes off, but there’s no fire. Who triggered it? Among the suspects, Julia claims she was taking the geography final, but that exam was postponed. She’s lying!
A tree in the quad has been cut down. Sam claims he was in the cafeteria having soup, but he didn’t mention the sugar incident. He’s lying!
In biology, students were given ficus seeds at the start of the semester. Half the students have beautiful plants, but the other half have empty pots. The teacher gave fake seeds, so the students with empty pots get an A for honesty!
In philosophy, students must write about why a bust doesn’t exist. One student writes just two words: “What bust?” and gets an A for creativity!
The president’s car tire is missing, along with the bolts. What can he do? He can take one bolt from each of the other three tires to attach the spare. Problem solved!
There’s broken glass in the quad. The gardener claims he was in a tree, but the tree was already cut down. He’s lying!
At the post-finals party, the doors lock automatically. Eric suggests escaping through a vent, revealing he’s been in the vents before. He’s the one who stole the physics final!
Count your correct answers:
Hope you enjoyed this riddle adventure and learned a thing or two about solving mysteries!
Get creative and write your own riddle based on a mystery scenario. Think about a setting, a problem, and a clever solution. Share your riddle with the class and see if they can solve it!
Form small groups and assign roles based on the characters in the article. Act out one of the mystery scenarios, and let the rest of the class guess who the culprit is. Use clues and evidence to make your case!
Create a board game where players move through different university locations, solving riddles and collecting clues to solve a final mystery. Use the scenarios from the article as inspiration for your game challenges.
Set up stations around the classroom, each with a different riddle from the article. In teams, race to solve each riddle and move to the next station. The first team to solve all riddles wins!
Write a short story that includes a mystery similar to those in the article. Use descriptive language and logical reasoning to lead your reader to the solution. Share your story with a partner and discuss the clues you included.
Riddles – Questions or statements intentionally phrased to require ingenuity in ascertaining their answer or meaning – During the geography class, the teacher gave us riddles about different countries to solve.
Mysteries – Things that are difficult or impossible to understand or explain – The mystery of how the ancient city was built intrigued the students in the geography lesson.
Geography – The study of the physical features of the Earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these – In geography class, we learned about the different climates around the world.
Student – A person who is studying at a school or college – The student asked insightful questions during the geography lesson to better understand the topic.
Exam – A formal test of a person’s knowledge or proficiency in a subject or skill – The geography exam included questions about continents, oceans, and various landforms.
Solve – To find an answer to a problem or question – The students worked together to solve the geography puzzle about world capitals.
Honesty – The quality of being truthful and free from deceit – Honesty is important when discussing the impact of human activities on geography and the environment.
Creativity – The use of imagination or original ideas to create something – The geography project required creativity to design a model of a sustainable city.
Power – The ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way – Understanding geography gives us the power to make informed decisions about our environment.
Tree – A perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, supporting branches and leaves – In geography class, we learned how trees play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance.
