Brain Teasers
The Great Mammoth Race
Logic-Grid
Logic Grid puzzles come with a handy interactive grid that will help you solve the puzzle based on the given clues.Logic-Grid
Last month, an archaeologist discovered evidence of a woolly mammoth race that took place in 128,256 BCE. Five of the finest mammoth racers from what was then the United Tribes of America raced each other, which did not result in any ties. Each caveman had a different name, came from a different village, and each of their mammoths had a different name. Although the archaeologist was only able to determine the following facts:
1. The caveman from El Pasaurus, TX, finished at some point before Durk, who finished at some point before the one who rode Fluffy.
2. Tusky's rider (who wasn't the one from Tarpittsburgh, PA) finished at some point before the caveman from Sacromagnon, CA (who finished immediately before Uck).
3. Thag finished immediately before Stinky's rider, who finished immediately before Glook. The caveman who rode Stinky (who wasn't Durk) wasn't the one from Seanderthal, WA (who wasn't Thag).
4. The caveman who rode Stampy, who didn't win the race, was from El Pasaurus.
...a clever logician will be able to determine the place in which Grog came, the place in which the one from Caveland, OH, came, and the place in which Trunky's rider came.
1. The caveman from El Pasaurus, TX, finished at some point before Durk, who finished at some point before the one who rode Fluffy.
2. Tusky's rider (who wasn't the one from Tarpittsburgh, PA) finished at some point before the caveman from Sacromagnon, CA (who finished immediately before Uck).
3. Thag finished immediately before Stinky's rider, who finished immediately before Glook. The caveman who rode Stinky (who wasn't Durk) wasn't the one from Seanderthal, WA (who wasn't Thag).
4. The caveman who rode Stampy, who didn't win the race, was from El Pasaurus.
...a clever logician will be able to determine the place in which Grog came, the place in which the one from Caveland, OH, came, and the place in which Trunky's rider came.
Hint
If you get stuck, try and see what will happen if Durk came in 3rd place.Answer
Grog came in 2nd, the caveman from Caveland came in 1st, and the one who rode Trunky came in 4th.Fact 1 tells us that Durk didn't come in first or last. It also tells us that if he came in 2nd, the one from El Pasaurus came in 1st, contradicting fact 4. What if he came in 3rd? Well, fact 3 tells us that Thag didn't come in 4th or 5th. It also tells us that if he came in 1st, Glook came in 3rd, and if he came in 2nd, Stinky's rider came in 3rd. Since fact 3 tells us that Durk didn't ride Stinky, and since Durk obviously isn't Glook, this means that if Durk came in 3rd, Thag couldn't have come in any place. Therefore, Durk came in 4th.
Continuing in this manner, we can determine that there is only one possible solution:
Durk came from Sacromagnon, CA, rode Trunky, and came in 4th.
Glook came from El Pasaurus, TX, rode Stampy, and came in 3rd.
Grog came from Tarpittsburgh, PA, rode Stinky, and came in 2nd.
Thag came from Caveland, OH, rode Tusky, and came in 1st.
Uck came from Seanderthal, WA, rode Fluffy, and came in 5th.
Hide Hint Show Hint Hide Answer Show Answer
What Next?
View a Similar Brain Teaser...
If you become a registered user you can vote on this brain teaser, keep track of which ones you have seen, and even make your own.
Follow Braingle!