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Puzzles and Brain Teasers
Brain teasers and puzzles help you to train your brain. So go ahead, take our Brain Teaser. And don't take a peek at the answer until you have tried really hard.Brain Teasers and Puzzles
A beautiful lake was surrounded by 4 churches. When flowers are washed in the lake-water, the flowers doubled in number. On Easter day, Mrs. Benette went there with some Easter Lilies. She washed the lilies in the lake-water before entering each church. In each of the church she deposited the same number of flowers. By the time she was done with all the four churches, she had no flower left with her.
- How many flowers did she deposit in each church?
- What is the least number of flowers Mrs. Benette must have had initially to make the above possible?
Answer 
Mrs. Benette deposited 16 Easter Lilies at each church and she had originally brought 15 of them.
Lets say Mrs. Bennette had x flowers with her initially.
When she washed them in the lake, they doubled in no. hence she had 2x flowers.
She deposited y (say) flowers in the first church and came out with 2x-y flowers.
She washed them in the lake waters and had 2(2x - y) flowers.
She entered 2nd church with 2(2x - y) flowers = 4x - 2y
She came out with (4x - 2y ) - y flowers = 4x - 3y
She entered 3rd church with 2(4x - 3y) flowers = 8x - 6y
She came out with (8x - 6y)- y flowers = 8x - 7y
She entered 4th church with 2(8x - 7y) flowers = 16x - 14y
And deposited all of them there, hence
16x - 14y = y
Or, 16x =15y
Since we are interested in the least possible x,
x=15
y=16
On a stormy night torn with torrential rain, I crossed a bus-stand where three people were waiting. One amongst them, I recognized as my bosom friend, who had once saved my life so I owed him something. Second was an old dying lady, who needed urgent medical attention, and last but not the least, was the person of my dreams, someone whom I would propose for marriage. But the snag was that I was driving a 2-seated car, and had room left for only one person. Yet I managed to salvage the situation.
How?
Answer
Quite simple. I got down from my car, and handed the keys to my friend, asking him to drive the old lady to the hospital; while I waited with the girl of my dreams for the bus.
In the city of Wonderland, the following facts are true:
- No two residents have exactly the same income.
- No resident's income exactly amounts to $3055.
- The number of residents outnumbers the income of individual residents.
What is the largest possible population strength of the city of Wonderland?
Answer
3055.
It is given that no resident's income exactly amounts to $3055.
Hence there are 3055 residents with their income ranging from $0 to $3054. Assuming more than 3055 residents will violate the 3rd condition.
As for any number exceeding 3055, there will be same number of residents as the income of highest earning resident.
In a Derby race, Bambino, Pascoe, Lexus and Jackie are taking part. Three bidders Antonio, Harry, James made the following statements regarding results.
The following information about their choice was supplied:
- Antonio said either Bambino or Jackie will definitely win.
- Harry said he is confident that Bambino will not win.
- James said he is confident that neither Jackie nor Lexus will win.
When the results were out, it was found that only one of the above three had made a correct statement. Can you tell who has made the correct statement and who has won the contest?
Answer
Harry; Lexus.
If Antonio is correct, then either of Harry or James will be correct depending on whether Bambino or Jackie win the race. This directly contradicts the given argument that only one of the bidder's statements is true. Similar is the case with James.
However if Harry's statement is held true, then, both Antonio and James's statements will automatically be false, if we reason out the winner to be Lexus.
Four travelers are parting ways on a four head crossing. The travelers, Mr. East, Mr. West, Mr. South and Mr. North head towards different directions after parting.
The following information about their choice was supplied:
- The routes were The North Road, South Road, East Road and West Road.
- None of the travelers took the road which was their namesake.
- Mr. East did not take the South Road.
- Mr. West did not the South Road.
- The West Road was not taken by Mr. East.
Can you tell which road did each traveler take?
Answer
- Since Mr. East cannot take South Road and West Road (given) and East Road (because it is his namesake), he obviously chose the North Road.
- Mr. West did not take the South Road (given) and not the West Road (because it is his namesake) hence he must have taken the East Road.
- Mr. West did not take the South Road (because it is his namesake), hence he must have taken West Road.
- Finally, we are left with Mr. North who must have taken the South Road.
Three friends namely George, Michael and Robert are friends.
- George is a widower and lives alone with his only daughter who takes care of him.
- Michael is a bachelor and his niece cooks for him and looks after his house.
- Robert is married to a charming lady called Christina and they live together in a large apartment in the same town.
Christina suggests that all of them could stay together in a single house and share monthly expenses equally. During their first month of living together, each person contributed $1025. At the end of the month, it was found that $4068 was the total expense so the remaining amount was distributed equally among everyone. The distribution was such that everyone received $8 each. How do you explain the situation?
Answer
George's daughter, Michael's niece and Robert's wife are one and the same person - Christina.
According to the problem,
Total contribution = 1025 x 4 = $4100
Total expenditure = $4068
Therefore amount remaining = $4100 - $4068= $32
Each person received $8
Hence there are $32/$8 = 4 persons
They are:
- George
- Michael
- Robert
- Christina
500 potted plants were grown in a nursery. Some of them were tall, while others were of the dwarf variety. They were arranged in an array of 10 rows and 50 columns according to their height.
The pots of the tallest plants among each row of all are painted pink. And the shortest among them is painted red.
Similarly, the pots of the shortest plants among each column are painted yellow. And the tallest amongst them is painted orange.
Now can you tell which pot has the taller plant, the red pot or the orange one?
Answer
In both the situations, plant X501 satisfies the condition. Thus the red and orange painted pots actually refer to the same plant.
As per the puzzle, 500 plants were arranged in order of their height (say, ascending order of their height). Diagrammatically, it can be represented as:
X1010.......................X5010
X99...........................X509
X88...........................X508
.
.
.
.
X11.......................X501
The plant positioned in the last position of the last column (X5010) is the tallest amongst all plants and the plant posted on the first position of the first column (X11)is the shortest amongst all.
In a car manufacturing plant at Detroit, there is a shortage of steering wheels, horns and headlights during manufacturing of a particular batch of cars. It is found that:
All cars do not have either steering wheel or horn or headlight
Exactly 19% of cars do not have just one of these
Atleast 67% of cars do not have steering wheels
Atleast 83% of cars do not have horns
Atleast 73% of cars do not have headlights
All cars do not have either steering wheel or horn or headlight
Exactly 19% of cars do not have just one of these
Atleast 67% of cars do not have steering wheels
Atleast 83% of cars do not have horns
Atleast 73% of cars do not have headlights
What percentage of cars do not have steering wheel, horn and headlight?
Answer
42% cars do not have steering wheel, horn and headlight.
Since figures are supplied in percentages, let us assume that there are 100 cars. Hence, there should be total 300 items i.e. 100 steering wheels, 100 horns and 100 headlights.
From the given data, we know that there is shortage of at least (67+83+73) 223 items in every 100 cars.
Also, exactly 19 cars do not have just one item. It means that remaining 81 cars should account for the shortage of remaining (223-19) 204 items.
If those remaining 81 cars do not have 2 items each, there would be a shortage of 162 items. But total of 204 items are short.
Hence, at least (204-162) 42 cars do not have all 3 items - steering wheel, horn and headlight.
Six people A, B, C, D, E, and F are given choice to choose for the following posts:
- President
- Vice president
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- F wants to be President if E is Vice president.
- B does not want to be either President or Vice president.
- E does not work if both A and B work.
- D does not work if any of A and B works.
- C works only if F works along with B.
Answer
- F - President
- E - Vice president
- B - Secretary
- C - Treasurer
Let F be the President, and complying with his conditions, E the Vice President.
B does not wish to be either the President, Vice-President, so he is most likely to be the Secretary or Treasurer. Let him be the Secretary.
Besides it will not violate E's condition who would not work if both A and B work, but can work with either of them.
D cannot be appointed as Treasurer, with in the work force. Hence the last option is C, whose conditions are compatible with the elected work force.
A toad is laboring hard to climb up the marshy wall of a deep well. He manages to climb 3 yards during day, and while resting at night slips back 2 yards. How many days will he take to complete his task of scaling 30 yards?
Answer
It took 28 days for the toad to scale the well.
Until the 27th night the toad would have managed to scale a height of 27 yards, which can be obtained by simple calculation:
27(3-2) = 27
On the 28th day, he would cover 3 yards during the day, which accomplishes him the target. No need of calculating after that.
Clark, Jones, Mason, Smith are 4 people who are in the professions of druggists, grocer, butcher, policeman.
- Clark and Jones are neighbors and they drive each other to work.
- Jones earns more than mason.
- The police man earns more than the druggists and the grocer.
- The policeman does not have the druggist as a neighbor.
- The butcher walks to work.
- Policeman does not meet the grocer until he arrests him for committing an offence.
- Clark beats Smith every time they play football.
Find out who is who?
Answer
Consequently,
Smith - Policeman
Mason - Butcher
Clark - Druggist
Jones - Grocer
From the given statements it can be inferred that:
- Policeman and doctor are not neighbors, nor is the policeman a neighbor of the grocer.
- Butcher walks home alone. Therefore the doctor and grocer are neighbors for sure. Either of them is Clark or Jones.
- Jones earns more than mason. But both Clark and Jones are earning less than the policeman, hence Smith ought to be the policeman.
- The butcher walks home alone. Since he is neither Clark nor Jones, he is obviously mason.
- Lastly policeman is beaten by Clark at football and doesn't meet grocer.
- Hence Jones ought to be the grocer, while Clark the druggist.
There are 3 businessmen named A, B and C, who are machine dealers. They meet in a conclave to discuss business ideas.
On the first day A gave machines to B and C as many as they already had.
On the second day B gave as many machines to A and C as many as they possessed at that time.
On the final day, C did the same thing.
At the end of this transaction each one of them had 24. Find the number of machines each originally had.
Answer
A had 39 machines
B had 21 machines
C had 12
Let us assume, originally,
A had a machines
B had b machines
A had c machines
Hence as per the conditions, we have:
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| At the beginning | a | b | c |
| First Day | a-b-c | 2b | 2c |
| Second Day | 2(a-b-c) | 2b-(a-b-c+2c) | 4c |
| Third Day | 4(a-b-c)..(i) | 2{2b-(a-b-c+2c)} = 2(2b-a+b-c)..(ii) | 4c-{2b-(a-b-c+2c)+ 2(a-b-c)} = 4c-[a+b-3c]..(iii) |
At the end of the final transaction, each dealer has 24 machines, thus we can say,each of (i),(ii),(iii) adds upto 24.
4(a-b-c)=24
2(2b-a+b-c)=24
4c-[a+b-3c]=24
Solving the above equations, we get:
A small boy was selling bananas from door to door. One sunny day, while he was on his usual rounds, he sold ½ a banana more than half his total bananas to the first customer. To the second customer he sold ½ a banana more than half of the remaining bananas and to the third and the last customer, he sold ½ a banana more than half he was left with after selling to his second customer, leaving him none.
Can you tell the no. of bananas he originally had? Oh, by the way, he never had to cut a banana.
Answer
The boy originally had 7 bananas.
In order that the little boy should have disposed of all the bananas, he had remaining after his second sale, he must have had at least one whole banana remaining so that he could deduct from it 'half of his bananas plus ½ a banana', for the third and the final sale. Therefore if one banana represents what remained after the second sale then he must have sold two bananas in his second sale, from the three bananas left after the first sale. Lastly, if 3 bananas only represent half the original number, plus half a banana, then he must have started with [(3x2) + 1] or 7 bananas.
In a nutshell:
Total bananas originally possessed by boy =7
No. sold in first sale = 3½ + ½ = 4
No. remaining after first sale = 7-4 = 3
No. sold in second sale = 1½ + ½ = 2
No. remaining after first sale = 3-2 = 1
No. sold in last sale= ½ + ½ = 1
No. remaining after last sale = 1-1 = 0
In this question, a number of synonyms of the keyword are given. You have to take one letter from each of the synonyms to find an antonym of the keyword. The letters need not be re-arranged as they are in the correct order of the antonym.
Keyword: RELAX
Keyword: RELAX
- laze
- unlax
- recline
- unwind
- tranquilize
- repose
Answer
The antonym is excite.
- laze
- unlax
- recline
- unwind
- tranquilize
- repose
Six electronic items are stacked in a cupboard divided into several racks. Cellphone is in the rack right above the Ipod and the Laptop is in the rack right below the Food warmer. Food warmer is in the rack right above the Cellphone and the Ipod shares the rack with the Headphones. Coffee brewing machine is kept on the lowest rack. Which item is on the topmost rack?
- Cellphone
- Ipod
- Laptop
- Food warmer
- Coffee brewing machine
Answer
Food warmer is in the topmost rack and is the correct option.
If we go by these two pre-conditions - "Cellphone is in the rack right above the Ipod" and "Food warmer is in the rack right above the Cellphone", then in a sequence from top to bottom, we have:
- Food Warmer
- Cellphone
- Ipod
- Food Warmer
- Cellphone & Laptop
- Ipod
- Food Warmer
- Cellphone & Laptop
- Ipod & Headphones
- Food Warmer
- Cellphone & Laptop
- Ipod & Headphones
- Coffee Brewing Machine