Tricky Test 2 Level 99

Overview

The level says "Arrange the lights." at the top. In the centre stands a grey traffic-light pole with five empty circular slots stacked vertically. Scattered around it are five coloured hexagonal light buttons: a blue one, a green one, a purple one, a red one, and a yellow one. Some are already sitting on the pole at the start, while others lie loose to the side. At first this looks like a traffic-light puzzle (red on top, yellow in the middle, green on the bottom), but the presence of blue and purple lights - which are never traffic-light colours - tells you the usual traffic-light order is wrong. The intended rule is to sort the lights alphabetically by the English name of their colour.

• Difficulty: Regular
• Estimated moves: 5

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Read the prompt "Arrange the lights." and list the five coloured lights you have: blue, green, purple, red, and yellow.
2. Do NOT arrange them as a real traffic light (red, yellow, green), because blue and purple are included and a real traffic light has no blue or purple.
3. Instead, sort the colour names alphabetically. Alphabetical order of the five words is: Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Yellow.
4. Drag the blue light into the TOP slot of the pole.
5. Drag the green light into the second slot from the top.
6. Drag the purple light into the middle (third) slot.
7. Drag the red light into the fourth slot.
8. Drag the yellow light into the BOTTOM slot.
9. The finished pole, from top to bottom, reads: Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Yellow. The game confirms this by labelling each light "(B)lue", "(G)reen", "(P)urple", "(R)ed", "(Y)ellow" and displaying the text "Arranged in alphabetical order of it's colour."

Strategy & Reasoning

The puzzle subverts the traffic-light expectation. Everyone knows a traffic light goes red-yellow-green, but the game deliberately hands you five lights including blue and purple, which are not traffic-light colours. That mismatch is the clue that the real ordering rule has nothing to do with traffic lights.

Once you stop thinking "traffic light", the obvious remaining ordering for a set of coloured objects whose names are being compared is alphabetical. Sorting the words Blue, Green, Purple, Red, Yellow alphabetically gives B, G, P, R, Y - exactly the order the game confirms on screen.

Trying to put red on top, yellow in the middle, and green on the bottom fails, because there are five slots and only three of the lights are traffic colours. Trying to arrange them by colour spectrum (rainbow order) also fails, because purple/violet and the specific set given do not line up that way. Alphabetical order is the only rule that uses all five colours cleanly.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Mistake: Arranging them as a real traffic light (red top, yellow middle, green bottom). Correct approach: Blue and purple are on purpose; sort alphabetically instead.
• Mistake: Sorting by the colour spectrum or rainbow order. Correct approach: The rule is alphabetical by the English word for the colour.
• Mistake: Forgetting which colour comes first. Correct approach: Blue (B) is first, then Green (G), Purple (P), Red (R), Yellow (Y).
• Mistake: Leaving one light loose. Correct approach: All five lights must be placed on the five slots; the pole should be fully filled top to bottom.