Five men were eating apples, a finished before B, but behind C. D finished before E, but behind B. What was the finishing order?

Why this works

This riddle is a fun exercise in logical deduction! Let's break it down step by step: 1. We know that A finished before B but behind C, which gives us the order C > A > B. 2. Next, D finished before E but behind B, which means B > D > E. Now, if we combine these two sequences, we can see that C must come first, followed by A, then B, and finally D and E. Thus, the finishing order is C > A > B > D > E, or simply CABDE. It's a great way to practice your logical reasoning skills!