Directions: Study the following information carefully to answer the given…

2022

Directions: Study the following information carefully to answer the given questions:

Ten persons- M, N, O, P, Q, T, U, V, W and X sit around a circular table but not necessarily in the same order. Five of them face inside and rest of them face outside. No two consecutive alphabetical named persons sit adjacent to each other. Not more than two neighbours face the same direction.
Two persons sit between W and N. M sits 3rd to the right of N. Immediate neighbour of M face opposite direction to each other. X and V sit immediate left to each other but not an immediate neighbour N. O and P sit 2nd to the right of each other. Immediate neighbours of U face the same direction but not same as U. No one sits between O and X either one of the sides. W and Q face the same direction. X does not face outside.

How many minimum numbers of persons sit between Q and the one who sits just left of X?

  1. A.

    Six

  2. B.

    Seven

  3. C.

    Two

  4. D.

    Eight

  5. E.

    Can’t be determined

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C

Concept:

In a direction-based circular puzzle, a person's left/right is read from the way that person faces. For someone facing the centre, their left is the clockwise neighbour; for someone facing outward, their left is the anticlockwise neighbour. So before counting any gap you must first fix every seat AND every facing, then read "just left of X" through X's own facing.

Applying the clues step by step:

  1. Fix N, then place M three seats to N's right and W with exactly two people between W and N; this locks the M–N–W skeleton.

  2. "X does not face outside" forces X to face the centre, and "no one sits between O and X on either side" makes O an immediate neighbour of X.

  3. "X and V sit immediate left to each other" places V on X's left; since X faces the centre, V is X's clockwise neighbour, and X, V stay away from N's two neighbours.

  4. "O and P sit 2nd to the right of each other" (one seat between them) and the alphabetical-adjacency ban (no M–N, N–O, O–P, P–Q, T–U, U–V, V–W, W–X pair adjacent) fix the remaining seats of P, Q, T, U.

  5. The facing rules — neighbours of M face opposite each other, both neighbours of U face alike but opposite to U, W and Q face the same way, and never more than two in a row face alike with five inside and five outside — pin down every direction uniquely.

Reading the question: the person "just left of X" is the one on X's left as X faces the centre, which is V. Counting from Q to V, the two arcs of the circle hold six and two persons respectively, so the minimum number of persons between them is 2.

Cross-check: the larger arc gives six in-between, the shorter arc gives two; "minimum" takes the shorter arc, confirming 2 and ruling out "cannot be determined" because the constraints fix one unique arrangement.

Answer: Two.

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