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Question

Raghav, Manpreet, Sunaina, Prakrit, Vedika and Arwa are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. Raghav is second to the left of Prakrit. Manpreet is to the immediate left of Sunaina. Arwa is second to the right of Vedika. There are an equal number of persons between Raghav and Manpreet from both the ends. Who is sitting third to the left of Sunanina?

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 (Tier-2) Statistics Previous Year Paper 3 (28-Jan-2022)
The correct answer is

Arwa

Understanding the Circular Seating Arrangement Puzzle

This question involves arranging six people - Raghav, Manpreet, Sunaina, Prakrit, Vedika, and Arwa - around a circular table. They are all facing the centre. We are given several clues about their relative positions. To solve this, we need to use the clues to build the arrangement step-by-step.

Analyzing the Seating Arrangement Constraints

Here are the given conditions:

  • Raghav is second to the left of Prakrit: Moving two positions counter-clockwise from Prakrit leads to Raghav. This means one person sits between Prakrit and Raghav on Prakrit's left side.
  • Manpreet is to the immediate left of Sunaina: Moving one position counter-clockwise from Sunaina leads to Manpreet. Manpreet is next to Sunaina on Sunaina's left side.
  • Arwa is second to the right of Vedika: Moving two positions clockwise from Vedika leads to Arwa. One person sits between Vedika and Arwa on Vedika's right side.
  • There are an equal number of persons between Raghav and Manpreet from both the ends: In a circular arrangement of 6 people, if the number of people between two individuals is the same when counted in both directions around the circle, those two individuals are diametrically opposite each other. For 6 people, opposite means they are 3 positions apart, with 2 people between them in each direction.

Building the Circular Table Arrangement

Let's use the constraints to place the six people around the table. We can number the seats 1 through 6 clockwise for clarity.

Deducing Key Positions (Raghav and Manpreet Opposite)

The condition about equal numbers of persons between Raghav and Manpreet from both ends tells us they are opposite. Let's place Raghav first to start building the arrangement.

  • Assume Raghav is at seat 1.
  • Since Raghav and Manpreet are opposite, Manpreet must be at seat 1 + 3 = seat 4.

Current placement:

Seat (CW)Person
1Raghav (R)
2
3
4Manpreet (M)
5
6

Placing Prakrit and Sunaina

Now we use the clues involving Prakrit and Sunaina:

  • Raghav (at 1) is second to the left (CCW) of Prakrit: If Raghav is at 1, moving 2 steps counter-clockwise from Prakrit leads to 1. Let Prakrit be at seat 'x'. Moving 1 step CCW from x is x+1, 2 steps CCW is x+2 (all modulo 6, with 6 mapping to 0 or handling wrap-around). So, x+2 = 1 (mod 6). x = 1 - 2 = -1 (mod 6) = 5. So, Prakrit is at seat 5.
  • Manpreet (at 4) is immediate left (CCW) of Sunaina: If Manpreet is at 4, moving 1 step counter-clockwise from Sunaina leads to 4. Let Sunaina be at seat 'y'. Moving 1 step CCW from y is y+1 (mod 6). So, y+1 = 4 (mod 6). y = 4 - 1 = 3. So, Sunaina is at seat 3.

Current placement:

Seat (CW)Person
1Raghav (R)
2
3Sunaina (S)
4Manpreet (M)
5Prakrit (P)
6

The empty seats are 2 and 6. The remaining people are Vedika and Arwa.

Placing Vedika and Arwa

We use the last positional clue:

  • Arwa is second to the right (CW) of Vedika: If Vedika is at seat 'v', moving 1 step CW leads to v-1, and 2 steps CW leads to v-2 (modulo 6, handling wrap-around). Arwa is at seat 'a', so a = v-2 (mod 6).
  • The available seats for Vedika and Arwa are 2 and 6.
  • Case 1: Vedika is at seat 2. 1st right (CW) of 2 is 1 (Raghav). 2nd right (CW) of 2 is 6. So Arwa must be at seat 6. This fits the remaining seats. (Check: If V=2, A=6. Is A 2nd right of V? V(2) -> 1(R) -> 6(A). Yes.)
  • Case 2: Vedika is at seat 6. 1st right (CW) of 6 is 5 (Prakrit). 2nd right (CW) of 6 is 4 (Manpreet). Arwa cannot be Manpreet as Manpreet is already placed. So this case is not possible.

Therefore, Vedika is at seat 2 and Arwa is at seat 6.

Final Seating Arrangement

Combining all the placements, the arrangement (clockwise from seat 1) is:

Seat Position (Clockwise)Person
1Raghav (R)
2Vedika (V)
3Sunaina (S)
4Manpreet (M)
5Prakrit (P)
6Arwa (A)

Verification of Conditions

Let's quickly check if this arrangement satisfies all the initial conditions:

  • Raghav (1) is second to the left (CCW) of Prakrit (5)? From P(5), 1st left is at seat 6 (Arwa), 2nd left is at seat 1 (Raghav). Yes, this condition is satisfied.
  • Manpreet (4) is immediate left (CCW) of Sunaina (3)? From S(3), 1st left is at seat 4 (Manpreet). Yes, this condition is satisfied.
  • Arwa (6) is second to the right (CW) of Vedika (2)? From V(2), 1st right is at seat 1 (Raghav), 2nd right is at seat 6 (Arwa). Yes, this condition is satisfied.
  • Raghav (1) and Manpreet (4) are opposite? Yes, seats 1 and 4 are opposite in a 6-seat circle. Yes, this condition is satisfied.

All conditions are met by this arrangement.

Answering the Question: Third to the Left of Sunaina

The question asks who is sitting third to the left of Sunaina.

  • Sunaina is at seat 3 in our clockwise numbering.
  • Left means moving counter-clockwise (CCW).
  • Starting from Sunaina (seat 3):
  • 1st to the left is at seat 4 (Manpreet).
  • 2nd to the left is at seat 5 (Prakrit).
  • 3rd to the left is at seat 6 (Arwa).

The person sitting third to the left of Sunaina is Arwa.

Revision Table: Circular Arrangement Concepts

Here are some key concepts used in solving circular seating arrangement puzzles:

ConceptDescriptionExample (6 people)
Facing CentreLeft is Counter-Clockwise (CCW), Right is Clockwise (CW).From position 1, 2 is right, 6 is left.
Immediate Left/RightThe person in the very next seat in the specified direction.Immediate left of 3 is 4 (CCW). Immediate right of 3 is 2 (CW).
Nth Left/RightMove N steps in the specified direction.2nd left of 3: 1st left is 4, 2nd left is 5 (CCW).
Opposite PositionsFor an even number of seats (N), two seats are opposite if they are N/2 positions apart.In a 6-seat circle, seats 1 & 4, 2 & 5, 3 & 6 are opposite.
"Between" ConstraintSpecifies the number of people separating two individuals in one or both directions. "Equal number from both ends" implies opposite in a circle.2 people between R and M from both ends means R and M are opposite.

Additional Information: Seating Puzzle Strategies

Solving seating arrangement puzzles requires careful reading and systematic placement. Here are some tips:

  • Start with the most definitive clues, such as "immediate left/right" or "opposite," as these fix relative positions more rigidly.
  • Represent the circle visually or use numbered positions. Be consistent with your definition of left (CCW) and right (CW).
  • Break down complex constraints (like "second to the left") into steps.
  • Note down the placement of each person as you deduce it.
  • If multiple possibilities arise (e.g., for the last few people), test each possibility against all remaining constraints.
  • Always verify your final arrangement against all the initial conditions to ensure correctness.
  • Pay close attention to the exact wording, especially "to the left/right of" vs. "between".
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Similar Questions

  1. Given below is a question followed by two statements I and II. Read both the statements carefully to decide which one of them is sufficient to answer the question. Six people - K, M, N, P, Q and R are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. Who sits to the immediate right of K?

    (I) K sits third to the left of M. Only one person sits between K and N. R sits to the immediate left of N.

    (II) K sits second to the right of Q. Only two people sit between K and M. P sits second to the left of R.

  2. Six friends J, K, L, M, N and O are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. N is not an immediate neighbour of M. M is sitting to the immediate left of J. J is sitting opposite to L, who is sitting to the immediate right of K. Who is sitting second to the left of L?

  3. Seven friends, Subhi, Prince, Ketan, Vishal, Mahima, Krish and Naitik, are sitting around a circular table with their backs towards the centre. Subhi is sitting to the immediate right of Prince. Naitik and Krish are not sitting to the immediate left or right of Vishal. Vishal is sitting third to the left of Prince. Mahima is sitting to the immediate right of Vishal. Who is sitting third to the right of Prince?

  4. Six friends, David, Bhanu, Minto, Krita, John and Nisan, are sitting in a circle with their backs towards the centre. David and Minto are sitting to the immediate left and right of Bhanu, respectively. John is not sitting to the immediate left of David. Nisan is sitting third to the right of Bhanu. Who is sitting second to the left of Bhanu?

  5. Seven friends E, F, G, H, I, J and K, are sitting along a circular table facing towards the centre. F and I are sitting to the immediate left and right of G, respectively. H is sitting third to the left of G. E and I are the neighbours of J. Who is sitting to the immediate right of H?

  6. Five friends, Vishnu, Chirag, Raina, Kavya and Surbhi, are sitting around a circular table, facing the center. Vishnu is to the immediate right of Kavya. Chirag is third to the left of Kavya. Surbhi is not adjacent to Chirag. Who is second to the left of Kavya?

  7. Eight friends, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W, are sitting in the same order anticlockwise around a circular table at equal distance between them, with all centre of the table. If Q is sitting in the south-east, then in which direction is W sitting?

  8. Eight friends, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W, are sitting clockwise in the same order around a circular table at equal distances between them, facing the center of the table. If S is sitting in the west, then who is sitting in the south-west direction?

  9. Six children, G, H, I, J, K, and L, are sitting around a circular table facing towards the centre. J and K are sitting to the immediate left and right of G, respectively. L is sitting to the immediate left of J, but not to the immediate right of H. Who is sitting to the immediate right of K?

  10. Six friends A, B, C, D, E and F are standing in a circle facing the centre. B is between F and C, A is between E and D, and F is to the immediate left of D. Who is between A and F?


Important Questions from Circular Arrangement

  1. Eight students A, B, C, D, E, F, G and Hsit around a circular table, equidistant from each other, facing the centre of the table, not necessarily in the same order. Band Dsit neither adjacent to Cnor opposite to C. Asits in between Eand D, and Fsits in between Band H. Which one of the following is definitely correct?

  2. Six persons A, B, C, D, E and Fare sitting equidistant from each other around a circular table (facing the centre of the table).

    Consider the Question and two Statements given below :

    Question : Who is sitting on the immediate left of A?

    Statement-1 : Bis sitting opposite to Cand Dis sitting  opposite to E.

    Statement-2 : Fis sitting on the immediate left of B.

    Which one of the following is correct in respect of the Question and the Statements?

  3. Seven persons P, Q, R, S, T, U and V are sitting around a circular table facing the center (not necessarily in the same order). T sits third to the right of R. V sits third to the right of Q. One person sits between P and T. P is not the neighbor of S. U sits third to the left of P. Who sits second to the left of S?

  4. Akash, Binita, Chandan, Daksh, Ekta & Fatima are standing in a circle. Binita is between Daksh & Chandan. Akash is between Ekta & Chandan. Fatima is to the right of Daksh. Who is between Akash & Fatima?

  5. Six friends A, B, C, D, E and F are sitting around a round table in such a way that A is between E and F, E is opposite to D, and C is not on either side of E. The person opposite to D is

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