Eight friends J, K, L, M, P, Q, R and S are sitting around a square table…

Improved solution:

Step-by-step reasoning:

• There are 8 seats: 4 corners and 4 mid-sides. Facing the centre, a person's left is the clockwise direction and right is the anticlockwise direction. For clarity, number seats 1 to 8 clockwise.

• P is third to the left of R and P is at a corner. To make the third-to-left position a corner, R must be at a mid-side.

• Place R at seat 2 (a mid-side). Then P (third to R's left, i.e., three seats clockwise) is at seat 5 (a corner).

• Q is not at a corner and is not adjacent to P, so Q must be at seat 8 (a mid-side) rather than the mid-sides adjacent to P.

• K sits second to the right of Q. Right is anticlockwise, so counting two seats anticlockwise from seat 8 places K at seat 6 (a mid-side).

• S is a corner and only three persons sit between S and L, so S and L occupy opposite corners. Since P occupies one corner (seat 5), S and L must occupy the other opposite corner pair (seats 3 and 7).

• J is an immediate neighbour of S. Of the two corner choices for S, if S were at seat 7 both neighbouring seats (6 and 8) are already occupied by K and Q, so J could not be placed. Therefore S is at seat 3 and L is at seat 7, with J occupying seat 4.

• The only remaining seat is seat 1, so M is at seat 1.

Final clockwise order starting from seat 1 (M) is: M, R, S, J, P, K, L, Q.

Question: Who sits second to the left of M?

Since left is clockwise, the second person to the left of M (two seats clockwise from M) is the person at seat 3, which is S. Answer: S.