Puzzle 813
Below are seven clues to seven words.
When arranged in the correct order, each word is an anagram of the previous word with a letter removed.
capital of France
snake
long root vegetable
single article
twisted ankle
coarse file
equally
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The answer to 'long root vegetable' is the longest word.
Answers
parsnip = long root vegetable
sprain = twisted ankle
Paris = capital of France
rasp = coarse file
asp = snake
as = equally
a = single article
Puzzle 814
Which month comes next in this sequence:
July · June · March · May · ?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
Look at the first letters.
Answer
November.
This is the next month in alphabetical order:
April, August, December, February, January, July, June, March, May, November , October, September.
Puzzle 815
Exactly how many minutes is it before eight o'clock if …
… 40 minutes ago, it was three times as many minutes past four o'clock?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
How many minutes are between the times?
Answer
50 minutes.
Reasoning
If we call the number of unknown minutes T.
Between four o'clock and eight o'clock, there are 240 minutes.
There is some point between these two times, before which we have 3 lots of T, and after which we have one lot of T plus 40 minutes.
Therefore, in the 240 minutes, there are 4 lots of T plus 40 minutes.
240 = 4 x T + 40.
Therefore, T = 50 minutes.
Puzzle 816
A parent recently arranged a children's party, and had 187 sweets to give out equally to the children.
Each child had more than one sweet, and there were more children than there were sweets per child.
How many sweets did each child end up with?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
Find two numbers that multiply to 187.
Answer
There were 17 children, with 11 sweets each.
Reasoning
If we number the clues:
each child had more than one sweet
there were more children than there were sweets per child
187 only has the factors 1, 11, 17, 187. Therefore, the only possible answers are:
1 child, with 187 sweets each, which is not allowed by (2)
11 children, with 17 sweets each, which is not allowed by (2)
17 children, with 11 sweets each (*)
187 children, with 1 sweet each, which is not allowed by (1)
Only one possible answer (*) isn't eliminated.
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