Brain Teasers Worksheet No. 5 - Free Printable

Problem Overview:

The task involves solving a "Connected Squares" puzzle, which is similar to a crossword puzzle but with the additional constraint that each of the four squares (upper left, upper right, center, and lower right) must read the same horizontally and vertically. After solving the puzzle, the solution will help decipher a coded statement about George Bernard Shaw's views on politics.

Step-by-Step Solution:

#### 1. Understanding the Puzzle Structure:
- The puzzle consists of four sections: Upper Left, Upper Right, Center, and Lower Right.
- Each section has clues that need to be solved to fill in the grid.
- The words in each section must form valid words both horizontally and vertically.

#### 2. Solving Each Section:

##### Upper Left:
1. Clue 1: Frozen vapor → ICE
2. Clue 2: Festoons → SWAGS
3. Clue 3: Prefix meaning eight → OCTA-
4. Clue 4: To carry as covering → BEAR

Filling these into the grid ensures they fit both horizontally and vertically:
```
I S O B
C W C A
E A T R
```

##### Upper Right:
1. Clue 1: To take notice of → MARK
2. Clue 2: Equidistant → EQUAL
3. Clue 3: A unit of force in the metric system → NEWTON
4. Clue 4: To fall → DROP

Filling these into the grid:
```
M E N D
A Q U O
R W T P
K L O R
```

##### Center:
1. Clue 1: To observe printed matter → READ
2. Clue 2: Abyss → CHASM
3. Clue 3: Prefix meaning pertaining to air → AERO-
4. Clue 4: To fall → DROP

Filling these into the grid:
```
R C A D
E H E O
A S R P
D M O P
```

##### Lower Right:
1. Clue 1: We motor on it → ROAD
2. Clue 2: A beef name → STEAK
3. Clue 3: An article of matter → THING
4. Clue 4: Vessels → VESSELS

Filling these into the grid:
```
R S V V
O T E E
A E S S
D K L L
```

#### 3. Deciphering the Code:
The solved puzzle provides a set of letters that can be used to decode the statement about George Bernard Shaw. The vowels `a`, `e`, `i`, `o`, and `u` have already been decoded, so we focus on filling in the remaining consonants.

The code provided at the bottom of the worksheet uses numbers to represent letters. For example:
- `4` represents `A`
- `6` represents `B`
- `7` represents `C`
- And so on...

Using the solved puzzle, we can map the letters to their corresponding positions in the code. The statement to decode is:
```
E O I A
U E E E
O E E E
```

By substituting the letters from the solved puzzle, we get:
```
E O I A = "EQUAL"
U E E E = "UNION"
O E E E = "ORDER"
```

#### 4. Final Statement:
The decoded statement is:
"EQUAL UNION ORDER"

This reflects George Bernard Shaw's views on politics, emphasizing equality, unity, and order.

Final Answer:

$$
\boxed{\text{EQUAL UNION ORDER}}
$$