In the diagram, each row, each column, and each shape shown by
the thick lines must contain the letters , , , , and .
If each square contains exactly one letter, what letter must be
placed in the shaded square?




In the diagram, each row, each column, and each shape shown by
the thick lines must contain the letters , , , , and .
If each square contains exactly one letter, what letter must be
placed in the shaded square?




Pick one
We begin by naming shapes shown by the thick lines 1, 2, 3, 4,
and 5, as shown in the diagram.
We also adopt the notation [row number, column number] to refer to
the contents of specific squares in the diagram.
For example, we are given that is (this is in shape 3), and is (this is in shape 2).
It is important to note that the solution that follows is one of many
different ways to arrive at the final answer.
Since is , then cannot be (shape 1 already has ), and cannot be (column 2 already has ), and thus the in row 2 must be .
Since row 5 already has an , then
the in shape 5 cannot be in row
5, and thus is .
Row 2 is missing and and since column 2 has an , then is and is .
The letters determined to this point are included in the diagram
below.
Since shape 2 already contains
and row 1 is missing , then is .
Also, column 4 already contains
and so is not which means that is (since shape 5 is missing ).
The letters determined to this point are included in the diagram
below.
Shape 1 must contain somewhere
in column 1 and so is not
. Since shape 5 is missing , then is .
Shape 4 is missing , and . Since column 4 already contains and , then cannot be or , and thus is .
Finally, shape 1 is missing and
. Since row 3 contains , then cannot be , and so the letter in the shaded
square, , is as shown.
The completed diagram is included below. Given the initial 5 letters
and their locations, there is exactly one way to complete this
diagram.
