June 2015








All about aces, kings, queens

Playing cards

What I don't like about Vinod is his habit of considering my table as his own. He comes and turns things upside down. I wish he would not do that.

The other day he came and proceeded with his usual ritual. Then he pulled a deck of cards and began playing some solitary game. I was lying on the bed; so I could not see what he was playing.

I saw him pick up the cards as if to go, and felt glad that he was leaving. But my joy was short-lived. He was not leaving but preparing for some other game. He withdrew three cards at random from the deck of 52 cards and laid them on the table. "Hey, if you tell me which three cards I have laid on the table and in what order then I will rearrange all the things on your table," he told me. "I will give you four clues," he offered.

This was worth trying if only because he had promised to rearrange things.

"Okay, what are the clues?" I said.

"Well, these are the four clues:

1. A king is to the right of an ace, but not necessarily next to it.

2. A club is to the left of a spade, but not necessarily next to it.

3. A queen is to the left of a heart, but not necessarily next to it.

4. A heart is to the left of a spade, but not necessarily next to it."

So, can you tell me which three cards I have laid on the table, what are their suits and in what order have I laid them?" he challenged.

To be honest, all these clues left me all the more bewildered. Will you help me solve this problem?






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Some useful links for
your career:


  • Union Public Service Commission - www.upsc.gov.in
  • IIT-Kharagpur - www.iitkgp.ac.in
  • Indian Statistical Institute - www.isical.ac.in
  • Indian Institute of Technology Madras - www.iitm.ac.in
  • Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad - www.iimahd.ernet.in
  • Indian Institute of Mass Commission - www.iimc.nic.in
  • IIT Bombay - www.iitb.ac.in
  • Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad - www.ismdhanbad.ac.in
  • Birla Institute of Technology, Ranchi - www.bitmesra.ac.in
  • Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training - www.cifnet.nic.in
  • Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad (Deemed University) - www.iiita.ac.in
  • Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi - www.cmfri.com
  • Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai - www.tiss.edu

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