Problem 6 · 1999 AMC 8
Easy
Logic & Word Problems
ordering
Bo, Coe, Flo, Jo, and Moe have different amounts of money. Neither Jo nor Bo has as much money as Flo. Both Bo and Coe have more than Moe. Jo has more than Moe, but less than Bo. Who has the least amount of money?
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Answer: E — Moe.
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Hint 1 of 2
The question only asks for the least, so you don't need to sort all five — you just need the one person nobody falls below. Watch which name keeps showing up on the small side of every comparison.
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Hint 2 of 2
Scan the clues for the name that is always "more than" someone else. The person who never appears as the bigger one is your answer.
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Approach: look only for the bottom, not the full order
- Sweep the clues for who loses each comparison. Moe is beaten by Bo, by Coe, and by Jo directly. And since Flo > Bo > Moe, Flo beats Moe too.
- Every other person sits above Moe, so Moe has the least.
- Why this transfers: for a "who is least/greatest" question you only need the extreme, not the whole ranking — find the name that's on the losing side of every clue and stop. Chaining Flo > Bo > Moe shows you can hop across people you were never directly told to compare.
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