Dead or Alive?

A wise hermit lived high up in the mountains. He was reputed to have answered every question ever brought to him.

One day, two mischievous boys decided to play a trick on the hermit. They would ask him a question he couldn’t possibly answer.

To do this, they would catch a sparrow. One of them would hide it in his palm and ask the hermit what they were hiding. If he guessed a bird, they would ask, “What kind of bird?” If he guessed a sparrow, they would ask, “Tell us, is it dead or alive?” If he said “alive” they would squeeze the life out of it and prove him wrong. If he claimed, “It was dead,” they would prove him wrong by letting the creature fly!

With this prank in place, they trudged up the mountain slope and met the hermit. They said to him, “Sir, everyone says you have the answer to every question. Would you answer some questions for us?”

The hermit humbly said, “If it helps you to know the answers, I shall gladly do what I can.”

The boy holding the hidden sparrow asked the first question, “Tell us what I am  holding in my hands?”

The old man’s eyes seemed to pierce through the boy’s hand and he said, “A bird”.

The other boy said. “Well, what kind of bird?” “A sparrow.” They nudged each other. “Tell us, is it dead or alive?” The old man gave them an interesting answer. He said…