Brain teaser: Can you solve this simple maths test ?

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A brain teaser is going viral over social media. What seems to be a simple maths test, is actually very difficult to solve.

Why you must solve brain teasers daily?
Brain teasers offer numerous cognitive benefits that stimulate mental activity and enhance overall brain health. Engaging with brain teasers regularly can improve critical thinking skills by encouraging individuals to think creatively and analytically to solve complex problems. This mental exercise helps sharpen concentration and focus, as it requires sustained attention to details and patterns.

Brain teasers are effective in boosting memory and recall abilities. Solving puzzles and riddles activates different parts of the brain associated with memory formation and retrieval, thereby enhancing cognitive function. This can be particularly beneficial for older adults in maintaining mental acuity and reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

The question
The question is: "Fourteen of the kids in the class are girls. Eight of the kids wear blue shirts. Two of the kids are neither girls or wear a blue shirt. Five of the kids are girls who wear blue shirts. How many kids are in the class?"

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Many enthusiasts have responded with answers.

"17 - 5 of the kids are girls that wore blue shirts so logically there must be 3 who aren’t girls so add that to the original number of 14 girls. 14 + 3," writes one user.

"Thank you all for guessing! The correct answer is 19," writes the one who had posted the puzzle.

Here's the answer

Total Girls: There are 14 girls in the class.

Total Blue Shirts: There are 8 kids wearing blue shirts.

Neither Girls nor Blue Shirts: There are 2 kids who are neither girls nor wearing blue shirts.

Girls who Wear Blue Shirts: There are 5 girls who wear blue shirts.

Now, let's find the total number of kids in the class:


Start with the total number of kids who are either girls or wear blue shirts:

Girls (14) + Blue shirts (8) - Girls who wear blue shirts (5) = 17 kids who are either girls or wear blue shirts.

Add the kids who are neither girls nor wear blue shirts:

Total = Kids who are either girls or wear blue shirts (17) + Neither (2) = 19

Therefore, the total number of kids in the class is 19.

So, what do you think is the right answer?
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