Solving ordering logic riddles
The logic puzzles in Brain Challenge are all ordering problems: a few statements about who is taller, older or further ahead, and one question about the order.
Turn sentences into arrows
Every statement becomes one arrow. “Ann is taller than Ben” becomes Ann > Ben. Then chain the arrows:
Ann > Ben, Ben > Cat → Ann > Ben > Cat
Now the question “who is tallest?” is read directly off the left end of the chain.
Why arrows beat re-reading
Natural-language comparisons have to be re-parsed every time you check an answer. A chain is a single visual object — you can verify an answer in one glance instead of three re-reads. The bigger the puzzle (four people, three premises), the bigger the gain.
Handling “not” statements
Some premises are negative: “Ann is not the shortest.” Do not try to place everyone immediately. Instead:
- Draw every positive arrow you can.
- Mark the people who cannot be shortest.
- Whichever name is left at the bottom is the answer.
Queue puzzles
“A stands before B, C stands behind B” is the same structure with positions instead of qualities. Write the line in order and insert each person as you read:
A … B … C → then answer “who is second?” by counting.
Common traps
- Reversing a comparison. “Ben is taller than Cat” is
Ben > Cat— not the other way round. Slow down on this one line. - Assuming total order. If two people are never compared, do not invent a relation.
- Answering the wrong extreme. Highlight the word “tallest”, “shortest”, “youngest” before you look at the answers.
Practice tip
Do five logic levels in a row and write the arrow chain for each one on paper, even when you can solve it mentally. The habit is what makes harder levels fast later.