Official Mensa® Challenge – September 2024

American Mensa is where brilliance belongs – it’s where friendships are forged for life, business connections and opportunities are made, and where brilliant minds find the chance to engage with others in an intellectually stimulating environment.

Just for LOCAL Life readers: Take the Mensa Practice Test for just $5! Visit americanmensa.org/mht and use offer code: Local21

Questions

1. Bill had a big night out. He won back his original stake of $200, and an additional $240 at the casino. He spent one-fourth of his money trying to continue the winning streak but failed. Then he spent 20% of his remaining money on a good dinner for himself. He then bought a bottle of champagne for $64 and a bracelet for his girlfriend for $100. The rest of the money he spent foolishly. How much did he spend foolishly?

2. A rule was followed in obtaining the following series. Find the rule and fill in the missing number.  

94     26     16     14     ?

3. The same five letters, if rearranged, will make three different words that fit correctly into the following report. 

The young boy __ __ __ __ __ when he looked at his bicycle.
The __ __ __ __ __ had cracked, and a piece had broken off and lodged itself in the spokes. Much as he hated to do it, he had to __ __ __ __ __  with his older brother for help.

4. The Inuit was gazing out to sea when he observed some narwhals (male for the story) and some walruses. He saw a total of 30 horns and tusks, and he could count one-third more narwhals than walruses. How many of each?

5. If a marigold is worth 6, a daisy is worth 4, and a chrysanthemum is worth 8, what is a rose worth?

Answers

1. $100 ($440 to start. $110 on the losing streak, leaving $330. Then $66 for dinner, and $64 for a bottle of champagne, leaving $200. Then the bracelet for $100, leaving him $100 to waste.) 

2. The answer is 10. Each successive number is obtained by adding the 2 digits of the previous number and multiplying by 2. 

3. PALED, PEDAL, PLEAD 

4. There are 12 narwhals with 1 horn each, and 9 walruses with 2 horns each, making 18 and 12, a total of 30. 

5. A rose is worth 2; 2 points for each syallable.