16. Logic Puzzle: Susan and Lisa decided to play tennis against each other. They bet $1 on each game they played. Susan won three bets and Lisa won $5. How many games did they play?
Answer: Eleven. Because Lisa lost three games to Susan, she had lost $3 ($1 per game). So, she had to win back that $3 with three more games, then win another five games to win $5.
17. Logic Puzzle: If five cats can catch five mice in five minutes, how long will it take one cat to catch one mouse?
Answer: Five minutes. Using the information we know, it would take one cat 25 minutes to catch all five mice (5×5=25). Then working backward and dividing 25 by five, we get five minutes for one cat to catch each mouse.
18. Logic Puzzle: There is a barrel with no lid and some wine in it. “This barrel of wine is more than half full,” says the woman. “No, it’s not,” says the man. “It’s less than half full.” Without any measuring implements and without removing any wine from the barrel, how can they easily determine who is correct?
Answer: Tilt the barrel until the wine barely touches the lip of the barrel. If the bottom of the barrel is visible then it is less than half full. If the barrel bottom is still completely covered by the wine, then it is more than half full.
19. Logic Puzzle: There are three bags, each containing two marbles. Bag A contains two white marbles, Bag B contains two black marbles, and Bag C contains one white marble and one black marble. You pick a random bag and take out one marble, which is white. What is the probability that the remaining marble from the same bag is also white?
Answer: 2 out of 3. You know you don’t have Bag B. But because Bag A has two white marbles, you could have picked either marble; if you think of it as four marbles in total from Bags A and C, three white and one black, you’ll have a greater chance of picking another white marble.
20. Logic Puzzle: Three men are lined up behind each other. The tallest man is in the back and can see the heads of the two in front of him; the middle man can see the one man in front of him; the man in front can’t see anyone. They are blindfolded and hats are placed on their heads, picked from three black hats and two white hats. The extra two hats are hidden and the blindfolds removed. The tallest man is asked if he knows what color hat he’s wearing; he doesn’t. The middle man is asked if he knows; he doesn’t. But the man in front, who can’t see anyone, says he knows. How does he know, and what color hat is he wearing?
Answer: Black. The man in front knew he and the middle man aren’t both wearing white hats or the man in the back would have known he had a black hat (since there are only two white hats). The man in front also knows the middle man didn’t see him with a white hat because if he did, based on the tallest man’s answer, the middle man would have known he himself was wearing a black hat. So, the man in front knows his hat must be black.
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