Directions: Read the following information carefully and answer the question.…
2024
Directions: Read the following information carefully and answer the question.
Eight persons - A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H - are sitting in a circular arrangement, all facing the centre. Each person holds a distinct card number ranging from 2 to 9. Note: The difference between the card numbers of persons sitting adjacent to each other is more than 1.
C sits sixth to the right of the person whose card number is a prime number. Two persons sit between the person who sits second to the right of C and G. The person whose card number is a multiple of 5 is an immediate neighbour of G. F sits third to the right of the person whose card number is a multiple of 5. The person who sits opposite to the person whose card number is 5 has a card number which is two less than the card number of G. The person whose card number is 8 sits second to the left of F. One person sits between the person who has card number 6 and H. A is an immediate neighbour of the person who has card number 6 and has a card number that is a multiple of 3. The card number of B is not 2, 5 or 8. The person who sits second to the left of A has card number 4. The difference between the card number of C and A is equal to the card number of B. D is an immediate neighbour of the person who has card number 3. D is not an immediate neighbour of A and H. D does not sit opposite to H and F. E is an immediate neighbour of G.
How many persons sit between the person who has card number 9 and E when counting in the anti-clockwise direction from E?
Answer: E. Two — CONCEPT: In a circular seating arrangement, when every person faces the CENTRE (as here), their right and left are reversed relative to an outside observer's…
- A.
Three
- B.
Four
- C.
Five
- D.
One
- E.
Two
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
CONCEPT: In a circular seating arrangement, when every person faces the CENTRE (as here), their right and left are reversed relative to an outside observer's clockwise/anti-clockwise view: for someone facing the centre, "to the right" is the ANTI-CLOCKWISE direction around the ring and "to the left" is the CLOCKWISE direction. Applying this convention consistently to every right/left clue, anchoring one seat from a value-locked clue, and growing the ring one forced clue at a time lets you read off the requested count in the stated absolute direction at the end.
Within cards 2-9 the only multiple of 5 is 5 and the only value-locked clue chain that fits A is among the multiples of 3 {3,6,9}. Using the facing-centre convention (right = anti-clockwise), "C sits sixth to the right of the prime-card holder" and "two persons sit between the seat second to the right of C and G" together anchor C, the prime-card holder, and G relative to each other.
"The card-5 holder is an immediate neighbour of G" and "F sits third to the right of the card-5 holder" chain G, the card-5 holder, and F consecutively around the ring.
"The card-8 holder sits second to the left of F" and "the seat opposite the card-5 holder has a value two less than G's card" together force G to hold card 8 and the seat opposite card-5 to hold card 6; combined with the anchor from step 1, this seats the prime-card holder as the card-7 holder and places C at the seat opposite the card-5 holder, so C holds card 6.
"A is a multiple-of-3 card holder and an immediate neighbour of the card-6 holder", "the seat second to the left of A holds card 4", and "|C - A| = B" together fix A = 9 and B = 3.
The remaining clues -- D is an immediate neighbour of the card-3 holder, D is not adjacent to A or H, and D is not opposite H or F -- pin every remaining seat.
The single consistent ring, read clockwise, is A(9) - C(6) - F(4) - E(2) - G(8) - D(5) - B(3) - H(7), with E an immediate neighbour of G as required.
APPLICATION (read-off): The card-9 holder is A. Under the facing-centre convention, moving anti-clockwise from E means moving backward through this clockwise-read ring. Starting at E and moving anti-clockwise, the people encountered before reaching A are F(4) and C(6) -- exactly two people -- so the answer is Two.
CROSS-CHECK: The two arcs between E and the card-9 holder must together account for all other people. The anti-clockwise arc holds F(4), C(6) = 2 people and the clockwise arc holds G(8), D(5), B(3), H(7) = 4 people; 2 + 4 = 6, which is exactly the six people other than E and the card-9 holder, confirming the closed ring and the anti-clockwise count of 2.