Solving the Circular Seating Arrangement Puzzle

This question involves a circular seating arrangement puzzle with six children: G, H, I, J, K, and L. They are sitting around a circular table facing towards the center. We need to use the given clues to determine their exact positions and then identify the child sitting to the immediate right of K.

Understanding the Clues

Let's break down the information provided:

• Six children: G, H, I, J, K, L.
• Sitting around a circular table, facing the center.
• Clue 1: J and K are sitting to the immediate left and right of G, respectively.
• Clue 2: L is sitting to the immediate left of J.
• Clue 3: L is NOT sitting to the immediate right of H.

Step-by-Step Placement

Let's use the clues to build the arrangement. Since they are facing the center, 'immediate right' is clockwise, and 'immediate left' is counter-clockwise.

1. Start with Clue 1: J is immediate left of G, and K is immediate right of G.

   This means G is between J (on G's left) and K (on G's right).

   Arrangement so far (Clockwise): J ... G ... K

   Or viewing from G's perspective: Left is J, Right is K.

   Let's represent the arrangement in a line for now, remembering it's circular:

   ... J - G - K ...

2. Apply Clue 2: L is sitting to the immediate left of J.

   Immediate left of J is the seat next to J in the counter-clockwise direction. Placing L there, we get:

   ... L - J - G - K ...

3. Consider the Remaining Children: We have placed L, J, G, K. The remaining children are H and I.

   There are 6 seats in total. L, J, G, K occupy 4 consecutive seats. The remaining 2 seats must be adjacent to K and L (circularly).

   Let's visualize the circular arrangement based on L-J-G-K:

   Starting from L and moving clockwise:

   L → J → G → K → (Seat 5) → (Seat 6) → back to L

   The two remaining children, H and I, must occupy Seat 5 and Seat 6.

   There are two possibilities for Seats 5 and 6:

   • Possibility A: Seat 5 is H, Seat 6 is I. Arrangement (Clockwise): L, J, G, K, H, I
   • Possibility B: Seat 5 is I, Seat 6 is H. Arrangement (Clockwise): L, J, G, K, I, H
4. Apply Clue 3: L is NOT sitting to the immediate right of H.

   Let's check this condition for both possibilities:

   • Possibility A (L, J, G, K, H, I - Clockwise): Who is to the immediate right of H? Moving clockwise from H, we find I. Is L to the immediate right of H? No, I is. This possibility satisfies the condition.
   • Possibility B (L, J, G, K, I, H - Clockwise): Who is to the immediate right of H? Moving clockwise from H in a circular arrangement, we return to the beginning of our sequence, which is L. Is L to the immediate right of H? Yes. This possibility violates the condition "L is NOT sitting to the immediate right of H".

   Therefore, Possibility B is incorrect. The only valid arrangement is Possibility A.

The Final Arrangement

The correct arrangement of the children around the table, in a clockwise direction, is: L, J, G, K, H, I.

Let's visualize this:

Answering the Question: Who is sitting to the immediate right of K?

Based on the final arrangement (L, J, G, K, H, I - clockwise), the child sitting immediately clockwise from K is H.

Conclusion

By carefully following the clues and eliminating the arrangement that contradicts the conditions, we determined the positions of all six children. The child immediately to the right of K is H.

Revision Table: Key Seating Arrangement Concepts

Additional Information: Strategies for Seating Puzzles

Circular seating arrangement problems require careful step-by-step deduction. Here are some tips:

• Draw a Diagram: A simple circle with slots helps visualize the positions.
• Start with Strong Clues: Begin with clues that fix two or three people relative to each other (like J-G-K).
• Place Blocks: Treat a fixed sequence (like L-J-G-K) as a block when considering remaining seats.
• Use Constraints to Eliminate: Conditions like "not to the immediate right of" are crucial for ruling out incorrect arrangements.
• Check All Conditions: Once you think you have the final arrangement, quickly verify that every single clue is satisfied.
• Clockwise vs. Counter-Clockwise: Be consistent with your definition of left and right throughout the problem.

Practicing different types of seating arrangement questions will improve your speed and accuracy in competitive exams.