Reasoning
If we denote Alex by A, Billie by B, Charlie by C, and Drew by D and number the clues.
If Alex had three more sheep, then he'd have one fewer sheep than Billie.Whereas Drew has the same number as the other three shepherds put together.If Charlie had three fewer sheep, he'd have exactly three times the number of Alex.If they were evenly distributed, they'd each have eleven sheep.
By (4): A + B + C + D = 44
And, by (2), these are shared equally between A + B + C and D.
So D = 22, and A + B + C = 22 (*)
By (1): A + 3 = B − 1 A + 4 = B
By (3): C − 3 = 3A C = 3A + 3
Substitute B and C in (*):
A + (A + 4) + (3A + 3) = 22 5A + 7 = 22 5A = 15 A = 3
Hint
Look closely at the beginnings and the ends of the words.
Answer
Ice.
Each word begins with the last two letters of the previous word.
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Puzzle 824
Hidden in these sentences are the numbers 1 to 10 (in words).
A number might appear in more than one sentence, and they might not be in order, but there is only one way to use all of the sentences and find all ten numbers.
The robins love hiding amongst the smooth reeds. It's always worth looking after your friends, even if they've upset you. Even heavyweight boxers like using soft tissues when they have a cold. To avoid the cliff, I veered sharply to the left. The eggs were boxed thirteen instead of a dozen in each baker's delivery box. Having salmon every day for lunch gets a little boring after a while. The attendance at the local football match exceeded last week's by many thousands. We need to waterproof our boots to make sure we don't get wet. Meeting friends after work allows executives to network effectively. The orchestra sounded magnificent with the three virtuosi xylophonists.
Answer Having salmON Every day for lunch gets a little boring after a while.Meeting friends after work allows executives to neTWOrk effectively.The robins love hiding amongst the smooTH REEds.We need to waterprooF OUR boots to make sure we don't get wet.To avoid the clifF, I VEered sharply to the left.The orchestra sounded magnificent with the three virtuoSI Xylophonists.It's always worth looking after your friendS, EVEN if they've upset you.Even heavywEIGHT boxers like using soft tissues when they have a cold.The eggs were boxed thirteen instead of a dozeN IN Each baker's delivery box.The atTENdance at the local football match exceeded last week's by many thousands.