January Teaser
In a certain bank, the positions of cashier, manager and teller are held by Brown, Jones and Smith, though not necessarily respectively.
The teller, who was an only child, earns the least.
Smith, who married Brown’s sister, earns more than the manager
What position does each man fill?
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Answer: Brown is the manager, Jones is the teller, and Smith is the cashier.
February Teaser
Suppose you have only two egg timers, a 5-minute and a 3-minute.
Can you use these two measuring devices to time an egg that must be boiled for exactly 2 minutes?
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Answer: Simultaneously turn on the 5-minute and 3-minute timers when you begin to boil the water. When the three minute timer runs out, put the egg into the boiling water. When the 5-minute timer runs out, the egg is done -- two minutes have elapsed.
March Teaser
Four black cows and three brown cows give as much in five days as three black cows and five brown cows give in four days.
Which kind of cow is the better milker, the black or brown?
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Answer: Brown is the better milker.
April Teaser
Timothy's tie rack boasts 17 blue ties, 11 yellow, 9 orange, 34 green, and 2 violet, not sorted by colour.
The light bulb has burned out. Timothy cannot see what colour the ties are.
How many ties does Timothy have to take to be sure he has at least two ties of the same colour?
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Answer: There are five colours. The first five ties might be all different colours, but the first six cannot be.
June Teaser
Four men, one of whom was known to have committed a certain crime, made the following statements when questioned by the police.
Archie: Dave did it.
Dave: Tony did it.
Gus: I didn't do it.
Tony: Dave lied when he said I did it.
A) If only one of these four statements is true, who was the guilty man? B) On the other hand, if only one of these four statements is false, who was the guilty man?
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Answer: A) Gus was the guilty man. B) Dave was the guilty man.
July Teaser
If Leah is Louis's sister, if Clarisse is Bruno's sister, if Maud is Christopher's sister, then who is Hamilton's sister – Irene, Claire, Sue or Peggy?
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Answer: Sue: The names of each pair contain each of the five vowels once.
August Teaser
With how few bearers can an explorer make a six-day march across an absolutely barren desert if he and the available bearers can each carry only enough food and water to last one man four days?
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Answer: With two bearers, one of whom turns back at the end of the first day, the other of whom turns back at the end of the second day, the explorer can cross the desert safely.
September Teaser
Two women, Alice and Carol, and two men, Brian and David, are athletes. One is a swimmer, a second is a skater, a third is a gymnast, and a fourth is a tennis player. On a day they were seated around a square table:
- 1. The swimmer sat on Alice's left.
- The gymnast sat across from Brian.
- Carol and David sat next to each other.
- A woman sat on the skater's left.
Who is the tennis player?
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Answer: From (3), there are four possible seating arrangements of the men and women (A represents Alice, B represents Brian, C represents Carol, and D represents David)
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D |
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B |
D |
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B |
B |
III |
D |
B |
IV |
C |
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A |
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A |
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A |
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