The Folder Mix-Up

The case file

Four clerks each carried one evidence folder -- red, blue, green, and yellow -- into the courtroom. The sign-in log kept four notes about who carried which color. Who carried the yellow folder?

The rule: Each clerk carried exactly one folder, and each folder went to exactly one clerk. All four notes are accurate.

The clues

1. Tessa Quinn did not receive the green folder.
2. Lena Brooks and Mira Sol received the same color family (both warm).
3. The red folder went to Mira Sol.
4. Tessa Quinn did not receive the yellow folder.

Who did it?

1. Mira Sol
2. Tessa Quinn
3. Lena Brooks
4. Nadia Cole

The verdict

Lena Brooks

Only Lena Brooks can hold the yellow folder. Not Mira Sol: if Mira Sol carried the yellow folder, "The red folder went to Mira Sol" could not be true. Not Tessa Quinn: the four notes together rule Tessa Quinn out. Not Nadia Cole: if Nadia Cole carried the yellow folder, "Lena Brooks and Mira Sol received the same color family (both warm)" could not be true.