Brain teasers

1 Anne’s children are aged two, four, six and eight. Edmund, who isn’t the child with red hair, is two years younger than Thomas. Hannah is two years older than the child with black hair. Clare, the blonde child, and the six-year-old are all different children. Of Thomas and the sixyear-old, one has brown hair and the other has black hair. How old is each child, and what colour is their hair?

2 Which two words meaning ‘banners’ and ‘timbre’ combine into one meaning ‘slab’?

3 Find the London boroughs in these anagrams: a) Slow Aftermath, b) Worm Athletes, c) Manage Handbag Drink.

4 The local animal shelter has cats and dogs in the ratio 3:5. They have dogs and rabbits in the ratio 4:9. They have rabbits and guinea pigs in the ratio 5:6, and they have one-third as many hamsters as guinea pigs. If there are twelve cats at the shelter, then how many hamsters are there?