The Queen of Hearts had just finished making a marvelous batch of tarts, and had gone off to fetch her husband, the King of Hearts. When she came back, the tarts had vanished!

A huge investigation was put forth, and across the land the knights of the king searched high and low for the tarts. Fortunately, they were discovered on a beach, just moments before being devoured by the Gryphon and the Mock Turtle. Both were brought to trial before the King. In the course of the subsequent investigation, it was determined that one of them had stolen the tarts, but not both of them.

At the trial, the following witnesses came forward to make statements:

Duchess: The Gryphon never stole the tarts!
Cook: But he had stolen things in the past.
Cheshire Cat: Well, the Mock Turtle has stolen things in the past.
Catarpillar: The Cheshire Cat has stolen things in the past!
March Hare: The Cook and the Cheshire Cat are both right.
Dormouse: The Cook and the Caterpillar are both right.
Mad Hatter: Either the Cheshire Cat or the Caterpillar is right, and maybe both.
Bill the Lizard: Either the March Hare or the Dormouse is right, and maybe both.
Knave of Hearts: The Cook and the Mad Hatter are both right.
The White Rabbit: Bill the Lizard is right, and the Knave of Hearts is wrong!

There was dead silence as everyone tried to puzzle through all of the statements. The Queen, growing frustrated, was just about to order everyone's head cut off, when Alice stood up.

Alice: It just so happens that the White Rabbit and the Duchess are either both telling the truth or both lying.

Now, since we know that Alice never tells a lie, can you work out who stole the tarts?

Adapted from Raymond Smullyan's Alice in Puzzleland

(In reply to No Subject by e.g.)

Let assume the White Rabbit is right for a second:
 - Bill the Lizard would be right
 - That would mean at least one of March Hare or Dormouse would be right or both
 - Either of them right would mean the Cook is right
 - Duchess is wrong then
 - The Duchess cant be wrong when the White Rabbit is right

 

Now let assume the White Rabbit is wrong:
 - Knave the Heart is right
 - Both the Cook and the Mad Hatter are right
 - If the Cook is right then Duchess must be wrong
 - (Both the White Rabbit and the Duchess are wrong)
 - The Gryphon stole it

The Gryphon stole it

I dont know if that is right or not. But the thing that bothering me are the Cook and the Duchess' statements. When I did my reasoning, I assumed that one of the Cook and the Duchess is right and the other is lying. However, the way I read it, both of them could be telling the truth (ie: the Gryphon stole in the past but not the tart)

Random note: It's is my personal belief that jsut because a person stole in the past does not mean s/he will do so again. But then, if that was true that there wouldnt be a way to solve this riddle (or would it?).

Posted by elson on 2004-04-03 03:38:07