This riddle has been around for some time on internet platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp, and many people still argue over what the answer might be, as there are many possibilities. The correct answer is At the start, 1inch of the yellow pencil gets smeared with wet paint. As the blue pencil is moved downward, a second inch of the blue pencils smears a second inch of the yellow pencil. Each pair of down and up movesof the blue pencil smears 1 more inch of each pencil. 5 pairs of moves will smear 5 inches. This together with the initial inch, makes 6 inches for each pencil.