Six trees are planted in a row: mango, apple, orange, guava, banana, and…
2024
Six trees are planted in a row: mango, apple, orange, guava, banana, and pomegranate. Mango is planted between banana and pomegranate. Banana is one of the two trees planted in the middle. Guava is the only tree planted to the left of apple, and the orange tree is not immediately next to the pomegranate tree. Which tree is planted next to the banana tree?
- A.
Guava
- B.
Apple
- C.
Orange
- D.
Pomegranate
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In a linear-arrangement puzzle, every clue converts into one of three constraint types: a fixed position (only one item to the left/right of another pins both), a betweenness relation among three items (by the standard convention of these puzzles, 'planted between X and Y' means immediately between -- adjacent to both -- so the three occupy three consecutive slots with the 'between' item in the centre), or a range restriction (an item must sit in one of a set of middle seats). The unique arrangement is the one order of all items that satisfies every constraint simultaneously.
Step-by-step application:
Guava is the only tree to the left of apple, so apple can only be the second tree in the row, with guava fixed as the first.
Banana is one of the two trees in the middle of a row of six, so banana occupies the third or fourth position.
Mango is planted between banana and pomegranate, so banana, mango, and pomegranate must occupy three consecutive positions with mango in the centre of that trio.
Testing banana at the third position: the trio would fill positions 3-4-5 (banana, mango, pomegranate), leaving orange in the sixth position -- right beside pomegranate in the fifth. That breaks the clue that orange and pomegranate are not immediate neighbours, so banana cannot be third.
Testing banana at the fourth position: the trio fills positions 4-5-6 (banana, mango, pomegranate), leaving orange in the third position -- three seats away from pomegranate, so the 'not immediate' clue holds.
Cross-check: The complete row is:
Position | Tree |
|---|---|
1 | Guava |
2 | Apple |
3 | Orange |
4 | Banana |
5 | Mango |
6 | Pomegranate |
Every clue checks out against this row: guava is the only tree left of apple, banana sits in a middle seat, mango sits directly between banana and pomegranate, and orange (3) is not immediately next to pomegranate (6).
Answer: Banana's two neighbours in the final row are orange and mango. Mango is not offered as a choice here, so among the options given, orange is the tree planted next to banana.