5 First Prizes: A one-year subscription to Games

Three Easy Questions

The object of this contest was to answer three easy questions, which had been partially encoded to make them less easy. Each question used a different code. Winners were chosen at random from among entries with three correct answers.

Question #1

1-9-O 28-2-S 10-9-34 13-I-38-12-34-34-37-33-19 11-26-34-S-I-D-34-37-27

O-38 33-29-34 U-37-I-12-34-D S-10-6-33-34-S?

Question #2

42-50-22-16 35-49-8 28-50-E 18-48-40-16 45.8. 40-16-25-28-E

22-1-23-43-16-28-E-1 28-17 16-50-E 45-37-21-33-9?

Question #3

74-1-85 9-95-8-92-16 16-92-15-E-45-E-R-8 7-95-E-D 17-18-19

74-33 5-8-86 8-7 90-E 15-57-10-T 36-39-78-8-7?

The deciphered questions (and how the codes work) are as follows:

1. WHO WAS THE FIFTEENTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES?
2. WHAT WAS THE LAST STATE ADMITTED TO THE UNION?
3. W-H-At F-Am-O-U-S S-U-P-E-Rh-E-R-O N-Am-E-D Cl-Ar-K
W-As B-O-Rn O-N Th-E P-La-Ne-T Kr-Y-Pt-O-N?

In the first code, each number indicates the order in which a particular U.S. president served; substitute the first letter of the president’s last name for the number. In the second code, each number indicates the order of admission of a particular state; substitute the first letter of the name of the state. In the final code, each number is an atomic number that should be replaced by its element’s one- or two-letter symbol.

The answers to the questions are:

1. James Buchanan
2. Hawaii
3. Superman