Eight friends, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W are sitting around a square table…
2020
Eight friends, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W are sitting around a square table facing centre. One each is sitting at the midpoints of the sides and one each at the corners of the table. Each person is wearing different colour T-shirt. One in Yellow color is occupying one of the corners. He has the Q in red T-shirt to his immediate left who is second to the right of 'V' in green T-shirt. W in white is opposite 'V' in Green and is between T and R. S in grey T-shirt is between P in black and R in Pink T-shirt. U in Blue T-shirt is diagonally opposite R. Who is wearing yellow T-shirt?
- A.
T
- B.
P
- C.
V
- D.
Q
Attempted by 1 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept: In a circular or square seating puzzle where everyone faces the centre, moving clockwise (as the layout is normally drawn) always lands on each person's immediate LEFT neighbour, and moving anticlockwise lands on their immediate RIGHT neighbour -- the reverse of the usual convention for people facing outward. In an 8-seat layout, a seat 4 positions away is 'opposite'; two corners 4 seats apart are 'diagonally opposite'; and when every person but one already has a distinct attribute stated for them directly, the one attribute left over must belong to the one person left over.
Application -- building the seating step by step:
Colours already named directly in the text: P-black, Q-red, R-pink, S-grey, U-blue, V-green, W-white -- seven of the eight friends. Only T has no stated colour, and yellow is the only colour left unassigned, so T is the corner-seated friend in yellow. Label T's seat as seat 1 of 8 (seats 1, 3, 5, 7 are corners; seats 2, 4, 6, 8 are midpoints).
Q is T's immediate left; since facing-centre left means the next seat clockwise, Q takes seat 2.
Q is second to the right of V; right means anticlockwise, so counting two seats anticlockwise from V reaches Q -- this places V at seat 4.
W is directly opposite V (seat 4), so W sits at seat 8 (4 seats away).
W sits between T and R; W's two neighbouring seats are 7 and 1 -- seat 1 is already T, so R must take seat 7.
U is diagonally opposite R; R (seat 7) is a corner, so U takes the corner 4 seats away, seat 3.
S sits between P and R; R's free neighbouring seat is 6, so S takes seat 6, and S's other neighbour, seat 5, is P.
Seat | Position type | Friend | T-shirt colour |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Corner | T | Yellow |
2 | Midpoint | Q | Red |
3 | Corner | U | Blue |
4 | Midpoint | V | Green |
5 | Corner | P | Black |
6 | Midpoint | S | Grey |
7 | Corner | R | Pink |
8 | Midpoint | W | White |
Cross-check: Cross-check: the yellow-wearer (T, seat 1) is a corner; Q (seat 2) is one seat clockwise from T, i.e. immediately to T's left; counting two seats anticlockwise from V (seat 4) reaches Q (seat 2); W (seat 8) sits exactly opposite V (seat 4) and between T (seat 1) and R (seat 7); S (seat 6) sits between P (seat 5) and R (seat 7); and U (seat 3) is the corner diagonally opposite R (seat 7). Every clue is satisfied and all eight friends are placed without contradiction.
Hence, T is the friend wearing the yellow T-shirt.