You are given a question and two statements numbered I and II each containing…
2023
You are given a question and two statements numbered I and II each containing some information. Decide which of the statements is/are sufficient to answer the question? Q : Who reached office late among Divya, Fatima, John, Piyush and Ashish? I. Divya and John reached together. II. Fatima and Ashish reached together.
- A.
The statement I alone is sufficient to answer the question while the statement II alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
- B.
The statement II alone is sufficient to answer the question while the statement I alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
- C.
Both statements I and II together are necessary to answer the question.
- D.
Both statements I and II together are not sufficient to answer the question.
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Correct answer: D
Answer: Both statements together are not sufficient to determine who reached office late.
Reasoning:
Statement I tells us only that Divya and John arrived at the same time; it gives no information about their time relative to the others.
Statement II tells us only that Fatima and Ashish arrived at the same time; it gives no information about their time relative to the others.
Combining both statements leaves the ordering between the two pairs and Piyush unknown, so multiple arrival orders are possible.
Examples of different valid scenarios (both consistent with the statements):
Scenario 1: Order of arrival from earliest to latest — Divya and John together, then Fatima and Ashish together, and Piyush arrived last. Here Piyush is the latest.
Scenario 2: Order of arrival from earliest to latest — Piyush, then Divya and John together, and Fatima and Ashish arrived last together. Here Fatima and Ashish are the latest.
Scenario 3: Divya and John could themselves be the latest pair; again consistent with the statements. Thus the latest person is not uniquely determined.
Conclusion: Because the statements do not fix a unique ordering among the two tied pairs and Piyush, the combined information does not identify a single person who arrived late.