| Author | Message | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 939 Registered: 9-2003 |
Yet another quick puzzle to fill the time while I try to come up with something better... Title: A Political Proposition Difficulty: Easy Type: Fiction - FMOI Story: There was a woman (let's call her Wendy) who lived in a city that was about to elect a new mayor. It was a major event, and everyone in the city was talking about it. As for Wendy, she really wanted the incumbent to win the election. However, when Wendy finally read the news that the incumbent had indeed won the election, and won by a landslide, she was very very upset. To Solve: Why would Wendy be upset, especially given that the candidate she wanted to win the election actually won it? Specialized Knowledge Needed: None needed Good luck! | ||
| Rcs (Rcs)
New member Username: Rcs Post Number: 289 Registered: 9-2008 |
Was the margin of victory relevant? If the incumbent had won by a small margin instead of a landslide, would Wendy have been happy? upset? indifferent? If the other candidate had won, would she have been happy? upset? indifferent? And a longshot: Is gambling relevant? Betting on candidates? | ||
| Racoonieboy (Racoonieboy)
New member Username: Racoonieboy Post Number: 95 Registered: 10-2008 |
Incumbent related to Wendy any way? Husband? Siblings? Other candidate related to Wendy any way? Husband? Siblings? Did the incumbent make the landslide? Did the landslide destroy her house? Damage? Did she get upset because the incumbent won? because of the landslide? because the other candidate lost? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 942 Registered: 9-2003 |
Rcs Was the margin of victory relevant? No If the incumbent had won by a small margin instead of a landslide, would Wendy have been happy? upset? This one indifferent? If the other candidate had won, would she have been happy? upset? This oneindifferent? And a longshot: Is gambling relevant? Betting on candidates? No, but good thinking. Racoonieboy Incumbent related to Wendy any way? No Husband? Siblings? Other candidate related to Wendy any way? No Husband? Siblings? Did the incumbent make the landslide? Haha...good thinking, but no Did the landslide destroy her house? Damage? Did she get upset because the incumbent won? because of the landslide? because the other candidate lost? No to all | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 1572 Registered: 12-2004 |
Was it just the winning of the election that upset her? Or did the story also mention that she would be roundhouse kicked in the face by Chuck Norris? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 944 Registered: 9-2003 |
Doctapeppa Was it just the winning of the election that upset her? No Or did the story also mention that she would be roundhouse kicked in the face by Chuck Norris? No, though I'll admit that it'd be rather upsetting for anyone to be roundhouse kicked in the face by Chuck Norris, except for possibly Chuck Norris himself. | ||
| D_gordon (D_gordon)
New member Username: D_gordon Post Number: 179 Registered: 11-2008 |
"Was the margin of victory relevant? No If the incumbent had won by a small margin instead of a landslide, would Wendy have been happy? upset? This one indifferent? If the other candidate had won, would she have been happy? upset? This one indifferent?" Wow, there's just no pleasing her! Are the reasons for which she was upset because the candidate she supported won different from those for which she would have been upset had the other candidate won? Is electoral fraud relevant? Suspicion of electoral fraud? Is weather relevant? | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 1625 Registered: 12-2004 |
Is there anything else relevant that she found out "when Wendy finally read the news that the incumbent had indeed won the election, and won by a landslide" other than the fact that "the incumbent had indeed won the election, and won by landslide"? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 946 Registered: 9-2003 |
D_gordon "Was the margin of victory relevant? No If the incumbent had won by a small margin instead of a landslide, would Wendy have been happy? upset? This one indifferent? If the other candidate had won, would she have been happy? upset? This one indifferent?" Wow, there's just no pleasing her! Wendy is a picky lady. =) Are the reasons for which she was upset because the candidate she supported won different from those for which she would have been upset had the other candidate won? Good question -- no. Is electoral fraud relevant? No Suspicion of electoral fraud? No Is weather relevant? Good thinking, but no. Doctapeppa Is there anything else relevant that she found out "when Wendy finally read the news that the incumbent had indeed won the election, and won by a landslide" other than the fact that "the incumbent had indeed won the election, and won by landslide"? Next time, I will answer questions like these with a please "RPA", which stands for "Read Previous Answers". Especially given that we are just at the beginning of the puzzle, you should have no trouble finding out what you need. Anyway, to answer your question: Yes. | ||
| Doctapeppa (Doctapeppa)
New member Username: Doctapeppa Post Number: 1642 Registered: 12-2004 |
Does the "anything else" involve international issues? Domestic issues? | ||
| Oisin (Oisin)
New member Username: Oisin Post Number: 10 Registered: 12-2008 |
Is she upset because the election has taken place? Had she lost track of the date? Has she been unconscious? comatose? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 949 Registered: 9-2003 |
Doctapeppa Does the "anything else" involve international issues? No Domestic issues? No Oisin Is she upset because the election has taken place? Good thinking, but no. Had she lost track of the date? More good thinking, but alas, no. Has she been unconscious? No comatose? No | ||
| Logician (Logician)
New member Username: Logician Post Number: 406 Registered: 6-2003 |
Just to try and clarify things in my mind, I'll try and recap below - am I make any false assumptions or got anything wrong here...? Wendy wanted the incumbent to win the election; the same incumbent then proceeded to win said election. Despite her previous desire for the incumbent to win, she is now "very very upset" that the incumbent has won. It is irrelevant as to the landslide/marginal nature of the victory. She would also still have been upset had the opponent(s) had won. ................................ Just noticed that the sentence in the puzzle: "It was a major event, and everyone in the city was talking about it" hasn't been mentioned yet. Is the sentence relevant in any way to the solution? Did Wendy change her mind regarding the incumbent between her wanting the incumbent to win and being very upset that said incumbent had won? Or was it more of "the better of two evils", and she would have been more upset if the opponent had won? In Wendy's mind, had the incumbent (or the opponent?) misled her about certain issues? About their/their opponent's/anyone else's beliefs, previous action or manifesto commitment? | ||
| Steel_lock (Steel_lock)
New member Username: Steel_lock Post Number: 2 Registered: 1-2009 |
Is there any other information in the article that's relevant (that wasn't mentioned?) I think you already answered that one as "yes", so I also want to ask if the other information is related to politics, the economy, something personal to Wendy, something personal to the incumbent, or something personal to the incumbent's opponent? Wait, is the election relevant at all? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 952 Registered: 9-2003 |
Logician Hello Ed...long time no see! Just to try and clarify things in my mind, I'll try and recap below - am I make any false assumptions or got anything wrong here...? Wendy wanted the incumbent to win the election; the same incumbent then proceeded to win said election. Despite her previous desire for the incumbent to win, she is now "very very upset" that the incumbent has won. There is a small but important FA in this sentence. Other than that, the rest of your recap is accurate. It is irrelevant as to the landslide/marginal nature of the victory. She would also still have been upset had the opponent(s) had won. ................................ Just noticed that the sentence in the puzzle: "It was a major event, and everyone in the city was talking about it" hasn't been mentioned yet. Is the sentence relevant in any way to the solution? Not really -- all I wanted to emphasis was that the election was considered a big event by the locals. Did Wendy change her mind regarding the incumbent between her wanting the incumbent to win and being very upset that said incumbent had won? No Or was it more of "the better of two evils", and she would have been more upset if the opponent had won? No In Wendy's mind, had the incumbent (or the opponent?) misled her about certain issues? About their/their opponent's/anyone else's beliefs, previous action or manifesto commitment? None of these. Steel_lock Is there any other information in the article that's relevant (that wasn't mentioned?) Well, yes. I think you already answered that one as "yes", so I also want to ask if the other information is related to politics, the economy, something personal to Wendy, This is closest -- good question. something personal to the incumbent, or something personal to the incumbent's opponent? Wait, is the election relevant at all? Yes | ||
| Logician (Logician)
New member Username: Logician Post Number: 421 Registered: 6-2003 |
Hello Ed...long time no see! Indeed, I've been vacillating for quite a while between interest in the forum and being prohibitively involved in the rest of life. Hopefully I can maintain interest for longer this time (: So the FA in my mini-recap: was it the phrase "previous desire", in that I implied that her desire had changed? Or rather because she isn't upset because the incumbent won, per se, but because of some other related thing? But moving on to your answers to Steel_lock's questions: So there is a relevant aspect of Wendy's life that has changed? That coloured her outlook towards the election? Is this change in outlook something with which we could credibly blame the incumbent? Did Wendy know the mayor, in a non-political way? (i.e. not merely in a "I recognise him - he's the mayor" sense) Has an experience with him coloured her outlook on him? and politics in general? (Which would explain why she would've been equally upset had the opponent won...) Is it that she has become (or already was?) a massive anarchist/arch-socialist/communist, and is against governance and political systems in general? Did she perhaps want the mayor to win, because she liked him as a person and thus wants him to succeed in his endeavours, but was upset that he would once again be dragged (by virtue of his re-election) into the evil machine that is political life? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 954 Registered: 9-2003 |
Hello Ed...long time no see! Indeed, I've been vacillating for quite a while between interest in the forum and being prohibitively involved in the rest of life. Hopefully I can maintain interest for longer this time (: I know what you mean! :-) So the FA in my mini-recap: was it the phrase "previous desire", in that I implied that her desire had changed? This was what I was referring to. Or rather because she isn't upset because the incumbent won, per se, but because of some other related thing? But this is also true. But moving on to your answers to Steel_lock's questions: So there is a relevant aspect of Wendy's life that has changed? No'ish That coloured her outlook towards the election? No Is this change in outlook something with which we could credibly blame the incumbent? No Did Wendy know the mayor, in a non-political way? (i.e. not merely in a "I recognise him - he's the mayor" sense) No Has an experience with him coloured her outlook on him? No and politics in general? No (Which would explain why she would've been equally upset had the opponent won...) Is it that she has become (or already was?) a massive anarchist/arch-socialist/communist, and is against governance and political systems in general? No Did she perhaps want the mayor to win, because she liked him as a person and thus wants him to succeed in his endeavours, but was upset that he would once again be dragged (by virtue of his re-election) into the evil machine that is political life? No | ||
| Steel_lock (Steel_lock)
New member Username: Steel_lock Post Number: 21 Registered: 1-2009 |
Does it have to do with the newspaper itself? Like, did she find out that it was printed in the blood of strangled toddlers or something equally horrible? Was her upset caused by seeing a picture / image / caption associated with the article she read (ie did she see an assassin surrepitiously inject the winning candidate with some kind of deadly poison in the guise of a "congratulatory" handshake)? Did she find out something new about the town in which she lived? Read something new about someone that she knew? Wait, about the FA -- are you saying that her desire didn't change? So even though she was upset, she still wanted the incumbent to remain mayor? I think I'm a little confused about that point. | ||
| Steel_lock (Steel_lock)
New member Username: Steel_lock Post Number: 22 Registered: 1-2009 |
Does it have to do with the newspaper itself? Like, did she find out that it was printed in the blood of strangled toddlers or something equally horrible? Was her upset caused by seeing a picture / image / caption associated with the article she read (ie did she see an assassin surrepitiously inject the winning candidate with some kind of deadly poison in the guise of a "congratulatory" handshake)? Did she find out something new about the town in which she lived? Read something new about someone that she knew? Wait, about the FA -- are you saying that her desire didn't change? So even though she was upset, she still wanted the incumbent to remain mayor? I think I'm a little confused about that point. | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 961 Registered: 9-2003 |
Steel_lock Does it have to do with the newspaper itself? YES -- good question! Like, did she find out that it was printed in the blood of strangled toddlers or something equally horrible? But not like this. Was her upset caused by seeing a picture / image / caption associated with the article she read (ie did she see an assassin surrepitiously inject the winning candidate with some kind of deadly poison in the guise of a "congratulatory" handshake)? No Did she find out something new about the town in which she lived? No Read something new about someone that she knew? No Wait, about the FA -- are you saying that her desire didn't change? Yes So even though she was upset, she still wanted the incumbent to remain mayor? Yes I think I'm a little confused about that point. If you can somehow clear up your confusion, then this puzzle practically solves itself -- you have uncovered a major piece of this puzzle with your latest questions. | ||
| Logician (Logician)
New member Username: Logician Post Number: 433 Registered: 6-2003 |
So it is something in the reporting of the election that Wendy has a problem with? Is it the written article? Any pictures or captions? Is it even relevant that the newspaper was writing about the election? Did the newspaper reporter misunderstand something about the election? About the candidates? About the voting? And it was this misunderstanding that Wendy was upset about? | ||
| Steel_lock (Steel_lock)
New member Username: Steel_lock Post Number: 23 Registered: 1-2009 |
Was she upset with the newspaper itself as a physical object? Was she upset with the way the newspaper was put together, or the way the article was written, or something that she read in the content of an article or other feature? | ||
| Crazypalpig (Crazypalpig)
New member Username: Crazypalpig Post Number: 2295 Registered: 8-2006 |
Was there a typo? Would she have been upset if it had been in a different newspaper? On the WWW? On the air? | ||
| Tricky_martin (Tricky_martin)
New member Username: Tricky_martin Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2009 |
Did the election itself provide some benefit for Wendy? Like her getting more press coverage? More newspaper sales? Is she the owner of the newspaper or gets a share of its profits? Is Wendy actually upset because the incumbent won? Rather than that the other candidate didn't win? Or that the election is over? Would Wendy have been equally upset, had the incumbent won only by a small margin? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 962 Registered: 9-2003 |
Logician So it is something in the reporting of the election that Wendy has a problem with? Yes Is it the written article? No Any pictures or captions? No Is it even relevant that the newspaper was writing about the election? Yes Did the newspaper reporter misunderstand something about the election? About the candidates? About the voting? And it was this misunderstanding that Wendy was upset about? No to all. Steel_lock Was she upset with the newspaper itself as a physical object? Yes'ish Was she upset with the way the newspaper was put together This one is closest, or the way the article was written, or something that she read in the content of an article or other feature? Crazypalpig Was there a typo? No Would she have been upset if it had been in a different newspaper? Only if the other newspaper had the same um, "property", as this newspaper. On the WWW? On the air? No to the last two...good question. Tricky_martin Did the election itself provide some benefit for Wendy? Yes Like her getting more press coverage? Possibly, but most likely not More newspaper sales? Yes Is she the owner of the newspaper or gets a share of its profits? YES -- she is the owner of the newspaper...good question! Is Wendy actually upset because the incumbent won? No Rather than that the other candidate didn't win? No Or that the election is over? No Would Wendy have been equally upset, had the incumbent won only by a small margin? Yes | ||
| Steel_lock (Steel_lock)
New member Username: Steel_lock Post Number: 24 Registered: 1-2009 |
Okay, so I'm guessing that the main focus of our... er... investigation should be the perceived flaw in the newspaper's... er... "properties", right? Wait, were the election results presented in such a way that they would be less visible or understandable to potential customers? How about the price of the newspaper? Did the newspaper's property cause it to not sell as well for any reason? Would someone else be annoyed/upset if they noticed the same property as Wendy did? (God that sentence was awful). | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 966 Registered: 9-2003 |
Okay, so I'm guessing that the main focus of our... er... investigation should be the perceived flaw in the newspaper's... er... "properties", right? Yep. =) Wait, were the election results presented in such a way that they would be less visible or understandable to potential customers? Yes How about the price of the newspaper? Price of the paper is irrelevant. Did the newspaper's property cause it to not sell as well for any reason? Tough to say...it might have sold a bit less than what it could have, but this is hypothetical. Would someone else be annoyed/upset if they noticed the same property as Wendy did? (God that sentence was awful). Possibly. That said, recall that Wendy is the owner of the newspaper, so her reaction to it will be different than the average joe on the streets. | ||
| Smartyllama (Smartyllama)
New member Username: Smartyllama Post Number: 28 Registered: 1-2009 |
Did the incumbent actually win? Or was it a misprint? And that's why she was upset? | ||
| Tricky_martin (Tricky_martin)
New member Username: Tricky_martin Post Number: 5 Registered: 2-2009 |
Is Wendy upset about some wording or phrasing (e.g., the headline being easily misread or misunderstood)? A printed picture? An illustration? The layout of the text? Another news entry on the front page? Is the color of the ink or paper relevant? | ||
| Bolapara (Bolapara)
New member Username: Bolapara Post Number: 164 Registered: 12-2008 |
would the part of the newspaper that upset her be a potential feature on jay leno headlines? Like mayor joe celebrates his re-election - next to a picture of someone who looked a bit like joe being arrested in a crowd? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 969 Registered: 9-2003 |
Smartyllama Did the incumbent actually win? Yes Or was it a misprint? No, but... And that's why she was upset? No Tricky_martin Is Wendy upset about some wording or phrasing (e.g., the headline being easily misread or misunderstood)? No A printed picture? No An illustration? No The layout of the text? Yes, but be careful of potential mislead! Another news entry on the front page? Yes, but again, be careful of potential mislead! Is the color of the ink or paper relevant? No Bolapara would the part of the newspaper that upset her be a potential feature on jay leno headlines? No, but good thinking. Like mayor joe celebrates his re-election - next to a picture of someone who looked a bit like joe being arrested in a crowd? No, but good thinking. | ||
| Smartyllama (Smartyllama)
New member Username: Smartyllama Post Number: 64 Registered: 1-2009 |
Was the newspaper made of anything special? Like recycled paper? Or something besides paper? Is this relevant? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 971 Registered: 9-2003 |
Smartyllama Was the newspaper made of anything special? Irrelevant Like recycled paper? Irrelevant Or something besides paper? Well, it is relevant that Wendy was reading a paper copy (instead of, say, a web copy) of the newspaper. Is this relevant? See my previous answers. | ||
| D_gordon (D_gordon)
New member Username: D_gordon Post Number: 386 Registered: 11-2008 |
Was the headline of the story that the mayor won reelection printed under another story? Another headline? Otherwise near another story or headline? That distracted from the story about the election? Made it look untrue? Are font sizes relevant? | ||
| Eliott85 (Eliott85)
New member Username: Eliott85 Post Number: 60 Registered: 12-2008 |
Was the information about the election on the front page? Inside? Did she want/expect it to be on the front? Inside? Perhaps the front cover gave away too much information about it, so people didn't feel the need to buy the paper to read more...maybe because the election has boosted sales? Or another article made the election seem less important? | ||
| Haenlomal (Haenlomal)
New member Username: Haenlomal Post Number: 972 Registered: 9-2003 |
D_gordon Was the headline of the story that the mayor won reelection printed under another story? No Another headline? No Otherwise near another story or headline? Well, yes -- not many stories take up the entire page of a newspaper. However, the stories surrounding the news article are irrelevant. That distracted from the story about the election? No Made it look untrue? No Are font sizes relevant? No, but good thinking. Eliott85 Was the information about the election on the front page? NO -- good question! Inside? YES Did she want/expect it to be on the front? Yes Inside? No...getting the picture now? =) Perhaps the front cover gave away too much information about it, so people didn't feel the need to buy the paper to read more...maybe because the election has boosted sales? Or another article made the election seem less important? The rest of the question here are irrelevant. But that's ok, since your other questions have uncovered more than enough information for me to justify a.... *************** SPOILER ******************** Wendy is the chief editor for the largest newspaper in town. After making sure that the newspaper had gotten accurate information about the election, and the article had been properly written, he left it to her assistant to finish the layout. Obviously, for a big news like the mayoral elections, Wendy expected it to be front page news. The assistant laid everything out correctly, but somehow swapped the front page with the inside cover. So what ended up being printed on the front page was material laid out for the inside cover. The material on the front page, including the headlines and the mayoral election results, were put on the inside page. Wendy was understandably angry when she finally read the article in a totally different place than she expected it to be! Thanks to all who played, and special props go Eliott85 for finally laying this puzzle to rest. |
