Writing exercise to practice logical reasoning:

Advice from Dominic Wilcox on structuring writing:

1. Start with conclusion- your version of the story
2. What are the reasons for the conclusion?
3. What is the proof for each of those reasons?

Exercise: Who ate the birthday cake?

Read the following scenario:

Elinor, Marianne and Maggie are sisters.

Maggie is getting a big chocolate mud cake for her birthday. It’s left in the kitchen the night before her birthday.

But on the morning of her birthday, the cake is gone.

Your name is Inspector Gateau. You decide to investigate who ate the birthday cake.

You talk to the sisters.

Maggie tells you that in the middle of the night, she woke up to get a drink of water. She saw Elinor in the kitchen. She didn’t think anything of it at the time.

You speak to Elinor. She tells you that she’s feeling sick, so she wouldn’t want to eat the cake. She looks quite sick. You notice that she has chocolate coloured marks near her mouth.

Elinor tells you that Marianne confessed to her that she ate the cake because she was jealous.

You speak to Marianne who denies this.

Figure out who ate the cake and write down your reasoning:

1. Start with conclusion- your version of the story
2. What are the reasons for the conclusion?
3. What is the proof for each of those reasons?

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