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About This Quiz
Do you slaughter the daily Sudoku grid? Turn crossword puzzles into carnage? See how much you know about one of the newest strategy-based brain teaser games called KenKen.
Who invented KenKen puzzles?
Tetsuya Miyamoto
Japanese math teacher Tetsuya Miyamoto created the first KenKen puzzle in 2004.
Kenneth Kennedy
Will Shortz
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KenKen is similar to what other popular puzzle?
crossword puzzles
Jumble
sudoku
KenKen puzzles are often compared to sudoku puzzles.
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What does the name "KenKen" mean?
nothing
double math
wisdom squared
Ken means wisdom in Japanese, so "KenKen" roughly translates to wisdom squared.
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Do you need to have a lot of math skills to solve a KenKen puzzle?
No math skills are needed, just logic.
You need to know algebra.
You need to know basic arithmetic.
Basic arithmetic skills are needed to solve KenKen puzzles.
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What is the name of the computer program that creates KenKen puzzles?
Kenerator
The computer program that creates today's KenKen puzzles is called the Kenerator.
Knumber Kruncher
Ken Koder
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In which newspaper did KenKen puzzles first appear daily?
The New York Times
The Times (UK)
The Times (UK) first began publishing KenKen puzzles daily in March 2008.
The Japan Times
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Which company began marketing KenKen worldwide?
Nextoy
Nextoy, LLC began marketing the puzzle worldwide in 2008.
Hasbro
Mattel
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Which was the first American magazine to run KenKen puzzles?
Mental Floss
Reader's Digest
In 2009, Reader's Digest became the first U.S. magazine to publish a KenKen puzzle.
Scientific American
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Which U.S. puzzle guru helped popularize KenKen?
David Hoyt
Bobby Fischer
Will Shortz
Will Shortz has been the editor of The New York Times' crossword puzzle since 1993.
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What grid sizes are used in KenKen puzzles?
3-by-3 to 9-by-9
KenKen puzzle grids must be at least 3-by-3 and no larger than 9-by-9.
4-by-4 to 8-by-8
5-by-5 to 9-by-9
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What are the outlined boxes within the puzzles called?
coops
cages
The outlined boxes within each KenKen grid are called cages.
corrals
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What math function might be specified in each cage?
only addition or subtraction
only multiplication or division
addition, subtraction, multiplication or division
Each cage might specify the use of addition, subtraction, multiplication or division.
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What is the rule regarding repeating numbers?
You cannot use any number more than twice in any row or column.
Numbers cannot be repeated in any row or column.
Numbers cannot be repeated in any row or column.
Numbers cannot be repeated in rows, but they can be repeated in columns.
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Can there be more than one answer to a KenKen puzzle?
no
Each puzzle has only one correct answer.
Yes, each puzzle has two correct answers.
Yes, each puzzle has the same number of correct answers as its corresponding number of grids.
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Which numbers are used to solve a 4-by-4 puzzle?
0, 1, 2, 3
1, 2, 3, 4
Numbers one, two, three and four are used to solve a 4-by-4 puzzle.
1, 2, 4, 8
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KenKen creator Tetsuya Miyamoto runs a popular year-long weekend class that accepts how many students?
5 students
20 students
Miyamoto's school accepts only the first 20 students who apply.
50 students
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What kind of instruction does Miyamoto give his students?
He teaches philosophy and logic.
He does not teach his students.
Miyamoto does not give any formal instruction to his students; he believes people learn better by solving puzzles on their own, thus exercising their brains.
He teaches his students math and science.
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How many puzzles can you play each day at KenKen.com?
three
six
There are six new puzzles of varying difficulty each day on KenKen.com.
nine
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Are larger-grid puzzles harder to solve than smaller-grid puzzles?
Larger-grid puzzles are usually harder than the smaller-grid puzzles.
In general, larger-grid puzzles are harder than smaller-grid puzzles, but that's not always the case.
Yes, the larger the grid, the harder the puzzle.
No, size has no relation to degree of difficulty.
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Which of the following is NOT a good tip if you're having difficulty solving a KenKen puzzle?
Solve cages with an even number of boxes first.
Cages with even numbers of boxes aren't necessarily easier to solve than cages with an odd number of boxes.
Fill in any one-box cages first.
Focus on cages with prime numbers because they have a limited number of possible solutions.
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You Got:
/20
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