Challenge your critical thinking with this collection of beginner-friendly puzzles and logical word problems. This quiz is designed to sharpen reasoning skills and exercise your mind with fun, family-friendly logic and word challenges.
If you arrange three books—one red, one green, and one blue—on a shelf in all possible orders, how many unique arrangements are there?
Explanation: There are 3 books, and the number of unique arrangements is 3 factorial (3 x 2 x 1), yielding 6. Option 3 suggests only 3 arrangements, which would be true if only the books' colors matched their positions. Option 9 implies incorrect logic as it exceeds the combinations. Option 8 is not the result of any permutation formula for three items.
Tom has twice as many sisters as brothers. His sister Lily has the same number of brothers as sisters. How many children are in their family?
Explanation: Tom has twice as many sisters as brothers, and Lily has an equal number of brothers and sisters. If there are three boys and two girls, Lily would have three brothers and one sister, which is not correct. With three girls and two boys, Tom would have two sisters and one brother, which satisfies the condition if Tom is counted properly. So, five is correct. Options 3 and 4 do not fit the logic, and 6 gives unequal matching.
Which word does not belong with the others: dog, cat, lion, rabbit?
Explanation: Dog, cat, and rabbit are common domestic pets, while a lion is a wild animal, making it the odd one out. Rabbit may seem less obvious because it's less common as a pet, but it is still domesticated. Dog and cat are both common pets, and 'lion' stands apart due to its wild nature.
How many times does the letter 'e' appear in the following sentence: 'Elephants never forget their friends'?
Explanation: Counting each 'e', we find: Elephants (2), never (2), forget (1), their (1), friends (1), totaling 6. Option 4 misses one or more, option 5 is one less, and option 7 overshoots the count.
What is the next number in the sequence: 2, 4, 8, 16, ___?
Explanation: Each number is double the previous one: 2 x 2 = 4, 4 x 2 = 8, and so on. Therefore, 16 x 2 is 32. Options 20 and 18 are not correct progressions, and 24 doesn't fit the doubling pattern.
If yesterday was Sunday, what day is two days after today?
Explanation: If yesterday was Sunday, today is Monday. Two days after Monday is Wednesday. Option 'Tuesday' is only one day after. 'Friday' and 'Thursday' are further down the week and do not match the calculation.
You have 12 apples and give 3 to each of your 3 friends. How many apples do you have left?
Explanation: Giving 3 apples to each of 3 friends means 3 x 3 = 9 apples are given away, leaving you with 12 - 9 = 3 apples. Choosing 0 would mean all apples were given away. 9 is the amount given away, not remaining. 6 is simply incorrect math.
I am an animal. My name starts with 'e', ends with 'e', but only has one letter in me. What am I?
Explanation: 'Eye' starts and ends with 'e' and the word itself refers to one 'letter' (the letter I). 'Ee' is not a word. 'Eagle' and 'Ewe' do not fit the single letter clue and have more letters.
How many times do the hands of a clock overlap between 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight?
Explanation: In 12 hours, the minute and hour hands overlap 11 times. Option 12 incorrectly assumes once each hour. Option 10 undercounts, while 13 is too many for one cycle.
A basketball team scored 12 points in the first half and doubled their score in the second half. What was their total score?
Explanation: Doubling the score means scoring 24 in the second half (12 x 2), so total is 12 + 24 = 36. Option 24 is just doubling, not cumulative. 30 and 18 both do not match the operation as described.