FILE No.101Unsolved
You bought a mystery novel at a secondhand bookshop. As you start reading, you find plenty of marks left by the previous owner. The book has 100 pages in all.
What is the most likely thing the previous owner did with this book?
If you get stuck, open the hints one at a time, in order.
What marks does a page you have read usually carry?
Why might the last 10 pages show no marks?
Is there any sign of torn pages?
What is the most likely thing the previous owner did with this book?
Choose the answer closest to the truth.
Never finished reading it
The answer is "Never finished reading it."
The first 90 pages show signs of reading, while the last 10 pages show none at all. A page that has been read does not always get marked, but the most likely explanation is that the owner stopped reading at that point.
Someone who read the ending first would probably have left marks on the last pages too, though marks are not guaranteed. This question asks for the most natural inference. There are no tear marks, and nothing suggests a second copy.
Because you assume the clean pages are clean simply because the book is new.
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