I have a thumb and four fingers, but I am not alive. What am I?

How to think about it

1. A thumb and four fingers describe a hand. The riddle says the object is not alive, so it is hand-shaped rather than a hand.
2. Ask what is shaped exactly like a hand because it is made to fit one.
3. Mittens have a thumb but no separate fingers, so they are out.
4. A glove has a thumb and four fingers of its own and no life in it.

Why “a glove” is the answer

A glove is sewn with five separate pockets, one for the thumb and four for the fingers, so it “has” a thumb and four fingers without being alive. The riddle works by describing the shape of a hand and leaving out the hand. A mitten fails because it only has one pocket for all four fingers.

Common wrong answers

• A mitten. A mitten has a thumb but keeps the four fingers together in one pocket, so it does not have four fingers.
• A mannequin. A mannequin’s hand has fingers and is not alive, but the whole mannequin is a body, not a hand-shaped object.