The Detective’s DeskOwen Grey
Dining assistant
“There were nine candles on the four tables in total.”
EASY · CASE FILE
The ninth candle
Easy · JUNIPER DINING ROOM
A candle count in the dining-room report seems wrong. Use the complete inventory for the finished table setting. Shadows and spare supplies are not additional candles on a table.
Read the case file below, or open the interactive desk to examine records, keep notes and submit your reasoning. These are the case materials, without the solution.
Your assignment
Whose inventory statement is wrong?
- The source records are verified and their stated conditions apply to every account.
- Find the account contradicted by a record. A contradiction alone does not establish wrongdoing.
People and accounts
Priya Lake
Dining assistant
“Each table had two candles.”
Quinn Reed
Dining assistant
“Four tables were set.”
Case records
Read each record on its own terms. A claim made by a person is different from a fact established by an independent record.
DESK RECORD
The spare-candle shelf
Unused candles remained boxed in a separate store cupboard.
Unused candles remained boxed in a separate store cupboard.
FINISHED SETTING INVENTORY
Four tables, two candles each
Exactly four tables were set. Exactly two candles were placed on each table. There were no other candles on any of those tables.
This is a verified source record for this case. Compare its stated facts with the exact question.
PHOTOGRAPH
The window photograph
Sunlight cast several candle-shaped shadows across the floor.
Sunlight cast several candle-shaped shadows across the floor.
Questions to resolve
How many objects belong to the complete counted group?
Use the interactive case desk to select your finding and cite the records that support it. The answer is checked there, and your progress stays in your browser.
Build your finding
Compare the records with each account. Work out what the evidence establishes, then separate that finding from anything it does not prove.