Books 1 and 2 each feature an instructional page at the beginning that demonstrates how to use a grid chart, and the grid puzzles that follow utilize pictures and simple words wherever possible so beginning readers aren’t more frustrated by the sentences than they are by the puzzles. Instead, Verbal contains 100 brief exercises that introduce younger students to the critical thinking process. What conclusion follows from this?” that guide the student to use their deductive reasoning skills, no clue and grid puzzles are included in this book. While the Verbal includes questions like “Skip likes cake better than pie. For each new level below, we have noted the old versions included in parentheses.Īlthough Mind Benders Verbal is considered the introductory book in the Mind Benders series, Critical Thinking also provides two Beginner Levels (Books 1 and 2) which introduce deductive thinking in the format of the grid puzzle. Puzzles spiral slightly within each level and solutions are included in the books.

Surprisingly, the new books are about the same size (and similar price!), perhaps because they have condensed each puzzle onto one page where originally the clues were on one page and the grid on the other. Where the original levels had 14 puzzles per book, most of the new versions include about 25-26.

These original titles contained in one book. The original books are leveled A1-C3, and were out of print, but some levels are now available again. Anyone doing Mind Benders for the first time should begin in the Verbal or Book 3 level to learn the deductive reasoning process before trying the more challenging levels. But perhaps it's no coincidence that I ended up a computer systems consultant.

I never gave a thought to their educational value. As a child, I particularly enjoyed working these clue-and-grid type problems and consumed puzzle books full of them just for fun. Becoming proficient in deductive reasoning will not only improve standardized test scores, but will help sharpen reasoning ability in all curriculum areas and in real life situations. Mind Benders books help students (and adults) learn and practice deductive reasoning as they are presented with clues to unravel and organize in order to reach logical conclusions.

Mind benders level 4 answers