Study the following information carefully and answer the given questions:…
2024
Study the following information carefully and answer the given questions:
Seven persons A, B, C, D, E, F, and G are sitting around a circular table, but not necessarily in the same order. Some of them face towards the centre, and some face away from the centre. F sits third to the right of A. The immediate neighbours of A face the same direction but opposite as A. A faces the same direction as B but not towards the centre. One person sits between A and C. D sits 2nd to the left of C. E sits 2nd to the left of G and face in the same direction. F and D face opposite direction as E.
Who among the following sits second to the right of E?
- A.
A
- B.
D
- C.
C
- D.
F
- E.
G
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
Concept
In a circular-seating direction puzzle, "facing the centre" reverses a person's sense of left and right. For someone facing the centre, their right hand points anticlockwise; for someone facing away from the centre, their right hand points clockwise. So every "k-th to the left/right of X" clue must be read in the direction X is facing, not in a fixed clockwise sense. Fix the seven seats, apply the strongest clue first, then resolve facings from the direction clues.
Setting up the directions
"A faces the same direction as B but not towards the centre": A faces outward (away from the centre), and B also faces outward.
"The immediate neighbours of A face the same direction but opposite as A": both seats adjacent to A face the centre (inward).
"F and D face the opposite direction as E" together with "E faces the same direction as G": E and G share one facing while F and D share the other.
Placing the persons
Read "F sits third to the right of A" with A facing outward: A's right is clockwise, so F is three seats clockwise from A.
"One person sits between A and C" puts C two seats from A; combined with "D sits 2nd to the left of C" (read in C's facing) this locks C and D relative to A.
"E sits 2nd to the left of G" (read in G's facing) with the shared E and G facing fixes E and G; the last remaining seat takes B.
The single arrangement that satisfies every clue, going clockwise, is: A (out), E (in), C (in), F (out), D (out), B (out), G (in).
Seat (clockwise) | Person | Facing |
|---|---|---|
1 | A | outward |
2 | E | centre |
3 | C | centre |
4 | F | outward |
5 | D | outward |
6 | B | outward |
7 | G | centre |
Answering the question
E faces the centre, so E's right hand points anticlockwise. Counting two seats anticlockwise from E lands on G. Hence G sits second to the right of E.
Cross-check
F is exactly three clockwise from outward-facing A, so that clue is satisfied.
Both of A's neighbours face the centre, opposite to A, so that clue is satisfied.
E and G face the centre while F and D face outward, opposite to E, so the facing clues all hold.