Solution

A Day at the Zoo - a logic problem

by Shelly Hazard

Can you find all the words in the word list in the grid below? The words can be found horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and backwards.

One day, five mothers each brought their only child to the zoo. The children had a glorious time together watching the different animals and eating their favorite snacks. The kids were so good, at the end of the day each mother let her child get one item from the souvenir shop as they were leaving the zoo. Can you determine the full name of each child, each child's favorite snack and animal, and the souvenir each brought home?

1. Julia, who loves cotton candy, didn't like the elephants. Mary didn't get a caramel apple. The child who got the stuffed animal liked the giraffes best.

2. Alan Small, the girl who liked the lions, and the child who got the activity set didn't want to leave the zoo.

3. Neither of the boys got fried dough, but one got nachos and the other one liked the monkeys best. Tom didn't get a poster.

4. The Brown child almost got a coloring book with Mary but finally decided on a poster.

5. Tom, whose last name isn't Proctor, got a toy gun but didn't get a caramel apple. The MacGregor child had fried dough.

6. Beth, who didn't like the giraffes or the elephants best, got an activity set. Use the grid to help solve the puzzle!

Solution to "A Day at the Zoo"

Alan Small, nachos, giraffes, stuffed animal
Beth Proctor, caramel apple, seals, activity set
Julia Brown, cotton candy, lions, poster
Mary MacGregor, fried dough, elephants, coloring book
Tom Cook, popcorn, monkeys, toy gun

Explanation: Alan's last name is Small. The Brown child got a poster, Beth got an activity set, and Mary got a coloring book. Since Tom didn't get a poster by elimination the Brown child is Julia. Beth didn't like the giraffes or the elephants best and one of the boys liked the monkeys best. Since Beth didn't like the lions by elimination, she liked the seals best. Tom got a toy gun and Julia got cotton candy. By elimination, Alan got the stuffed animal and the giraffes were his favorite animal. The monkeys were Tom's favorite and Alan got nachos. Julia didn't like the elephants so by elimination Mary liked the elephants and Julia liked the lions. Neither Mary nor Tom got a caramel apple, so by elimination Beth did. Since Tom didn't get fried dough, he got popcorn and Mary got fried dough. Mary's last name is MacGregor. Since Tom's last name isn't Proctor, Beth's last name is Proctor and Tom's last name is Cook.