Final answer:
By considering the difference in leftover drinks from last year to this year, we can deduce that each friend drank 4 beverages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The puzzle involves simple arithmetic and logical deduction. Initially, four people had a certain number of drinks and after consuming them equally, there were three leftover drinks. This year, the same number of drinks were brought to the beach by two people, Person 1 and Person 2, and after they drank the same amount as last year individually, they had 11 drinks leftover.
So, the difference between the leftover drinks when four people were present versus two people indicates the consumption by the two friends who are not present this year. That difference is 11 - 3 drinks = 8 drinks. Since there were two friends and they drank 8 drinks together, they must have had 4 drinks each.
Therefore, the answer is (b) 4.