MEPX
Chapter 10 of 11All chapters
  1. 1How puzzles trick you
  2. 2All, some and none
  3. 3If, then
  4. 4Common fallacies
  5. 5Number sequences
  6. 6Words into equations
  7. 7Rate and work problems
  8. 8Elimination grids
  9. 9Knights, knaves and self reference
  10. 10Reading exactly
  11. 11Building the habit

Chapter 10 of 11

Reading exactly

The trap is usually in one word.

Overtaking second place

Overtaking the runner in second place puts you in second, because you take the place of the person you passed. The mind wants to say first, because passing feels like winning.

  • Nouns like "the runner in second" describe a position, not a person to beat.
  • Words like at least, exactly, only and not change everything and are easy to skim past.

Hidden assumptions

Many puzzles work because you add a rule nobody stated: that lines must stay inside the square, or that a doctor must be a man. When stuck, list the constraints you assumed.