Mensa Mensa IQ Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 1

Question 1

A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?

Accepted Answer

$0.05

Answer

If the ball costs x, then the bat costs x + $1.00, and together they equal $1.10, so 2x = $0.10 and x = $0.05.

Question 2

If it takes 5 machines 5 minutes to make 5 widgets, how long does it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?

Accepted Answer

5 minutes

Answer

Each machine makes 1 widget in 5 minutes, so 100 machines working simultaneously still take only 5 minutes to produce 100 widgets.

Question 3

In a lake, a patch of lily pads doubles in size every day. If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how long does it take to cover half the lake?

Accepted Answer

47 days

Answer

Since the patch doubles each day, on day 47 the lake is exactly half covered, and it doubles to full coverage on day 48.

Question 4

A farmer has 17 sheep. All but 9 die. How many sheep are left?

Accepted Answer

9

Answer

The phrase 'all but 9' means all except 9, so exactly 9 sheep remain alive.

Question 5

A house has four walls, each facing south. A bear walks by. What color is the bear?

Accepted Answer

White

Answer

The only point on Earth where all four walls of a building can face south is the North Pole, where only white polar bears live.

Mensa Practice Test

Mensa Practice Test

Mensa Mensa IQ Critical Thinking and Problem Solving 1