math english
Three monkeys spend a day gathering coconuts together. When they have finished, they are very tired and fall asleep. The following morning, the first monkey wakes up. Not wishing to disturb his friends, he decides to divide the coconuts into three equal piles. There is one left over, so he throws this odd one away, helps himself to his share, and goes home. A few minutes later, the second monkey awakes. Not realizing that the first has already gone, he too divides the coconuts into three equal heaps. He finds one left over, throws the odd one away, helps himself to his fair share, and goes home. In the morning, the third monkey wakes to find that he is alone. He spots the two discarded coconuts, and puts them with the pile, giving him a total of twelve coconuts.
a.How many coconuts did the first two monkeys take?
b.How many coconuts did the monkeys gather in all?
どうやって解くのでしょうか?説明と答えをお願いします。
補足
微妙な感じですね。受験でも、資格試験でもたまに微妙な問題って ありますよね。