What are Logical Puzzles?
Logical Reasoning Puzzles require you to analyze the given piece of information, pick the information that is important and leave out the information that is not required in solving the given set of questions. Reasoning puzzles are mostly based on blood relations, arrangements, inequalities, etc. Sometimes, the questions test your lateral thinking and may not require any deduction or analysis.
Basic steps to solve Logical Puzzles
- Take a quick look at the question.
- Develop a general idea regarding the theme of the problem.
- Select the data that is giving you some concrete information out of total information given. Also, select the data which helps in ruling out certain possibilities.
- Useful secondary information: Generally, the first few sentences of the given data give you the basic information that is required to know the general idea of the problem. This is called the ‘useful secondary information’.
- Actual information: Data left after putting aside the useful secondary information is called actual information. While trying to solve the problem, you should begin with the actual information while the useful secondary information should be kept in mind.
- Negative Information: Some parts of the actual information may consist of negative information. Negative information does not inform us anything exactly but it gives us a chance to eliminate a possibility. Sentences like “P is not the mother of Q” or “B is not a hill-station” are called negative information.
Points to remember while solving Logical Puzzles:
- Firstly, collect all the direct information.
- Arrange the direct information in a tabular format.
- Then identify all the negative information and mark it in your table according to the given data.
- Other facts can be found from the indirect information.
- The most important point is that in some condition/s, there will be more than one possibility.
- So, according to possibilities arrange them in different tables.
- Reject all the tables which violate other information given in puzzle.
- By following this process, you will reach at the correct answer.
- Most Puzzles are tricky. So, take care of every word and sentence.
Solved Example
Example: Read the given information carefully and answer the questions that follow:
- Five friends Ami,Bimi, Cal, Dan and Eco travelled from Darjeeling to five different countries US,UK,China,Canada,Russia by 5 different modes of transport: Cycle,Rocket,Time Machine ,Yacht, and Bike.
- The one who travelled to China did not travel by Bike.
- Cal went to Canada by Yacht and Bimi went to UK by Time Machine.
- Dan travelled by Bike and Eco travelled by Rocket.
- Darjeeling is not connected by Cycle to US and China.
1. Which of the following combinations of person and mode is not corrected?
A. Ami — Cycle
B. Bimi — Time Machine
C. Cal — Yacht
D. Dan — Bike
E. Eco — Time Machine
Solution: (A) Mode of Transport: Cal travels by Yacht, Bimi by Time Machine, Dan by Bike ,and Eco by Rocket. Now, only Ami remains. So, Ami travels by Cycle.
(B) Place of Travel: Bimi to UK, Cal goes to Canada. Now, Cycle transport is not available for US or China. Thus, Ami who travels by Cycle goes to Russia. Dan travels by bike and hence, by (ii), did not go to China. So, Dan goes to US. Now, only Eco remains. So, Eco goes to China. Clearly, the incorrect combination is Eco — Time Machine. So, the answer is option E.
2. Which of the following combinations is true for Dan?
A. China — Cycle
B. US — Cycle
C. US — Bike
D. Data inadequate
E. None of these
Solution: (A) Mode of Transport: Cal travels by Yacht, Bimi by Time Machine, Dan by Bike and Eco by Rocket. Now, only Ami remains. So, Ami travels by Cycle.
B.Place of Travel: Bimi to UK, Cal goes to Canada. Now, Cycle transport is not available for US or China. Thus, Ami who travels by Cycle goes to Russia. Dan travels by bike and hence, by (ii), did not go to China. So, Dan goes to US. Now, only Eco remains. So, Eco goes to China.
Clearly, the correct combination for Dan is US — Bike. So, the answer is option C.
3. Which of the following combinations of place and mode is not correct?
A. China — Cycle
B. UK — Time Machine
C. Canada — Yacht
D. US - Bike
E. Russia — Cycle
Solution: (A) Mode of Transport: Cal travels by Yacht, Bimi by Time Machine, Dan by Bike and Eco by Rocket. Now, only Ami remains. So, Ami travels by Cycle.
(B) Place of Travel: Bimi to UK, Cal goes to Canada. Now, Cycle transport is not available for US or China. Thus, Ami who travels by Cycle goes to Russia. Dan travels by bike and hence, by (ii), did not go to China. So, Dan goes to US. Now, only Eco remains. So, Eco goes to China
Clearly, the incorrect combination is China— Cycle. So, the answer is option A.
4. The person travelling to China used which of the following modes ?
A. Cycle
B. Rocket
C. Time Machine
D. Yacht
E. Bike
Solution: (A) Mode of Transport: Cal travels by Yacht, Bimi by Time Machine, Dan by Bike and Eco by Rocket. Now, only Ami remains. So, Ami travels by Cycle.
(B) Place of Travel: Bimi to UK, Cal goes to Canada. Now, Cycle transport is not available for US or China. Thus, Ami who travels by Cycle goes to Russia. Dan travels by bike and hence, by (ii), did not go to China. So, Dan goes to US. Now, only Eco remains. So, Eco goes to China
Clearly, Eco travelled to China by Rocket. So, the answer is option B.
5. Who among the following travelled to China?
A. Cal
B. Dan
C. Eco
D. None of these
E. Data inadequate
Solution: (A) Mode of Transport: Cal travels by Yacht, Bimi by Time Machine, Dan by Bike and Eco by Rocket. Now, only Ami remains. So, Ami travels by Cycle.
(B) Place of Travel: Bimi to UK, Cal goes to Canada. Now, Cycle transport is not available for US or China. Thus, Ami who travels by Cycle goes to Russia. Dan travels by bike and hence, by (ii), did not go to China. So, Dan goes to US. Now, only Eco remains. So, Eco goes to China.
Clearly, Eco travelled to China. So, the answer is option C.
Logical Puzzles: Concept & Practice
