Easy Ways to Solve Puzzles

The word puzzle is derived from the French word pulse. It refers to a toy used to test a person’s mental capacity and ability to solve a problem. Basic steps to solve puzzle reasoning involves solving a problem by analysing all the given data, arranging them in a particular order, and finding the required result. The steps involved in this process are analysing the information given and taking the required information from it, leaving the data that are not required.

Questions based on reasoning puzzles have become common in bank exams. Such questions are asked to check the reasoning ability of the candidates. This article will help you with details like basic steps to solve puzzles in reasoning, what skills are needed to solve puzzles, and also by giving solved examples of puzzles.

Basic Steps to Solve Puzzles in Reasoning

Puzzles are unordered raw data given in any order for the user to solve it to make it correct. Puzzles in reasoning involve answering the questions based on the information. All the data which is required to find the result will be given in the question itself. Basic steps to solve puzzles in reasoning do not need much knowledge. It only requires analysis of the puzzle and solving it with the information collected

1. Go through the question

Reading and understanding the question correctly is more important to get an accurate result. You should go through all the information and cut it into parts to make it easy to understand.

2. Create an idea of the whole question

Conclude with all the information given and find the overall problems and theme of the given question. Use tables if necessary, arranging problems with tables will make the question easy.

3. Focus on the required information needed and leave out unnecessary data

Choose the data which gives the accurate answer to the question. Finding the result also depends on your ability to solve a puzzle.

Steps in solving logical puzzles

The steps involved in solving logical puzzles include.

1. Read all the given information thoroughly.

2. Collect all the required data.

3. Arrange the data collected in a specific order or a tabular format.

4. There can be more than one way to solve the puzzle, so arrange all the methods in different forms.

5. Get rid of all the unnecessary information.

6. Conclude with an answer.

What skills are needed to solve puzzles?

The answer to the question “what skills are needed to solve puzzles?” is mentioned below. 

Problem-solving

Problem-solving skills will help you to understand the problem correctly. You will be able to know the situation in which the problem was made and how it was caused. All this will help you to find a method to solve the problem.

• Analytical skill

It involves analysing the problem.

• Creative skill

It is the ability to think of a problem differently, in a unique way, to solve it easily.

Reasoning skill

Reasoning skills consist of critical thinking, analysing, evaluation, and synthesis abilities.  

• Critical thinking

Critical thinking involves thoroughly checking all the available data to conclude with the required data.

• Analysing

Analysing involves examining the information available. It helps to know the reason behind a problem, how it happened, etc.

• Evaluation

Evaluation is the process of making a conclusion or giving an answer.

Thinking skills

Thinking skill is the mind’s capability to process information, find problems and connections, create new ideas, make new decisions, and apply all that knowledge to a situation or problem.

Solved Examples Of Puzzles

Some solved examples of puzzles in reasoning. 

1. Six programs are organised for a week in a school. Starting on Monday and ending on Sunday. The speech program is not conducted on Tuesday or Saturday. The dance competition is conducted after the music competition. Sports are not on Friday, and there is a holiday for one day between the dance competition and social service – campus cleaning. There is no program before the science exhibition.

On which day is the Speech competition organised?

Answer – Thursday

How many programs are organised between the Science exhibition and the Dance competition?

Answer – Three

If somebody wants to attend any two programs from Dance competition, social service, and speech and wishes that both days should come one after other. Then what is the possible combination of the programs that he or she can attend?

Answer – Social service and speech competition

2. Five friends, Ram, Joseph, Catherine, David, and Evans, travelled from Brazil to five different countries, the US, India, UK, Canada, and Russia, by five different types of transport. The vehicles they used for travel were aeroplanes, rockets, cars, ships, and bikes.

The person who went to the UK did not use a bike. Catherine went to Canada by ship, and Joseph went to India in a car. David travelled by Bike, and Evans travelled by rocket if Brazil was not connected by aeroplane to the US and UK.

3. Which of the person is using the wrong mode of transport to reach his destination

Answer – the Evans and car

Solution: 

Joseph goes to India; Catherine goes to Canada Ram travels by aeroplane to Russia. David travels by Bike, so he did not go to the UK. So, David goes to the US. Now the only person remaining is Evans, so Evans goes to the UK, which is the incorrect combination.

Conclusion

The basic steps to solve puzzles in reasoning is a complicated task to achieve if you do not know the question in the puzzle. This article consists of all the steps that help you get ideas to solve puzzles. Questions related to puzzle-solving are common nowadays, and having good knowledge about this will be useful.