Logical puzzle Miss Anne has eleven kids and eleven apples how can she share them so that one apple still remains in the bowl?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: She gives one child the bowl itself with the last apple still inside it

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question is a classic lateral thinking puzzle often told in schools. On the surface it looks like a problem of arithmetic and fairness, but the trick lies in how we interpret the phrase an apple should remain in her bowl. The puzzle tests your ability to think beyond routine equal sharing and to consider physical objects like the bowl as part of the solution, instead of only thinking in terms of separate apples.


Given Data / Assumptions:
• Miss Anne has eleven kids in her class.
• She has a bowl containing eleven apples at the start.
• She wants to divide the eleven apples among the eleven kids.
• After division, an apple should still remain in her bowl.
• We assume that each child should receive one whole apple and that all apples must be distributed without cutting them.


Concept / Approach:
If you think narrowly in terms of numbers, the requirement seems impossible: eleven apples for eleven children suggests one apple per child, so how can one apple remain in the bowl at the same time. The key conceptual shift is to realise that the phrase remain in her bowl does not forbid the bowl from leaving Miss Anne. She can give the entire bowl with the last apple still inside to one of the children. In that situation, every child still has one apple, and it is also true that there is an apple which remains in the bowl, only now the bowl is in a child's hands. This is a typical lateral logic twist.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start by assuming that each of the eleven kids should get exactly one apple. Step 2: Give one apple directly into the hands of each of ten children. Now ten apples are distributed and one apple remains in the bowl. Step 3: For the eleventh child, instead of taking the last apple out, hand over the bowl with the last apple still inside it. Step 4: Now each of the eleven children has one apple. Ten have apples in their hands and one child has a bowl containing an apple. Step 5: At the same time, the statement an apple remains in her bowl is also satisfied, because the apple is still physically in the bowl.


Verification / Alternative check:
Check the conditions one by one. Number of apples: eleven at the start and eleven at the end, all with the children, no apple cut. Number of kids: eleven, each with exactly one apple. Bowl condition: at least one apple remains in the bowl, which is still true even after the bowl is passed to a child. The puzzle does not state that the bowl must stay with Miss Anne, only that an apple should remain in the bowl. So the described distribution satisfies all parts of the problem at once.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• Cutting one apple into eleven slices and keeping the peel does not leave a whole apple in the bowl and violates the usual idea that each kid gets one full apple.
• Giving each kid half an apple and keeping halves is not consistent with the idea of distributing eleven whole apples among eleven children.
• Giving ten kids an apple and leaving one child without is unfair and contradicts the condition that the apples are divided to the kids in a reasonable way.


Common Pitfalls:
Many students immediately assume that the bowl must stay with the teacher and that no apple can remain in the bowl once she has finished sharing. Others focus only on numerical operations such as cutting apples, which is not mentioned in the puzzle at all. The main lesson is to pay very close attention to wording and not add extra restrictions. The puzzle designer expects you to think about the physical act of handing over the bowl itself as part of the solution.


Final Answer:
Miss Anne can solve the puzzle by giving one child the bowl with the last apple still inside it, so each of the eleven kids has an apple and one apple remains in the bowl at the same time.

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