Question

While Balbir had his back turned, a dog ran into his butcher shop, snatched a piece of meat off the counter and ran out. Balbir was mad when he realised what had happened. He asked three other shopkeepers, who had seen the dog, to describe it. The shopkeepers really did not want to help Balbir. So each of them made a statement which contained one truth and one lie.
1. Shopkeeper 1: "The dog had black hair and a long tail."
2. Shopkeeper 2: "The dog had a short tail and wore a collar."
3. Shopkeeper 3: "The dog had white hair and no collar."
Based on the above statements, which of the following could be a correct description?

• A. The dog had white hair, short tail and no collar
• B. The dog had white hair, long tail and a collar
• C. The dog had black hair, long tail and a collar
• D. The dog had black hair, long tail and no collar

Hint:

When each person has one truth and one lie, test attributes systematically, ensuring exactly one match per person.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Each shopkeeper’s statement has exactly one truth and one lie: - If Shopkeeper 1’s "black hair" is true, "long tail" could be false — but that contradicts other statements, so "long tail" is true and "black hair" is also true ⇒ both true is impossible ⇒ check carefully.
- Testing combinations shows consistency only when:
- Hair = black (true for 1, false for 3’s "white hair")
- Tail = long (true for 1, false for 2’s "short tail")
- Collar = no collar (true for 3, false for 2’s "wore a collar")
\ This satisfies exactly one truth/lie for each.