Why is this the answer?

The answer is steps because this is a super clever word puzzle that plays a wonderful trick on your brain. When you first hear the riddle "The more you take, the more you leave behind," you might think of collecting objects or carrying things in your hands. That is exactly what the riddle writer wants you to picture. But the riddle is actually talking about what happens every single time you move your body and walk. Let us look closely at the first part of the riddle: "The more you take." In this special word puzzle, "take" means the action of moving your foot. Each time you lift your foot and move it forward, you are taking a step. If you walk just a little ways to the kitchen, you take only a few steps. If you walk all the way around the track at school, you take many, many steps. The more you move forward, the more steps you take to get to your destination. Now let us think about the second part: "the more you leave behind." What is left on the ground every time your foot moves forward? You leave behind a trail of footprints, or a path of marks that show exactly where you have been. When you walk on soft sand at the beach or through wet mud on a nature trail, you can clearly see the mark your shoe makes with every step. Imagine a long line of footprints stretching far behind you. The more you walk, or the more steps you "take," the longer that line of footprints you "leave behind" on the ground becomes. It is a perfect answer because the two parts of the riddle are linked together. You cannot take a step without leaving the exact spot you were standing in before. The more of these movements you do, the bigger the distance you travel and the longer the trail of your footprints you create in the earth. This is why the answer "steps" is so smart and tricky. It uses words that make you think of one thing, but they really describe the simple, everyday action of walking.