guilty_or_location_deduction

Guilty or Location Deduction problems combine binary logic (truth-tellers and liars) with determining who committed a crime or where an item is located. Statements are made about guilt, innocence, or location.

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200+Practice Questions
IntermediateDifficulty
3-4 hoursHours to Master

Introduction to guilty_or_location_deduction

Guilty or Location Deduction problems combine binary logic (truth-tellers and liars) with determining who committed a crime or where an item is located. Statements are made about guilt, innocence, or location.

Prerequisites

Truth-teller/Liar logic Basic deduction Case analysis Understanding of 'guilty' and 'innocent'
Why This Matters: These puzzles are common in moderate to advanced reasoning sections. Expect 1-2 questions in SSC CGL and Banking PO.

How to Solve guilty_or_location_deduction Problems

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Step 1: List all suspects and their statements about guilt or location.

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Step 2: Note the number of truth-tellers and liars (if given).

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Step 3: Assume a person is guilty (or an item is in a certain location).

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Step 4: Evaluate each statement's truth value under that assumption.

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Step 5: Count how many statements are true. This must match the given number of truth-tellers.

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Step 6: If it matches, the assumption is a candidate solution.

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Step 7: The unique consistent assumption is the answer.

Example Problem

Example: A says: 'B took the diamond.' B says: 'I did not take the diamond.' C says: 'A is lying.' Exactly one is truthful. Who took the diamond? Solution: Step 1: Assume A took it. Then A's statement 'B took it' is false, B's statement 'I did not take it' is true (since A took it), C's statement 'A is lying' is true (A's statement was false). This gives two true (B and C) → invalid. Step 2: Assume B took it. Then A's statement true, B's statement false, C's statement 'A is lying' is false (A told truth). This gives one true (A) → valid. Step 3: Assume C took it. Then A's statement false, B's statement true (B didn't take it), C's statement 'A is lying' is true. Two true → invalid. Answer: B took the diamond.

Pro Tips & Tricks

  • Start by assuming each person is guilty and test consistency.
  • The statement 'I did not do it' is true if someone else did it.
  • The statement 'X is lying' is true if X's statement is false.
  • The number of truth-tellers is a powerful constraint.
  • Statements about location can be treated similarly to guilt.

Shortcut Methods to Solve Faster

If exactly one is truthful, test each person as the truth-teller.
If a person says 'I am innocent' and they are a liar, they are guilty.
If two people accuse each other, at most one can be truthful.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Assuming the guilty person is always the one making false statements (not necessarily true).
Not counting truth-tellers correctly under each assumption.
Forgetting to consider that 'X is lying' is equivalent to 'X's statement is false'.

Exam Importance

guilty_or_location_deduction is an important topic for various competitive exams. Here's how frequently it appears:

SSC CGL
1-2 questions
BANKING PO
1-2 questions
RAILWAYS RRB
1-2 questions
CAT
1-2 questions
INSURANCE
1-2 questions

Ready to Master guilty_or_location_deduction?

Start with Worksheet 1 and work your way up to expert level! Each worksheet includes:

20 practice questions
Detailed solutions
Step-by-step explanations
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