Once a Dog Named Nelly Lived on a Farm

Once a dog named Nelly lived on a farm. 1 There were three other dogs on the farm. Their names were Blackie, Whitey, and Brownie. What do you think the fourth dog’s name was?

Nelly. (If there are only four dogs on the farm, the fourth one must be Nelly!)

Source: none

Janice has $2.46 worth of coins in her 2 pocket. The coins are of four different denominations, and she has the same number of each denomination. What are the four denominations, and how many of each does she have?

Janice has six pennies, six nickels, six dimes, and six quarters. The easiest way to arrive at the answer is to notice immediately that, since the last number in the amount she has is 6, she must have either six pennies or one penny. She can't have just one penny, because then she would have only one each of three other denominations, and that can't add up to $2.46. So she must have six of each denomination. She can't have six silver dollars, because then she'd have more than $2.46. And half-dollars are no longer in circulation.

Source: Barnes and Noble, Mensa Presents Mind Games for Kids, p.14

Read this story. Then figure out what color The bank robber was wearing a blue hat. 3 hat the bank robber was wearing. But Say Jake is the liar and Joe is the truth-teller. remember one thing: one of the brothers That means Jake actually did say that the always tells the truth, and the other always robber was wearing a red hat. But whatever lies — and we don't know which is which. Jake says is false, so the robber's hat was blue. After a bank robbery, two guys ran out of Now let's say that Joe is the liar and Jake is the the bank. One was wearing a red baseball cap. The other was wearing a blue baseball truth-teller. That means that Jake really told his cap. The police didn't know which one was friends that the robber was wearing a blue hat. the criminal. Luckily, Jake saw the robbery And since Jake always tells the truth, the and could tell the police what color hat the robber's hat was, indeed blue. The answer is robber was wearing. Jake's brother Joe later blue — either way. told their sister, Jenny, what happened. "Jake said the robber was wearing a red hat," he said. 4

Ralph the dog can't remember where he buried his bone-under the rock, in the garden, under the porch, or under the tree. If only one of the following sentences is true, where is Ralph's bone?

1. The bone is under the rock. 2. The bone is in the garden or under the tree. 3. The bone is under the rock or under the porch. 4. The bone is not in the garden.

The bone is in the garden.

If sentence #1 is true, then sentence #3 is also true, but only one sentence can be true, so both #1 and #3 are false-the bone is not under the rock or under the porch. That leaves the garden and the tree, so let's look at sentences #2 and #4. If sentence #2 is true, then sentence #4 is false. That would leave us with just 1 true sentence, but is the bone in the garden or under the tree? We know that sentence #4 is false, so the bone must be in the garden.

Source: Lowell House, Brain Games, p.60

Cindy, Andy, and Mia, were all over at A pizza was in the box. 5 Keith's house when a package was delivered. Each child guessed what was in Right away, you can tell that Mia can't be the box, but only one of them was right. right, because if she is, then Keith would also Using their guesses as clues, can you figure be right (they both said picture), and out what was in the box? no more than one child can be right. And since Cindy said, "It's a laptop computer." Andy Mia is wrong, then Cindy is wrong, too, said, "I'll bet it's a pizza." Mia said, "I think because they both said laptop computer. That a picture or a laptop computer is in the means that Andy is correct — it's a pizza. box." "It's a picture, for sure," said Keith. 6 Athletes in Place Five athletes were returning from a cross- country race. Athlete C placed third, and athlete E placed second. From the following information, can you tell how athletes A, B, and D placed in the race?

Athlete A was not last. Athlete A came in after E. Athlete D was not first.

Since C was third and E was second, A could only be first or fourth. Since A was behind E, A could not be first; therefore A must be fourth. D could not be first, second, third, or fourth, so D must be fifth. If D is fifth, A fourth, C third, and E second, then B must be first.

Spatial Awareness 7 A. Begin by drawing a horizontal line A Penny Apiece across the circle, just below penny G. Cut a big circle out of a sheet of paper. Place seven pennies on the paper circle as follows: Next, draw a diagonal line beginning just to the left of penny A, passing to the right of 1. Place six pennies, evenly spaced, penny G, and just beneath penny C. around the outer edge of the circle. Label the top penny "A," and the Then draw another diagonal line beginning others, "B," "C," "D," "E," and "F," just to the right of penny A, passing to the going clockwise around the circle. left of penny G, and just beneath penny E. 2. Place one penny in the middle of the circle. Label it "G." Penny G should end up in a small triangle all by itself. Now divide the circle into sections by drawing three straight lines so that there is only one penny in each section.

Lateral Thinking

Can You Explain? To answer these questions, you have to let your brain think in different ways than you may be used to. Here's an example:

Question: A girl who was just learning to drive went down a one-way street in the wrong direction, but didn't break the law. How come?

Answer: She was walking.

See if you can let your brain switch directions to answer these questions: A. 1. Throw the ball straight up in the 1. How can you throw a ball as hard as air. you can and have it come back to you, even if it doesn't hit anything, there is nothing attached to it, and no one else 2. The two students have their catches or throws it? backs to each other.

2. Two students are sitting on opposite sides of the same desk. There is 3. True. There are only two T's nothing in between them but the desk. (upper case). There are also three t's Why can't they see each other? (lower case).

3. There are only two T's in Timothy Tuttle. True or false?