Imagine stumbling on a deceptively simple riddle: a couple has six daughters, and each daughter shares one brother. How many people are in this family? At first glance, many jump to six brothers—after all, six daughters times one brother each seems logical. But that assumption misreads the puzzle’s phrasing. Before you tally the parents, too, you need to see the twist hidden in plain sight. Dive into our step-by-step breakdown to avoid common pitfalls, sharpen your reading comprehension, and arrive at the correct total—no calculators required!
Who Can Guess the Answer?
Picture this: you’re scrolling through social media when you stumble upon a deceptively simple family riddle. It reads, “A husband and wife have six daughters, and each daughter has one brother. How many people are in the family?” Seem easy? Give it a try—and beware, it’s more of a trick than you might think!
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Why So Many Get It Wrong
- Assuming one brother per daughter: It’s tempting to multiply six daughters by one brother each, landing at six brothers. But the riddle doesn’t say each daughter has a different brother.
- Overlooking the parents: Once you start counting children, it’s easy to forget to include mom and dad.
- Relying on instinct over reading carefully: We often jump to conclusions before fully parsing the question’s exact wording.
Walking Through the Puzzle
Count the daughters
- There are clearly six daughters—no debate there.
Identify the brother(s)
- The riddle states each daughter has one brother. Importantly, it doesn’t specify that they each have their own brother. All six sisters share the same single brother. So add 1.
Include the parents
- Don’t forget the husband (father) and wife (mother) who anchor this household. That’s 2 more.
Tally up
- 6 (daughters) + 1 (brother) + 2 (parents) = 9 people in total.
Over to You
Did you nail it on the first try, or did the numbers trip you up? Share your answer and reasoning in the comments. Then, challenge a friend—let’s see who really pays attention to the details! If you enjoy puzzles that sharpen your mind, keep an eye on our future quizzes: each one is crafted to stretch your logical muscles and help you think more critically in all areas of life.
