In an Exhibition seven cars of different companies - Cadillac, Ambassador,…
2023
In an Exhibition seven cars of different companies - Cadillac, Ambassador, Fiat, Maruti, Mercedes, Bedford and Fargo are standing facing to east in the following order :
1. Cadillac is next to right of Fargo.
2. Fargo is fourth to the right of Fiat.
3. Maruti car is between Ambassador and Bedford.
4. Fiat which is third to the left of Ambassador, is at one end.
Which one of the following is the correct position of Mercedes ?
- A.
Next to the left of Cadillac
- B.
Next to the left of Bedford
- C.
Between Bedford and Fargo
- D.
Fourth to the right of Maruti.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept: In a single-row seating puzzle, number the seats 1 (leftmost) to 7 (rightmost) since every car faces the same fixed direction (East), so "right" always means a higher seat number and "left" a lower one. Convert each relative clue ("nth to the right/left", "next to", "between") into position algebra, use the "one end" clue to remove ambiguity, then solve the system by substitution.
Number the seats 1 (leftmost) through 7 (rightmost); since all cars face East, "right" means a higher seat number.
Clue 4 gives Ambassador's seat = Fiat's seat + 3, and says Fiat is at one end. Only Fiat = 1 keeps Ambassador = 4 inside the row (Fiat = 7 would need Ambassador = 10, which does not exist), so Fiat = 1 and Ambassador = 4.
Clue 2: Fargo is fourth to the right of Fiat, so Fargo = 1 + 4 = 5.
Clue 1: Cadillac is next to the right of Fargo, so Cadillac = 5 + 1 = 6.
Seats 2, 3 and 7 remain for Bedford, Maruti and Mercedes. Clue 3 needs Bedford, Maruti and Ambassador consecutive with Maruti in the middle. Ambassador is fixed at 4, so the only fit is Bedford = 2, Maruti = 3 (seats 2-3-4); the alternative Ambassador-Maruti-Bedford as 4-5-6 is blocked because 5 and 6 already hold Fargo and Cadillac.
The one seat left, 7, goes to Mercedes.
Seat | Car |
|---|---|
1 | Fiat |
2 | Bedford |
3 | Maruti |
4 | Ambassador |
5 | Fargo |
6 | Cadillac |
7 | Mercedes |
Cross-check — verifying every original clue against the final arrangement:
Cadillac (6) is next to the right of Fargo (5) — clue 1 holds.
Fargo (5) is fourth to the right of Fiat (1) — clue 2 holds.
Maruti (3) sits between Ambassador (4) and Bedford (2) — clue 3 holds.
Fiat (1) is third to the left of Ambassador (4) and sits at an end — clue 4 holds.
Mercedes is at seat 7, and Maruti is at seat 3: 7 − 3 = 4, so Mercedes is exactly fourth to the right of Maruti.