Introduction

• Your mission is to determine how many baskets that contained a mango, by doing some elimination.
• Try solving the problem first with only your brain – no use of pen and paper, or other aid.
• Good luck!

Exercise

Eighteen baskets of fruit were laid out for sale in a shop and each bore a unique number, 1 to 18 inclusive. All of the odd-numbered baskets held apples and no pears – and all of the even-numbered baskets held pears and no apples.

Any basket with a number lower than 9 held strawberries but no cherries – and any basket numbered 9 or higher held cherries but no strawberries. Any basket numbered 13 or lower held bananas but no apricots – and any basket numbered 14 or higher held apricots but no bananas.

A pineapple was placed into those baskets with both pears and bananas, as well as those baskets with both cherries and bananas, plus those with both apples and apricots – and a mango was placed into all of the remaining baskets.

How many baskets contained a mango?

Click to view the correct answer (Member).