Answers to Buggtastic Brain Busters

1. If Brazil is east of New York, cross out all the W’s and X’s. If not, cross out all the A’s. If Henry VIII lived in the same century as Columbus, cross out all the Y’s. If not, cross out the M’s and N’s. If Golden Gate Bridge is the longest suspension bridge in the world, cross out all the S’s and E’s. If not, cross out all the I’s and Z’s. What word do you have left?

M X Y E Z W N X Y Z S I I X Y A Z W X I

MENSA

2. (You may have seen this in a slightly different form, but this version has an unusual twist to it.) It was a bring-your-own-food party, but not everybody could contribute food. The agreement was that those who couldn’t bring edibles would chip in some cash. Sally brought a certain number of pies, Jane brought one more than Sally, and Hector brought one more than Jane. William brought nothing, but asked them to divide the nice little pies equally, and he would pay. The four split the pies evenly. There was a total of a dozen pies, each worth $1.00. How much should each of them get or pay?

Sally brought ~ 3 pies
Jane brought 1 more than Sally ~ 4 pies
Hector brought 1 more than Jane ~ 5 pies
William brought no pies
Total ~ 12 pies
They split the 12 pies equally ~ each get 3 pies
William pays Sally $0
William pays Jane $1
William pays Hector $2
EACH GET 3 PIES AND PAY $3

3. If Susan is 10, Arabella is 20, and Jim and Neal are both 5, but Richard is 10, how much is Jennifer by the same system?

Jennifer is 15, in a system that awards 5 for each syllable

4. The Puzzleland toy store may go out of business soon because of the owner’s idea of pricing. He charges $6 for a doll, $7.50 for a train, $4.50 for a top, and $12 for a paint set. By the same rules, what does he charge for a bicycle?

A bicycle costs $10.50 at this toy store. The owner charges $1.50 for each letter