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Question

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?

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

Krita

Solving the Six Friends Circle Seating Puzzle

This question asks us to determine the seating arrangement of six friends - David, Bhanu, Minto, Krita, John, and Nisan - sitting in a circle, and then find the person sitting second to the left of Bhanu. The key information is that they are sitting with their backs towards the centre, which means they are facing outwards.

Understanding the Seating Setup

When people sit in a circle facing outwards, their left and right sides are opposite to what they would be if they were facing the centre. Moving clockwise around the circle is moving to the right for someone facing outwards, and moving anti-clockwise is moving to the left.

Let's break down the given clues step by step to build the arrangement:

  1. Clue 1: David and Minto are sitting to the immediate left and right of Bhanu, respectively.
    • Since they face outwards, immediate left of Bhanu is the person immediately anti-clockwise from Bhanu. This is David.
    • Immediate right of Bhanu is the person immediately clockwise from Bhanu. This is Minto.
    • So, we have a segment: ... David - Bhanu - Minto ... (arranged anti-clockwise to clockwise).
  2. Clue 2: Nisan is sitting third to the right of Bhanu.
    • Starting from Bhanu, we move clockwise (to the right when facing outwards).
    • 1st right of Bhanu is Minto.
    • 2nd right of Bhanu is the person after Minto.
    • 3rd right of Bhanu is Nisan.

    Let's visualize the circle with 6 positions. If we place Bhanu at position 1, moving clockwise:

    • Position 1: Bhanu
    • Position 2 (1st right): Minto
    • Position 3 (2nd right): ?
    • Position 4 (3rd right): Nisan
    • Position 5 (4th right): ?
    • Position 6 (5th right, or 1st left): David

    So far, we have Bhanu, Minto, Nisan, and David placed.

  3. Clue 3: John is not sitting to the immediate left of David.
    • David is at Position 6 in our sequence. Immediate left of David (facing outwards) is the position immediately anti-clockwise from David.
    • Looking at our circular arrangement, the position immediately anti-clockwise from Position 6 (David) is Position 5.
    • Therefore, John is NOT at Position 5.
  4. Identifying Remaining Positions and People:
    • The unassigned positions are 3 and 5.
    • The unassigned people are John and Krita.
    • From Clue 3, we know John is not at Position 5. This means John must be at Position 3.
    • Since John is at Position 3, the only remaining person, Krita, must be at the only remaining position, Position 5.

The Final Seating Arrangement

Based on the clues, the seating arrangement in clockwise order is:

  1. Bhanu
  2. Minto
  3. John
  4. Nisan
  5. Krita
  6. David
Position (Clockwise) Person Relative Position from Bhanu (Facing Out)
1 Bhanu -
2 Minto Immediate Right
3 John Second Right
4 Nisan Third Right
5 Krita Fourth Right (or Second Left)
6 David Fifth Right (or Immediate Left)

Finding Who is Second to the Left of Bhanu

We need to find the person sitting second to the left of Bhanu. 'Left' when facing outwards means moving anti-clockwise.

  • Starting from Bhanu (Position 1).
  • The first person to the left (1st anti-clockwise) is David (Position 6).
  • The second person to the left (2nd anti-clockwise) is Krita (Position 5).

Therefore, Krita is sitting second to the left of Bhanu in the circle arrangement.

Revision Table: Key Seating Arrangement Clues

Clue Deduction (Facing Out)
David immediate left of Bhanu David is 1st anti-clockwise from Bhanu.
Minto immediate right of Bhanu Minto is 1st clockwise from Bhanu.
Nisan third right of Bhanu Nisan is 3rd clockwise from Bhanu.
John not immediate left of David John is not 1st anti-clockwise from David.

Additional Information: Solving Circle Seating Puzzles

Solving seating arrangement puzzles involves careful step-by-step deduction. Here are some tips:

  • Always note the direction people are facing (centre or outwards) as it determines left/right.
  • Draw a diagram (a circle with marked positions) to help visualize the arrangement.
  • Start with the most constrained clues or clues involving relative positions of multiple people.
  • Place individuals one by one based on the clues.
  • Use elimination for remaining people and positions.
  • Double-check the final arrangement against all given clues.
  • Pay close attention to terms like "immediate left/right", "second to the left/right", "between", etc.

For a circle with $N$ people, the person $K$ positions to the right is equivalent to $N-K$ positions to the left (for $K < N$), and vice versa. For example, in a 6-person circle, 3rd right is the same as 3rd left.

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Similar Questions

  1. 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?

  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. Given below is a question followed by two statements I and II. Read both 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 second to the left of P?

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

    (II) Only two people sit between N and M. Q is an immediate neighbour of M. Only one person sits between Q and K.

  4. 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?

  5. Bindu, Krunal, Manoj, Nilima, Omkar, Piyush, Renu and Sundar are sitting around a circular table facing the centre, but not necessarily in the same order. Sundar sits second to the right of Piyush. Only two persons sit between Sundar and Krunal. Omkar sits opposite to Bindu, who is not an immediate neighbour of Krunal and Piyush. Nilima is the immediate neighbour of Krunal and Bindu. Manoj sits third to the right of Bindu.  

    Which of the following statements is/are true? 

  6. 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?

  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. 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?

  9. 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?

  10. 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?


Important Questions from Circular Arrangement

  1. P, M, D, A, F, H, R and B are sitting around a circle facing at the centre. R is fourth to the right of A, who is third to the right of P. M is second to the left of H, who is second to the left of P. D is third to the right of B. Which of the following pairs are immediate neighbors of B?

  2. Six people, K, L, M, N, O and P, are sitting on the ground in a hexagonal shape but not necessarily in the same order. K is not sitting next to L or M. N is not sitting next to M or O. L is the neighbour of M. P is in the middle of M and N. What is the correct order of seating positions of the people in clockwise direction?

  3. Six friends, G, H I, J, K and L, are sitting around a circular table, facing towards the centre of the table. H is sitting third to the left of G. L and I are not neighbours of H. K is sitting to the immediate right of I. Who is sitting to the immediate left of L?

  4. Eight friends A, B, C, D, E, F, G and are sitting around a circular table facing each other for a lunch. A is opposite F and third to the right of B. G is between F and D. H is to the left of D. E is between C and A. Who is sitting third to the right of A?

  5. Six friends are sitting at equal distances from each other in a circle and facing the centre of the circle. Diraj is between Pramod and Parthiv. Priyanshu is between Mukund and Laya. Pramod and Mukund are opposite to each other. Laya is to the immediate left of Pramod. Who is sitting to the immediate left of Parthiv?

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