Can You Solve This Simple Puzzle As Well As A First Grader Did?

We're just a few days into 2018 and already an interesting puzzle - and its solution given by a child - has left many on Twitter stunned. This isn't your regular mathematical problem or an optical illusion that requires you to 'find' something. It's a simple question based on word play and while it has a simple enough answer, a first grader's answer for it has made it all the more thought-provoking.

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The puzzle has been posted on Twitter by Albany based teacher Bret Turner. He had asked his first grade students to answer the question when one kid's answer stumped him. Take a look at the question and see if you can solve it.
 

The first guess from one of my 1st graders was "death" and such an awed, somber, reflective hush fell over the class that I didn't want to tell them that actually the answer is the letter e, which just seemed so banal in the moment pic.twitter.com/7sYFxHNcZk

- Bret Turner (@bretjturner) January 2, 2018

There you go. As the tweet says, the answer to the question is simply the letter 'E'. However, the first grader's answer - death - has left many impressed.

Here's what Mr Turner tweeted further.
 

Before I finally revealed the "correct" answer to the riddle, to a largely unimpressed audience, I fielded other guesses that continued along a similarly existential vein. There was "NOT everything," "all stuff," "the end," and maybe my favorite, "nothingthing."

- Bret Turner (@bretjturner) January 3, 2018

I'm considering telling the kids tomorrow that a tweet about them went viral, and given their facility with the internets, I expect their response will be "sure but did it go SUPERviral" and "just how many retweets are we talking about here" and "can I go to the bathroom"

- Bret Turner (@bretjturner) January 4, 2018

The tweet, since being posted on January 3, has collected over 2.2 lakh 'likes' and more than 75,000 retweets - and still very much counting. Here's what Twitter feels about the whole thing.
 

Give that kid the "A" I expect a great screenplay from him/her some day.

- Harrison Smith (@HarrisonSmith85) January 3, 2018

My first gut feeling was "nothing"... Letter is "e" for an answer, seems to be less depressing hahaha

- sander van der deure (@SVanDerDeure) January 3, 2018

I showed it to my daughter, a 12th grader, and her quick response was "death".

- Tzippy Yarom @zpyarom) January 3, 2018

Today's existential crisis was brough to you by: The Letter E

- the sun, but mad (@sleeperslayer) January 3, 2018

That child is going places

- claire (@hoseok_unsolved) January 3, 2018

Someone give that kid a medal.

- Adrianne (@kimbymarriage) January 3, 2018

pic.twitter.com/WtJ6NSscEu

- Kaleid (@IamKaleid) January 3, 2018

What do you think about the answer? Tell us using the comments section below.

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