Five friends A, B, C, D and E are sitting on a bench such that: (a) C is…
2018
Five friends A, B, C, D and E are sitting on a bench such that: (a) C is sitting to the immediate left of A. (b) B is sitting to the right of A and D. (c) E is sitting to the left of C and A. (d) D is not sitting near E. Who is sitting in the middle?
- A.
B
- B.
C
- C.
D
- D.
A
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Correct answer: D
Answer: A sits in the middle.
Reasoning: Place five seats left to right as positions 1 to 5 and apply the constraints.
C is immediately to the left of A, so C and A occupy two adjacent seats in that order (C, A).
E is to the left of both C and A, so E must be placed somewhere to the left of C.
B is to the right of both A and D, so B must be to the right of A and D; the only seat that guarantees that is the far right seat (position 5).
Putting these together and ensuring D is not adjacent to E, the only arrangement that fits all constraints is (left to right): E, C, A, D, B.
Therefore, A occupies the middle seat (position 3).