by Louis Sachar
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a = ?llllc = ?lllle = ?llllI = ?
o = ?lllls = ?llllt = ?lllly = ?
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(CLUE The addition portion of the problem should give you what c and y each represent, although that doesn’t give you any immediate help. Notice that t times t equals a number that has s as its last digit. Notice also that s plus s equals t. What are s and t?)
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PROBLEM 24 — Super Bonus Problem
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a = ?llllc = ?llllh = ?lllli = ?llllo = ?
r = ?lllls = ?llllt = ?llllw = ?
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(CLUE This is the second hardest problem in the book. The following steps should help you:
1. Determine what number t must represent.
2. Determine h by looking only at the addition portion.
3. Determine r by looking only at the addition portion.
4. Determine w by looking only at the addition portion.
5. Solve the multiplication by trial and error.)
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Chapter 5
Recess
Ten kids gathered on the basketball court:
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MaureciallllllllD. J.llllllllToddllllllllJason
JoyllllllllSuellllllllDeedee
DameonllllllllJennyllllllllMyron
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They had been looking forward to recess all morning so they could play basketball. Ten was the perfect number for playing basketball. They got ready to choose up teams.
Just then, Allison came by. “Anyone want to play freeze tag?” she asked.
“No,” said Maurecia. “I’m going to play basketball. We’ve got five for each team. That’s the perfect number for basketball.” Maurecia liked freeze tag, so if there weren’t enough for five per team, she would have changed her mind and played freeze tag. But since there were ten kids ready to play basketball, she chose basketball.
“Me, too,” said Joy. She always did whatever Maurecia did.
“I’m playing basketball,” said Dameon. He would have played basketball even if there were only enough kids for four on each team. But if there were less than eight, then he would have changed his mind and played freeze tag.
“Who else is playing freeze tag?” asked D.J.
“Nobody — just me,” said Allison.
“Well, in that case I’ll play basketball,” said D.J. “You need at least six kids to play freeze tag. If five other kids want to play freeze tag, then I’ll play freeze tag, too.”
“I like basketball, too,” said Sue. She was new to the school so she wanted to be in the majority. So long as at least five other kids wanted to play basketball, she’d play basketball, too.
“Basketball,” said Jenny. “You can’t play freeze tag with less than eight people.” If seven other kids played freeze tag, then Jenny would have played freeze tag, too.
“Basketball,” said Todd. Todd loved basketball. He would have played even if there were only enough for two on each team. But if there were less than two per team, even Todd would have changed his mind and played freeze tag.
“Me, too,” said Deedee. Deedee would have played basketball even if there were only two other kids who wanted to play. They could play “Horse” or “Around-the-World.”
“Myron’s my name, and basketball’s my game,” said Myron. He would have played basketball even if there was only one other person who wanted to play. In fact, “One-on-one” was his favorite game. The only way he’d play freeze tag would be if nobody else wanted to play basketball.
Jason was last. He liked basketball a lot, but he was secretly in love with Allison. “Okay, Allison,” he said. “I’ll play freeze tag with you.”
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This chart may help you with problems 25 through 28.
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Maurecia — basketball, so long as there are five per team
Joy — whatever Maurecia wants to play
Dameon — basketball, so long as there are at least four per team
D.J. — basketball, unless five others want to play freeze tag
Sue — basketball, so long as five others play basketball
Jenny — basketball, unless seven others want to play freeze tag
Todd — basketball, so long as there are at least two per team
Deedee — basketball, so long as there are a total of three players
Myron — basketball, so long as he’s not the only one
Jason — freeze tag, because he’s in love with Allison
Allison — freeze tag, because she likes being chased by Jason
PROBLEM 25
How many people played freeze tag and how many played basketball?
PROBLEM 26
Everyone who wanted to play freeze tag followed Allison across the playground. Suddenly Jenny slapped herself on the forehead. “Oh, freeze tag!” she said. “I got mixed up. I was thinking of cheese tag. That’s my favorite game. I hate freeze tag. There’s no way I’ll play freeze tag. I’ll play basketball, even if I have to play by myself.”
Now how many people wanted to play basketball, and how many wanted to play freeze tag?
PROBLEM 27
Dameon was Myron’s best friend. “This is stupid,” he said. “I want to play whatever game Myron plays.” He went to join his friend.
Now how many played each game?
PROBLEM 28
“This is taking too long,” said Todd. “We haven’t even chosen teams yet and recess is almost over. I’m going to play freeze tag.” He ran to the area where the other kids were playing.
“Newcomers are It,” said Allison when Todd arrived. When the game finally started, who was It?
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Chapter 6
Science, geography, etc.
Mrs. Jewls hated having to give her students grades. She thought that it was very boring to grade tests, so she usually did something else at the same time. She’d listen to records, cook dinner, take a shower, or often go bowling while she was grading tests. And many times, when she was in the middle of marking a test paper, something more interesting would come up and she’d leave the test and go do that. On such occasions, she usually forgot to finish up where she had left off.
This was fine until it came time to hand out report cards. Then she always had terrible problems. Her grade book was too soaked and soggy to read, and the tests were either lost or covered with food. It was almost impossible for her to figure out what grade to give to whom. Is it any wonder that she hated grading so much?
PROBLEM 29
Here are the answer sheets from a science test:
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Paul’s test
1. eggs
2. evaporation
3. Alligator
4. a potato
5. teeth
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Todd’s test
1. milk
2. transportation
3. Alligator
4. a kangeroo
5. teeth
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Sharie’s test
1. eggs
2. transportation
3. Crocodile
4. a kangeroo
5. ears
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Jason’s test
1. eggs
2. evaporation
3. Alligator
4. a kangeroo
5. teeth
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Bebe’s test
1. milk
2. transportation
3. Crocodile
4. a kangeroo
5. ears
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Mrs. Jewls knew that somebody got all five correct but she didn’t know who. She also knew someone got only four correct, someone got only three correct, somebody else got only two correct and one person only got one right. She lost the original test.
What were the correct answers?
PROBLEM 30
Here are the answer sheets from a geography test:
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Nancy’s test
1. Mississippi
2. New York
3. Tennessee
4. Utah
5. Arizona
6. Maryland
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Joy’s test
1. Mississippi
2. New York
3. Tennessee
4. Utah
5. New Mexico
6. Maryland
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Calvin’s test
1. Mississippi
2. New York
3. Tennessee
4. Ohio
5. Arizona
6. Wyoming
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Ron’s test
1. Minnesota
2. Alaska
3. Tennessee
4. Utah
5. New Mexico
6. Maryland
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Eric Bacon’s test
1. Alaska
2. Alaska
3. Alaska
4. Alaska
5. Alaska
6. Alaska
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Mrs. Jewls knew that Nancy got five right, Joy got four right, Calvin got three right, Ron got two right, and Eric Bacon got at least one right. What were the correct answers?
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By the way, these are the questions that were asked.
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1. Where does my aunt Nora live?
2. Where did my brother go on his vacation?
3. Where does my cousin Arthur go every Labor Day?
4. Where would I like to be right now?
5. Where was my sister, Carol, born?
6. Where did I meet my husband?
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PROBLEM 31
Here are the answer sheets from a test in word usage:
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Deedee’s test
1. can
2. like
3. Can
4. lay
5. well
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Eric Oven’s test
1. can
2. as
3. May
4. lie
5. good
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Kathy’s test
1. may
2. as
3. May
4. lie
5. well
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Leslie’s test
1. may
2. like
3. May
4. lie
5. good
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Jenny’s test
1. may
2. like
3. May
4. lay
5. well
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Mrs. Jewls knew that each person missed two and only two, but she left the only copy of the test questions at the bowling alley, so she doesn’t know who missed what. What were the correct answers?
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PROBLEM 32
Here are the answer sheets from a true/false test:
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Maurecia’s test
1. false
2. true
3. true
4. true
5. false
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Joe’s test
1. false
2. true
3. true
4. false
5. true
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Allison’s test
1. true
2. false
3. true
4. true
5. false
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Stephen’s test
1. true
2. true
3. false
4. true
5. false
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John’s test
1. true
2. false
3. true
4. false
5. true
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All Mrs. Jewls knew about this test was that she remembered that Joe got a better grade than Maurecia. She also remembered that Allison got a better grade than Stephen. She couldn’t remember anything about John except she knew he didn’t get them all right or all wrong. What were the correct answers?
PROBLEM 33
Here are the answer sheets from a test on manners:
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Dameon’s test
1. Say, “You’re welcome.”
2. Shake hands
3. Say, “Excuse me.”
4. Wash your hands
5. Shake hands
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Terrence’s test
1. Say, “You’re welcome.”
2. Shake hands
3. Say, “Please pass the peas.”
4. Shake hands
5. Wash your hands
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D.J.’s test
1. Wash your hands
2. Shake hands
3. Say, “Excuse me.”
4. Wash your hands
5. Shake hands
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Rondi’s test
1. Wash your hands
2. Say, “Please pass the peas.”
3. Say, “Excuse me.”
4. Shake hands
5. Wash your hands
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Mrs. Jewls remembered that Dameon got a better grade than D.J., everyone did better than Terrence, and no question was missed by everyone.
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She also remembered the questions she asked:
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• What should you do when you meet someone new?
• What should you do after someone says, “Thank you” to you?
• What should you do when you want some more peas but the peas are on the other side of the table?
• What should you do after you burp?
• What should you do before each meal?
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But unfortunately she couldn’t remember in what order the questions were asked. In what order were they asked?
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PROBLEM 34
Here are the answer sheets from a test on the animal kingdom:
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Dana’s test
1. Turtle
2. Monkey
3. Hippopotamus
4. Rhinoceros
5. Giraffe
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Eric Fry’s test
1. Turtle
2. Monkey
3. Rhinoceros
4. Hippopotamus
5. Giraffe
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Rondi’s test
1. Giraffe
2. Hippopotamus
3. Rhinoceros
4. Monkey
5. Turtle
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Allison’s test
1. Turtle
2. Hippopotamus
3. Rhinoceros
4. Monkey
5. Giraffe
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Stephen’s test
1. Giraffe
2.
Rhinoceros
3. Monkey
4. Hippopotamus
5. Turtle
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Somebody got all five correct. Somebody missed all five. Somebody got only three correct. Somebody got only two correct. Somebody got only one correct.
These are the questions Mrs. Jewls remembers asking:
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• What animal likes to swing through trees and eat bananas?
• What animal has a very long neck?
• What animal has a horn or two?
• What animal is fat and gray like a rhinoceros, and its name almost even sounds like rhinoceros, and it is even harder to spell than rhinoceros, but it isn’t a rhinoceros?
• What animal carries his home on his back?
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In what order were the questions asked?
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PROBLEM 35
Here are the answer sheets from a test on the Presidents of the United States:
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Joy’s test
1. Franklin Roosevelt
2. Jimmy Carter
3. Abe Lincoln
4. George Washington
5. John Kennedy
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Todd’s test
1. John Kennedy
2. Abe Lincoln
3. Jimmy Carter
4. George Washington
5. Franklin Roosevelt
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Deedee’s test
1. John Kennedy
2. George Washington
3. Franklin Roosevelt
4. Abe Lincoln
5. Jimmy Carter
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Joe’s test
1. George Washington
2. John Kennedy
3. Jimmy Carter
4. Franklin Roosevelt
5. Abraham Lincoln
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Leslie’s test
1. Jimmy Carter
2. George Washington
3. John Kennedy
4. Franklin Roosevelt
5. Abraham Lincoln
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In this test, Mrs. Jewls remembered that each person got only one answer correct, and no two people answered the same question correctly. In what order were the following questions asked?
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• What was the name of Martha Washington’s husband?
• What was the name of Mary Todd Lincoln’s husband?
• What was the name of Eleanor Roosevelt’s husband?
• What was the name of Jackie Kennedy’s husband?
• What was the name of Amy Carter’s father?
PROBLEM 36
Here are the answer sheets from a test on holidays:
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Jason’s test
