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Where Knowledge Junkies Get Their Fix
Stan was behind the wheel as he drove three fellow employees to an out-of-state business conference. He wanted his passengers to be comfortable for the trip, so he stopped at a convenience store to get bottled soft drinks for himself and his passengers – Carl, Dave, and Paul. The beverages he purchased were: a Coke, a Sprite, a Pepsi One, and a Diet Dr Pepper.
Based on the clues that follow, determine which man got which drink. Good luck!
1. Stan did not get a diet drink, but Dave did.
2. Paul drank a cola, unlike Carl.
3. Only one man shared the first letter of his name with the first letter of the name of his beverage.
Here is the SOLUTION.
Comments (19)
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wasnt dave supposed to get a diet drink? i dont get it…
posted by Rolan on 10-12-2009 at 7:43 am
oh sorry, i missed pepsi “ONE”
posted by Rolan on 10-12-2009 at 7:45 am
This, alas, depends on people knowing Pepsi One is a diet drink. International discrimination, I believe ;)
posted by Beth on 10-12-2009 at 8:06 am
Sandy, in your description, you forgot to mention that Stan exists in this equation. I was lost for 3 minutes because of this.
posted by Steven on 10-12-2009 at 8:29 am
Stan’s there, Steven, he’s just mentioned at the very beginning as the one who’s in the driver’s seat. It also says that he got drinks “for himself and his passengers.”
I was just mixing things up a bit in the text.
And yep, for those who wondered, Pepsi One is indeed a diet beverage. I’m not sure if it’s sold overseas, but hey, a quick Google search would identify it.
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-12-2009 at 8:37 am
At first I thought this was impossible, but that was because I classified Diet Dr Pepper as a cola. Once I didn’t, I did get it.
posted by Amy D on 10-12-2009 at 8:47 am
Another guessing game. Luckily, you can guess Stan/Sprite first and then fill in the grid. If you guess one of the other pairs first, you have a lot of scratched out grids.
posted by KJ on 10-12-2009 at 9:04 am
The definition of “guessing” is “to predict, assume, presume or assert without sufficient information.”
In this case, sufficient information DOES exist in the clues to determine the correct answer. The puzzle-taker has to apply the process of elimination – but that’s a logical sequence.
In a multiple choice test, for instance, if you know for certain that answers B, C, and D are incorrect, then choosing answer A isn’t “guessing.” You had to go through some logical process to determine which answers were incorrect, and it’s pure logic to assume that if all other options are incorrect, the remaining option is the correct one.
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-12-2009 at 9:47 am
Wow, got it, even on a Monday morning…
Recaptcha: Columbus evinces – celebrating Columbus Day?
posted by Shortieray on 10-12-2009 at 10:17 am
Ya Sandy! That’s using the old noggin! It took me a second to get it too, until I read Stan at the beginning… and I even thought about that first too… alas my short term memory loss strikes again!
posted by Kelly on 10-12-2009 at 11:36 am
I classified Dr. Pepper as a cola too and thought it was impossible!
posted by Shanna Suburbia on 10-12-2009 at 2:08 pm
Why can’t Stan have the Coke, Carl the Sprite, Dave the Dr Pepper and Paul the Pepsi One? Doesn’t that meet all the criteria?
posted by Mike on 10-12-2009 at 3:12 pm
I came up with the same solution as Mike. This works for me!
posted by Dan Pannebaker on 10-12-2009 at 4:40 pm
Dave=D=Dr.Pepper
Paul=P=Pepsi One
They can’t both have their names start with the same letter as their drink.
posted by Idle on 10-12-2009 at 4:57 pm
I had to Google Dr. Pepper too – because I wasn’t sure of it’s classification. Then I got it.
Not to be picky but it would have been cool if the entire solution was alliterative:
Stan sipped his Sprite, Carl downed his Diet Dr. Pepper, Dave put way his Pepsi One, and Paul chugged his coke! :)
Mike & Dan’s solutions won’t work because it would go against #3. Dan Dr. Pepper & Paul Pepsi One both start with the same letter.
posted by Nerak on 10-12-2009 at 5:27 pm
oops! I meant Dave, Dr. Pepper not Dan!
posted by Nerak on 10-12-2009 at 5:28 pm
Yeah, I figured it out properly now with a clear head (not yet blinded by work!). Funny how I couldn’t see that yesterday.
posted by Mike on 10-13-2009 at 8:23 am
Since I would define Cola as a beverage containing caramel coloring, caffeine, and high fructose corn syrup, this riddle makes me angry lol.
posted by Hollie on 10-17-2009 at 2:39 pm
Hollie, for the record, a cola by definitions contains an extract of the cola nut. That’s what gives it the distinctive cola flavor.
There are other dark soft drinks that aren’t colas, of course, such as Dr Pepper, root beer, and chocolate soda.
posted by Sandy Wood on 10-21-2009 at 10:58 am