If 10 fish are in a tank, 2 drown, 4 swim away, and 3 die, how many are left?
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is 7, but let’s break down why this is the case:
We start with 10 fish in the tank.
Now, let’s analyze the statements:
- 2 drown: Fish cannot drown because they breathe underwater using their gills. This statement is a trick because fish do not require air to breathe as humans do. The idea of “drowning” is irrelevant for fish. So, this part of the statement does not affect the number of fish in the tank.
- 4 swim away: Fish cannot “swim away” unless they are removed from the tank. If we assume the phrase “swim away” means they were somehow taken out of the tank or they escaped, the number of fish in the tank decreases by 4. This leaves us with 10 – 4 = 6 fish remaining.
- 3 die: Death of fish will leave them in the tank. The 3 fish that died are still physically present in the tank, but they are no longer alive. However, their physical presence does not change the count of fish in the tank. So, we still have 6 fish remaining in the tank, but 3 are no longer alive.
After considering these points, we can conclude the number of fish in the tank is 7:
- 6 fish are still alive (after 4 swam away and 3 died).
- 3 dead fish remain in the tank but do not count as “living” fish.
- So, the total number of “fish” in the tank is 7, including the 3 dead ones.
Therefore, the total number of fish remaining in the tank is 7.