Have fun while you expand your powers of deductive reasoning! Every one of these puzzles calls for conclusions based only on the information provided; the answers don’t depend on previous knowledge, memory, wordplay, or deception—just a logical mind. Accept the alternatives that lead to the correct response and discard all faulty assumptions until you’ve arrived at the only possibility that makes sense. There are eight kinds of puzzles, and in most cases diagrams help organize your results. Here’s one example: A supermarket theft has occurred. Someone took a fully loaded cart without paying for the groceries. One of the three suspects is guilty—but which one? The guilty party’s statement is true; the other two are false. Who is guilty?
A. B took the cart loaded with groceries
B. A’s statement is true
C. A’s statement is false
Answer: C is the guilty party.
