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ANSWERS TO
FOUR MORE LOGIC PUZZLES
by Bill Graham
Logic Puzzles
1. The Green Tomatoes Rock Band
This logic puzzle is a warm up for the more difficult ones that follow.
The table below has the first clue: initials don't match.
| Beatrice | Darlene | Gladys | Paula |
| bass | — | |
| |
| drums | | — |
| |
| guitar | | |
— | |
| piano | | |
| — |
To make this process easier to follow, label the remaining clues as follows.
(a) Beatrice rooms with the piano player.
(b) Paula and the drummer take ballet lessons together.
(c) Gladys plays the bass which she borrowed from Beatrice.
Fill in spaces you can eliminate with the clue letter.
Clue (a) proves that Beatrice does not play piano.
Clue (b) proves that Paula does not play drums.
Clue (c) proves that Gladys does play the bass; put a check there.
| Beatrice | Darlene | Gladys | Paula |
| bass | — | |
√ | |
| drums | | — |
| b |
| guitar | | |
— | |
| piano | a | |
| — |
Continue by marking the entire remaining Gladys column and drums row.
Also, replace the "a" and "b" with dashes.
| Beatrice | Darlene | Gladys | Paula |
| bass | — | — |
√ | — |
| drums | | — |
— | — |
| guitar | | |
— | |
| piano | — | |
— | — |
You'll see immediately that the drums row has only one space free so that
Beatrice must play drums. Paula's column also has only one space, and
Paula plays guitar. Finally, the piano row has only one space meaning that
Darlene plays piano. You'd have known than anyway because these are the only
person and instrument left.
| Beatrice | Darlene | Gladys | Paula |
| bass | — | — |
√ | — |
| drums | √ | — |
— | — |
| guitar | | |
— | √ |
| piano | — | √ |
— | — |
2. Professional Occupations
You don't get to start with the initials test.
List the clues, and enter them into the grid.
(a) The teacher and the writer went fishing with Arthur.
(b) The doctor had lunch with the teacher.
(c) The painter is related to the engineer.
(d) The doctor hired the painter to paint his house.
(e) Ben lives in the house next door to the writer.
(f) Charles beat Ben and the painter at tennis.
| Arthur | Ben | Charles |
| doctor | | | |
| engineer | | | |
| teacher | a | | |
| painter | | f | f |
| writer | a | e | |
| lawyer | | | |
So, Arthur is the painter, and Charles is the writer.
Note that you have yet to use clues b, c, or d because none mention a person's
name.
| Arthur | Ben | Charles |
| doctor | | | |
| engineer | | | |
| teacher | a | | |
| painter | √ | f | f |
| writer | a | e | √ |
| lawyer | | | |
Knowing the painter (Arthur), you can now use clues c and d to find out that
Arthur is the lawyer. You can reuse clue a because you know the writer is
Charles, and Ben must be the teacher.
| Arthur | Ben | Charles |
| doctor | d | | |
| engineer | c | | |
| teacher | a | √ | — |
| painter | √ | f | f |
| writer | a | e | √ |
| lawyer | √ | — | — |
Finally, clue b comes into play because you know that the teacher is
Ben, and Arthur has been completely defined. Therefore, the doctor is
Charles, leaving Ben to be the engineer.
| Arthur | Ben | Charles |
| doctor | d | | √ |
| engineer | c | √ | |
| teacher | a | √ | — |
| painter | √ | f | f |
| writer | a | e | √ |
| lawyer | √ | — | — |
3. The Grid
Begin by recognizing that you only have three unique locations in which to put
the first number. Start with the 1 and proceed in order.
Also recognize that some patterns will fail without having to complete filling
in the cells. If you have only 6, 7 and 8 to do and the three cells are in a line
or an L shape, then the three numbers cannot fit. A square block cannot take the
last four numbers.
A:
The 2 can go in only 3 cells
The 3 has three possible locations.
No place for the four in this case.
The 3 can go into two places.
The 3 can go into two cells.
B:
The 2 can go in three unique cells.
C: The 2 can go in only one cell.
4. Murder Most Foul
This puzzle actually contains three puzzles: professions, seating, and
murderer. You get one clue from the text after the clues. Add this
clue to the list.
(a) The waiter pours a glass of whiskey for Barton and a beer for Smythe.
(b) In the mirror over the fireplace, the writer sees the door close behind
the waiter. He turns to speak to White seated next to him.
(c) Neither Davis nor Smythe has any sisters.
(d) The teacher doesn't drink.
(e) Davis, who is sitting in one of the chairs, is the architect's
brother-in-law.
(f) The teacher is next to Davis on his left.
(g) Barton is sitting next to the murderer
Put in the easy clues. Immediately, you discover that White is the
teacher.
Davis, who has no sister is the brother-in-law of the architect.
The architect therefore has a sister and cannot be Smythe.
That makes Barton the architect.
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| writer |
| | — | b |
| teacher |
f | ad | ad | √ |
| architect |
c&e | c | √ | — |
| barrister |
| | — | — |
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| left chair | | | | |
| left sofa | e | | | |
| right sofa | e | | | |
| right chair | | | | |
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| murderer | | | g | |
Turn your attention to the seating. The teacher (White) is on the left of
Davis, who is seated in a chair. Therefore, Davis must be in the right chair and
White on the right of the sofa.
Clue (b) tells you that the writer sits next to White.
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| writer |
| | — | b |
| teacher |
f | ad | ad | √ |
| architect |
c&e | c | √ | — |
| barrister |
| | — | — |
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| left chair | — | | | — |
| left sofa | e | | | — |
| right sofa | e | ef | ef | √ |
| right chair | √ | ef | ef | ef |
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| murderer | | | g | |
At this point, you must have one more clue. Look at (b),
"In the mirror over the fireplace, the writer sees the door close behind the waiter."
Note that you cannot see the door in the mirror if you are seated in the
right chair as is White.
Mark below that the writer is not Davis and must therefore be
Smythe. Davis becomes the barrister.
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| writer |
b | √ | — | b |
| teacher |
f | ad | ad | √ |
| architect |
c&e | c | √ | — |
| barrister |
√ | | — | — |
The writer (Smythe) sits to the left of White in the left sofa position.
The remaining person, Barton, sits at the far left.
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| left chair | — | | √ | — |
| left sofa | e | √ | | — |
| right sofa | e | ef | ef | √ |
| right chair | √ | ef | ef | ef |
Using the last clue (g), the murder sits next to Barton and must be Smythe, the
writer. I'm glad it wasn't White, the teacher.
| Davis | Smythe | Barton | White |
| murderer | | √ | g | |
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Contents copyright 2005 by Bill Graham and ParaComp, Inc.
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