Comprehension : (Que No. 12-16) Direction: Read the information given and…
2025
Comprehension : (Que No. 12-16)
Direction: Read the information given and answer the following questions.
The head of the newly formed government desires to appoint five of the six elected members A, B, C, D, E and F in the portfolios of Home, Defence, Power, Telecom and Finance.
(i) F does not want any portfolio if D gets one of the five.
(ii) C wants either Home or Finance or no portfolio.
(iii) B says if D gets either Power or Telecom, then she must get the other one.
(iv) E insists on a portfolio if A gets one.
Question:
Which of the following combination is a valid assignment?
Answer: B. C - Home, D - Power, A - Defence, B - Telecom, E - Finance — This is a conditional-constraint assignment puzzle: every condition in the passage is really an 'if-then' rule linking who gets which portfolio. The…
- A.
A - Home, B - Power, C - Defence, D - Telecom, E - Finance
- B.
C - Home, D - Power, A - Defence, B - Telecom, E - Finance
- C.
A - Home, B - Power, E - Defence, D - Telecom, F - Finance
- D.
B - Home, F - Power, E - Defence, C - Telecom, A - Finance
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
This is a conditional-constraint assignment puzzle: every condition in the passage is really an 'if-then' rule linking who gets which portfolio. The systematic method is to translate each condition into a plain rule first, then test every candidate assignment against ALL the rules together — a single broken rule eliminates that option, and only the assignment that breaks none of them is valid.
The four rules translate as:
D and F cannot both receive a portfolio (from condition (i)).
If C receives a portfolio, it must be Home or Finance — never any other portfolio (from condition (ii)).
If D receives Power, B must receive Telecom, and if D receives Telecom, B must receive Power (from condition (iii)).
If A receives a portfolio, E must also receive a portfolio (from condition (iv)).
Checking each combination against these rules:
A - Home, B - Power, C - Defence, D - Telecom, E - Finance: C is given Defence, breaking Rule 2 (C may only hold Home or Finance, or nothing) — not valid.
C - Home, D - Power, A - Defence, B - Telecom, E - Finance: C holds Home (Rule 2 holds); D holds Power and B holds Telecom together, satisfying Rule 3; F holds nothing alongside D, satisfying Rule 1; A holds Defence and E holds Finance, satisfying Rule 4 — no rule is broken.
A - Home, B - Power, E - Defence, D - Telecom, F - Finance: D and F both receive a portfolio (Telecom and Finance), breaking Rule 1 — not valid.
B - Home, F - Power, E - Defence, C - Telecom, A - Finance: C is given Telecom, breaking Rule 2 — not valid.
Cross-check on the surviving combination (C-Home, D-Power, A-Defence, B-Telecom, E-Finance): Rule 1 holds (F holds nothing while D holds Power); Rule 2 holds (C holds Home); Rule 3 holds (D-Power paired with B-Telecom); Rule 4 holds (A holds a portfolio and so does E). All four rules hold simultaneously, confirming this is the only valid assignment.
Therefore, the valid assignment is C - Home, D - Power, A - Defence, B - Telecom, E - Finance.