Riddle: What stays exactly where it is even when it "goes off"?

Introduction / Context:
This riddle plays on the phrase "goes off", which can mean both "leaves" and "starts making noise". The question asks for something that "stays where it is" even when it "goes off". To solve this, you must think about objects that are said to "go off" in the sense of sounding or activating, not moving. Such wordplay is common in verbal reasoning questions.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The riddle focuses on something that can "go off" but does not move from its place.
• Options include an alarm clock, a television, a light switch, all of the above, and a mobile phone.
• We interpret "goes off" in the everyday sense of an alarm sounding.
• We assume the object itself is fixed or stays in the same location when it activates.

Concept / Approach:
In everyday language, we say "the alarm goes off" when an alarm clock starts ringing or buzzing at the set time. Although we say it "goes off", the clock does not move anywhere; it stays exactly where it is on the table or wall. Therefore, the phrase is about sound beginning, not physical motion. Among the given options, an alarm clock is the clearest and most standard object associated with this wording.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the common idiom "the alarm went off", which means the alarm started ringing. Step 2: Realise that in this expression, "go off" does not mean "go away" or "leave the place". Step 3: Understand that an alarm clock is the object most strongly associated with the action of "going off". Step 4: Note that when an alarm clock goes off, it remains where it is; only the sound starts. Step 5: Examine the other options. We do not usually say "the television went off" in the same sense; we say it "turned off" or "turned on". Step 6: Therefore, the best match to the riddle is an alarm clock.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this by listening to how people speak. When someone sets an alarm, they say, "My alarm goes off at 6 a.m." They never mean that the clock itself moves. They simply mean that it starts ringing at that time. Television sets and light switches can be turned on or off, but the phrase "go off" is not as strongly tied to them in everyday speech, especially in the riddle tradition.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, a television set, can certainly be turned off or on, but "go off" is less idiomatic and the focus of the riddle is on the classic alarm phrasing.

Option C, a light switch, is an object you move; it does not usually "go off" by itself, it is turned off by someone.

Option D, all of the above, is too broad and includes items that do not clearly match the wordplay.

Option E, a mobile phone, can have alarms, but the traditional wording in riddles is specifically about an alarm clock, which is the standard answer.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to interpret "goes off" only in terms of devices turning off, which might lead someone to think about power or switches. Another pitfall is overthinking and trying to justify all objects at once. In classic riddles, the simplest and most widely recognised phrase is usually the correct one. Here, "the alarm clock goes off" is the very phrase learners are expected to recall.

Final Answer:
The object that stays where it is even when it "goes off" is an alarm clock.