Seven people C, D, E, F, G, H and I are sitting in a straight row, facing…
2026
Seven people C, D, E, F, G, H and I are sitting in a straight row, facing north. D sits fifth to the left of I. C sits fifth to the left of H. Only three people sit to the right of F. H sits second to the right of F. E sits third to the left of H. Who sits third to the right of D?
Answer: C. G — Concept: In a linear seating puzzle a fixed number of seats stand side by side in one line, and every clue is either an absolute anchor or a relative offset.…
- A.
F
- B.
H
- C.
G
- D.
E
Attempted by 31 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept: In a linear seating puzzle a fixed number of seats stand side by side in one line, and every clue is either an absolute anchor or a relative offset. When the people face north, a person's right hand points toward the far end of the row as it is written from left to right, so "X sits n places to the right of Y" means the seat of X is n seats beyond the seat of Y, and "n places to the left" means n seats before it. The count always begins at the seat immediately next to Y, never at Y's own seat. A clue that states how many people sit on one side of a person is an absolute anchor, because it fixes that person's seat outright. The method is therefore to place the anchor first and then propagate every offset from it.
Application: Number the seven seats 1 to 7 from the left end of the row to the right end, so a higher seat number lies further to the right.
Only three people sit to the right of F, so the three seats 5, 6 and 7 lie beyond F, which puts F in seat 4.
H sits second to the right of F, so the seat of H is 4 + 2 = 6.
C sits fifth to the left of H, so the seat of C is 6 - 5 = 1.
E sits third to the left of H, so the seat of E is 6 - 3 = 3.
D sits fifth to the left of I, so the seat of D is the seat of I minus 5. Seats 2, 5 and 7 are still free, and 7 - 5 = 2 is the pairing that fits inside them, so I takes seat 7 and D takes seat 2.
One person, G, and one seat, number 5, are left over, so G takes seat 5.
Seat | Person |
|---|---|
1 | C |
2 | D |
3 | E |
4 | F |
5 | G |
6 | H |
7 | I |
Result: D occupies seat 2, so the three seats to the right of D are 3, 4 and 5. The third of them is seat 5, and the person seated there is G. G therefore sits third to the right of D.
Cross-check: read the finished row C, D, E, F, G, H, I from left to right and test every clue against it.
D in seat 2 and I in seat 7 are five seats apart, so D is fifth to the left of I.
C in seat 1 and H in seat 6 are five seats apart, so C is fifth to the left of H.
F in seat 4 leaves three people, G, H and I, seated to the right of F.
H in seat 6 is two seats beyond F in seat 4, so H is second to the right of F.
E in seat 3 is three seats before H in seat 6, so E is third to the left of H.
A frequent slip is to count D's own seat as the first of the three steps, which stops one seat early; the count must begin at the seat next to D.