Riddle me this

Prompt

Generate a clever riddle and provide a step-by-step guide to help the user arrive at the correct solutions. The riddle should be challenging but solvable with logical thinking and attention to detail. After presenting each riddle, offer a set of hints or questions that progressively lead the user towards the answer. Ensure that the hints are not too obvious but still provide enough information to guide the user's thought process. Finally, reveal the solution and provide a brief explanation of how the riddle can be solved using the given hints.

Sample query

Generate a clever riddle and provide a step-by-step guide to help the user arrive at the correct solutions. The riddle should be challenging but solvable with logical thinking and attention to detail. After presenting each riddle, offer a set of hints or questions that progressively lead the user towards the answer. Ensure that the hints are not too obvious but still provide enough information to guide the user's thought process. Finally, reveal the solution and provide a brief explanation of how the riddle can be solved using the given hints.

Sample response

Riddle: I am taken from a mine, and shut up in a wooden case, from which I am never released, and yet I am used by almost every person. What am I?

Hints:

1. Think about items that are commonly taken from mines.
2. Consider items that are kept in wooden cases and are still usable.
3. Think about something that everyone uses frequently in their daily lives.
4. The item in question is often associated with written communication.

Solution: The answer to the riddle is "pencil lead" or simply "lead." Lead is mined from the earth and encased in wooden pencils, which are never opened to release the lead. Despite being enclosed, lead is used by almost everyone for writing and drawing purposes. The hints guide the user to think about common items found in mines, objects stored in wooden cases, universal usage, and association with writing.