One of the four people - Mr. Brown, his wife Monika, their son Mandy and their daughter Cindy - is a singer and another is a dancer.
- If the singer and the dancer are the same sex, then the dancer is older than the singer.
- If neither the singer nor the dancer is the parent of the other, then the singer is older than the dancer.
- If the singer is a man, then the singer and the dancer are the same age.
- If the singer and the dancer are of opposite sex then the man is older than the woman.
Whose occupation can you deduce with absolute certainty?
a) From statements (1) and (4), we can deduce that the dancer and the singer are different ages.
b) Therefore, from statement (3), the singer must be a woman.
c) Therefore, from statements (1) and (4), the female singer is younger than the dancer.
d) Therefore, from (2), either the singer or the dancer is the parent of the other. Unless the dancer adopted a daughter older than him or herself, the singer is daughter Cindy and the dancer is one of the parents.
e) But that is far as deduction can take us. Either parent can be the older dancer.
(amended to show the Daughter's name. Thanks Charlie)
Edited on June 19, 2013, 10:40 am
Analytical solution (spoiler)
