Puzzle 1
Alex likes soda very much. At the local convenience store, for every 5 empty soda bottles the reward is a full fresh bottle.
As part of a local recycling initiative, Alex collected 77 empty bottles.
How many bottles of soda could Alex drink in total?
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The answer is not 15.
Answer
19 bottles.
Reasoning
From the initial 77 bottles, 75 bottles can be recycled for 15 new full bottles.
Once those are drunk, Alex will have 17 empty bottles (15 plus the 2 extra empty bottles).
From the 17 empty bottles, 15 bottles can be recycled for 3 new full bottles.
Once those are drunk, Alex will have 5 empty bottles (3 plus the 2 extra empty bottles), which can be recycled for one final full bottle.
Giving a total of 15 + 3 + 1 = 19.
Puzzle 2
Using all of the letters A to Z, each once only, complete these common words.
ba-g-
d--ed
dia--
-uo-a
i-de-
-o-el
-um-s
py--y
g-ou-
--nal
tra--
-umb-
d--ty
Puzzle Copyright © Kevin Stone
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Hint
The 4th word begins with the letter Q.
Answers
ba-g- = badge (DE)
d--ed = dazed (AZ)
dia-- = diary (RY)
-uo-a = quota (QT)
i-de- = index (NX)
-o-el = vowel (VW)
-um-s = bumps (BP)
py--y = pygmy (GM)
g-ou- = ghoul (HL)
--nal = final (FI)
tra-- = track (CK)
-umb- = jumbo (JO)
d--ty = dusty (US)
This puzzle isn't guaranteed to have a unique answer, can you find another?
Puzzle 3
What can go up a chimney down …
… but can't go down a chimney up?
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Hint
You would probably never try this.
Puzzle 4
What comes next in this sequence:
eno · owt · ehret · rouf · eivf · xis · ?
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Hint
The sequence started as a very common one.
Answer
Neves.
Reasoning
These are the first few numbers with their first and last letters swapped.
