Verbal Reasoning · Placing Words by Constraints
Placing Words by Constraints
Drop all 6 instruments words into the grid so that every clue is true at once.
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Why this works
The clues are not hints, they are the answer taken apart. "flute sits immediately to the left of tuba." fixes one word, "flute sits immediately to the left of tuba." hangs the next one off it, and the rest follow because each word can only be in one cell. violin ends up in the top row, left column, and once you have checked all 3 clues there is nothing left to choose: a puzzle with two arrangements would not be a puzzle.
Helping a child through Placing Words by Constraints
Hints, least revealing first
- Start with the clue that fixes something on its own: "flute sits immediately to the left of tuba."
- Then chain off it: "flute sits immediately to the left of tuba."
- There is exactly one arrangement that keeps all 3 clues true - if a clue turns red, that word cannot live there.
When they finish it: “Every clue holds!”
11+ skill this exercise practises
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Placing Words by Constraints practises one skill. Verbal Reasoning has 26 of them
A free diagnostic covers every verbal reasoning skill and the other three subjects, and comes back with a shortlist rather than a list.