brain teasers
Sudoku.
Grab a pencil, put on your thinking cap and join the craze!
The objective of Sudoku is to fill in the missing squares so that each row, column and 3×3 box contains the numbers 1 through to 9. To get you started, here are a few tactics..
Scan each horizontal and vertical band consisting of three 3×3 boxes. It’s often easiest to start in a spot with the most numbers already given. If you can find the same number in two rows, you know that number must be in the third (the same goes for columns). Now see which intersecting rows and columns can be eliminated because they also contain that number. (This method is called slicing and dicing.)
Some Sudoku fans like to pencil in possible answers in the corners of individual squares. Once you have a few numbers filled in, you may also find it handy to jot down a list of missing numbers for each row, column and box. Good luck!
SUDOKU EASY
SUDOKU MODERATE
40-question quiz.
1. Which film star returned to the screen after a troubled year, in the title role of Drillbit Taylor?
2. Which Australian swimmer broke the world record for the 400m Individual Medley at the Olympic selection trials in March?
3. Which New Zealand city is the home of the Super 14 Crusaders?
4. Heather Mills recently settled a messy but lucrative divorce from Sir Paul McCartney. What was the name of the former Beatles’ first wife?
5. In one of a series of coincidences, assassinated US presidents Lincoln and Kennedy were both succeeded in the position by men with what surname?
6. Which fictional town was the setting of the 1990s TV series SeaChange?
7. In cricket, what does IPL stand for?
8. Of what is taurophobia a fear?
9. Who won the 2008 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne?
10. What kind of creature is Australia’s antechinus?
11. Which long-running children’s show will this year feature new educational segments such as “Rhyme Scene Investigation” and “A’s Anatomy”?
12. In the world of Harry Potter, which creature has the head and wings of an eagle and the body of a horse?
13. Apart from gold, silver and bronze, which other precious material will feature on the medals at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games?
14. Which country is home to Asahi beer?
15. Who is the famous father of teenage popsinger/actress Miley Cyrus?
16. Which UK style mavens have the surnames Woodall and Constantine?
17. Which US performer was born Curtis James Jackson III?
18. Where was actor Joaquin Phoenix born?
19. Which Jetstar Gold Coast Titans star’s autobiography is entitled Off the Wing, On a Prayer?
20. Which popular puzzle takes its name from a Japanese term meaning ‘one number’?
21. Which Asian soccer team held Australia’s Socceroos to a 0-0 draw in a friendly match in March?
22. Which multi-talented – if fictional – performer had a hit with his debut single “Naughty Girl” earlier this year?
23. Which author’s work is the basis for the film Horton Hears a Who!?
24. The Indonesian art form of wayang kulit involves what type of performance?
25. Which actor stars as King Henry VIII in the lavish costume drama, The Other Boleyn Girl?
26. Which noughties star features on the hit remix of Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ “?
27. In which city can you visit the Parap Markets?
28. After which famous aviator was Sydney’s main airport at Mascot named?
29. Titan, the second largest moon in our solar system, orbits which planet?
30. Cate Blanchett was pipped out for two Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards. Can you name the actresses who won in each of the categories?
31. Flying interstate to watch your AFL team take on the reigning premiers Geelong, which airport would be the most convenient?
32. Which revamped TV series features former AFL star Anthony Koutafides and Olympic pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva?
33. One of the State Flags of the USA still features the British Union Jack, can you name it?
34. The 787-8 Dreamliner will join the Jetstar fleet in 2009. Which aviation company is the manufacturer?
35. The Golden Slipper is a highlight of the New South Wales Autumn Carnival, at which racecourse is it run?
36. Which island city-state is separated from Malaysia by the Strait of Johor?
37. Jude Law and Michael Caine star together in the remake of Sleuth. Caine also starred in the 1972 film, can you name the other star of that version?
38. Which actress, sharing a name with a figure from Greek mythology, stars in the sword and sandal parody Meet the Spartans?
39. Who is the President of Indonesia?
40. Captain Cook’s Cottage was transported from Yorkshire and rebuilt in a city he never visited. Where is the site of this historic building?
ARROW crossword
