All Exams Test series for 1 year @ ₹349 only
Question

J, K, L, M, N and O are six colleagues working in an NGO. J earns more than L but less than M. K earns more than J but less than N. N earns less than O but more than M. K earns less than M. Who among the six earns the most?

This question was previously asked in
SSC Stenographer 2019 Previous Year Paper (24-Dec-2020) (Shift 2)
The correct answer is

O

Solving the NGO Colleagues Earning Comparison

This question asks us to determine which of the six colleagues in an NGO earns the most based on a series of comparative statements about their earnings. We need to carefully analyze each statement and combine them to establish the relative earning order of J, K, L, M, N, and O.

Analyzing the Earning Statements

Let's represent "earns more than" with the symbol > and "earns less than" with <.

  • J earns more than L but less than M: This gives us two relationships: J > L and J < M (or M > J).
  • K earns more than J but less than N: This gives us K > J and K < N (or N > K).
  • N earns less than O but more than M: This gives us N < O (or O > N) and N > M.
  • K earns less than M: This gives us K < M (or M > K).

Synthesizing the Earning Relationships

Now, let's combine these individual relationships to form a clearer picture of the earning hierarchy among the NGO colleagues.

  1. From the first statement, we know M > J > L.
  2. From the second statement, we know N > K > J.
  3. Combining N > M (from the third statement) and M > J (from the first), we get N > M > J.
  4. We also have K > J and M > J. The explicit statement "K earns less than M" (K < M or M > K) clarifies the relationship between M and K. So, M > K and K > J, which means M > K > J.
  5. Now, let's integrate N into the sequence involving M and K. We know N > M and M > K. This gives us N > M > K.
  6. We also know K > J and J > L. Combining this with N > M > K, the sequence so far is N > M > K > J > L.
  7. Finally, the third statement also says N < O, which means O > N.

Putting it all together, the complete order of earnings from highest to lowest is:

O > N > M > K > J > L

Identifying the Highest Earner

From the synthesized earning order O > N > M > K > J > L, it is clear that O earns more than everyone else in the group of six NGO colleagues.

Colleague Relative Earning Position
O Highest earner
N Earns less than O, more than M
M Earns less than N, more than K and J
K Earns less than M and N, more than J
J Earns less than K, M, and N, more than L
L Lowest earner

Therefore, the colleague who earns the most is O.

Revision Table: Earning Comparison Logic

Understanding the logic of comparisons is key. Let's summarize the deductions:

  • Statement 1: M > J > L
  • Statement 2: N > K > J
  • Statement 3: O > N and N > M
  • Statement 4: M > K
  • Combining N > M and M > K and K > J and J > L gives N > M > K > J > L.
  • Adding O > N to the chain gives O > N > M > K > J > L.

Additional Information: Ranking and Ordering Puzzles

Earning comparison questions are a type of logic puzzle that involves ranking or ordering individuals or items based on given comparative statements. These puzzles test your ability to synthesize multiple pieces of information to determine a complete or partial order.

Key strategies for solving such puzzles include:

  • Representing relationships using symbols (>, <, =).
  • Drawing diagrams or creating a linear arrangement to visualize the order.
  • Combining pairs of statements that share a common element.
  • Eliminating possibilities based on the given constraints.

Practice with different types of comparison statements (e.g., "not more than", "at least", "as much as") helps in mastering these puzzles.

Was this answer helpful?

Similar Questions

  1. Horse E was running ahead of horse D in the middle of the race. Horse C was ahead of horse A but behind horse B. Horse A was running ahead of horse E. From this point on, the fourth-placed horse took the lead and won the race. If the positions of the other horses remained the same, which horse was in the middle at the end of the race?

  2. Ina class of 64 students, Komal’s rank is 6 positions lower (i.e. towards bottom) than her friend Shikha, who is at the 59 th position from the end. What is Komal’s rank from the top in the class?

  3. Among seven people F, G, H, K, L, M and N, each has a different age. Only H is older than K. The second oldest is 38 years old. Only three people are younger than L. M is older than only N. M’s age is half of K’s age. F is 36 years old. L’s age is a multiple of 10. What can be the sum of the ages of K and L?
  4. In a shopping mall, five water bottles labelled as A, B, C, D and E were placed in a rack.

    The bottle A has less price than the bottle B. The bottle C has less price than the bottle D. The bottle B has less price than the bottle C and bottle A has more price than the bottle E.

    If a customer wants to buy a bottle of maximum price, then which bottle he/she has to buy?
  5. O, P, Q, R, S and T are six sisters who are good at knitting. T is better than S. Q is better than R. O is better than P. Q is not as good as P. S is better than O. Who among the six is the best at knitting?

  6. In a silk sari showroom there are 10 exclusive and highly expensive saris- 3 of Kalamkari, 3 Ikat, 2 Kanchi and 2 Banaras, are arranged in a shelf from top to bottom as follows;

    There is a Banaras sari between a Kalamkari and Kanchi sari,

    A Kalamkari sari between a Kanchi and an Banaras sari.

    A Ikat sari between a Banaras and a Kanchi sari,

    A Kanchi sari between two Ikat saris and

    Two Ikat saris between a Kanchi and a Kalamkari sari.

    Which type of sari is present in that arrangement in 6th place from top?

  7. Among sevens friends A, B, C, D, E, F and G, G is elder than A and C. C is elder than D. F is elder than one friend only. A is third eldest. E is the youngest. G is younger than B. Who is the eldest?

  8. Paresh is 14th from the left and Dileep is 16th from the right in a line of students. When both Paresh and Dileep interchange their positions, the position of Dileep becomes 21st from the right. How many students are there in the line?

  9. Rama is taller than Saho. Manoj is shorter than Dinesh. Dinesh is taller than Tara but shorter than Saho. Kailash is shorter than Tara but taller than Manoj. Tara is shorter than Saho. Who is the shortest?

  10. Five students A, B, C, D, and E of grade '12' are writing their final exam. Student A finished his exam before student B but after C. D finished before E but after B. Who completed his exam first among the five students?


Important Questions from Ordering and Ranking

  1. Three persons A, Band Care standing in a queue not necessarily in the same order. There are 4 persons between Aand B, and 7 persons between Band C. If there are 11 persons ahead of Cand 13 behind A, what could be the minimum number of persons in the queue?

  2. In a class of 60 students, where the number of girls is twice that of boys, Kamal, a boy, ranked seventeenth from the top. If there are 9 girls ahead of Kamal, the number of boys in rank after him is:

  3. Examine the information given in the following paragraph and answer the items that follow: Guest lectures on five subjects viz., Economics, History, Statistics, English and Mathematics have to be arranged in a week from Monday to Friday. Only one lecture can be arranged on each day. Economics cannot be scheduled on Tuesday. Guest faculty for History is available only on Tuesday. Mathematics lecture has to be scheduled immediately after the day of Economics lecture. English lecture has to be scheduled immediately before the day of Economics lecture. Which lecture is scheduled on Monday?

  4. Examine the information given in the following paragraph and answer the items that follow: Guest lectures on five subjects viz., Economics, History, Statistics, English and Mathematics have to be arranged in a week from Monday to Friday. Only one lecture can be arranged on each day. Economics cannot be scheduled on Tuesday. Guest faculty for History is available only on Tuesday. Mathematics lecture has to be scheduled immediately after the day of Economics lecture. English lecture has to be scheduled immediately before the day of Economics lecture. Which lecture is scheduled between Statistics and English?

  5. Examine the information given in the following paragraph and answer the items that follow: Guest lectures on five subjects viz., Economics, History, Statistics, English and Mathematics have to be arranged in a week from Monday to Friday. Only one lecture can be arranged on each day. Economics cannot be scheduled on Tuesday. Guest faculty for History is available only on Tuesday. Mathematics lecture has to be scheduled immediately after the day of Economics lecture. English lecture has to be scheduled immediately before the day of Economics lecture. Which lecture is the last one in the week?

Need Expert Advice?
Upcoming Exams
SSC CGL
September 30, 2026
UPSSSC PET
October 23, 2026
Test Series
SSC Stenographer img
SSC
SSC Stenographer 2026 Mock Test Series (Latest Version)
1172 Tests 2 Tests Free
3048 Attempts
4.6(263)
English, Hindi

Start Your Preparation with Prepp Mobile App

Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Download the app from Google Play & App Store
Prepp Mobile App