Tricky Test 2 Level 53

Overview

The riddle reads: "3 women each have 2 daughters are having dinner. What's the least number of seats needed?" Six answer circles show the numbers 0, 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9. The trick is that the three women are related across generations: one grandmother, her two daughters (who are themselves mothers), and each of those two daughters has two daughters. That gives 1 grandmother + 2 mothers + 4 granddaughters = 7 people. The answer is 7. The family tree drawn on the success screen confirms "1 + 2 + 4 = 7".

• Difficulty: Hard
• Estimated moves: 1 tap

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Read the riddle carefully: "3 women each have 2 daughters are having dinner. What's the least number of seats needed?"
2. Do not jump to the obvious arithmetic: 3 women + (3 x 2 daughters) = 9 people. That is the naive answer but it ignores overlap.
3. Think about how to share people across generations to minimize the total count.
4. Construct the smallest possible family that satisfies the rule: There are 3 women at the dinner, and each of those 3 women has 2 daughters.
5. The smallest arrangement is a three-generation family: one elderly grandmother (woman #1), her two adult daughters (women #2 and #3). That gives exactly 3 women total.
6. Each of the two adult daughters (women #2 and #3) has 2 daughters. That produces 4 granddaughters.
7. Count all people seated: 1 grandmother + 2 mothers + 4 granddaughters = 7 people.
8. Tap the circle labeled "7" on the answer grid. The family tree graphic appears, showing the grandmother connected to two daughters, each of whom branches to two more (empty) seats. The level clears.

Strategy & Reasoning

This is a classic family-tree minimization puzzle. The naive reader adds 3 women + 6 daughters = 9 seats, but the riddle asks for the LEAST number, which means you should maximize overlap. The 3 women can themselves be daughters of the older generation: the grandmother is a woman, and her two daughters are the other two women. That way the "3 women" requirement is satisfied with only 1 + 2 = 3 adults, not 3 unrelated mothers. Then each of the 2 younger women has 2 daughters = 4 children. Total = 1 + 2 + 4 = 7. You cannot go lower than 7 because: the grandmother counts as 1 woman, her 2 daughters count as the other 2 women (that's 3 women), and those 2 women must each contribute 2 daughters (4 children). Any smaller count would violate "each of the 3 women has 2 daughters." The answer 6 is impossible because 3 women + at least some daughters always exceeds 6. The success screen explicitly draws this family tree.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Answering 6 by doing 3 + 3 (assuming the daughters overlap completely). Correct approach: 3 women must each have 2 daughters; with 2 younger mothers that is 4 granddaughters, giving 7 total.
• Mistake: Answering 9 by the naive 3 + (3x2). Correct approach: the riddle asks for the LEAST seats, so share generations.
• Mistake: Answering 8. Correct approach: 8 requires an extra person not needed; the minimal tree is exactly 7.
• Mistake: Assuming the grandmother also has 2 daughters in addition to the 4 granddaughters. Correct approach: the grandmother's "daughters" are the 2 adult women, who are the other 2 of the "3 women" — they are already counted.