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Question

Six students are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. Amit is sitting second to the left of Jia. Jia is an immediate neighbour of both Varun and Pramod. Sia is sitting second to the left of Amit. Amit is an immediate neighbour of both Mahesh and Varun. Who is the immediate neighbour of Sia and Jia?

This question was previously asked in
SSC Stenographer 2023 Previous Year Paper (13-Oct-2023) (Shift 3)
The correct answer is

Pramod

Understanding the Circular Seating Arrangement Puzzle

This problem involves a classic logical reasoning puzzle based on a circular seating arrangement. We have six students sitting around a circular table, all facing the centre. We are given several clues about their relative positions. Our goal is to use these clues to determine the exact seating arrangement and then answer the specific question asked.

Breaking Down the Seating Clues

Let's list the given clues:

  • Six students: Amit, Jia, Varun, Pramod, Sia, Mahesh.
  • Sitting around a circular table, facing the centre.
  • Clue 1: Amit is sitting second to the left of Jia.
  • Clue 2: Jia is an immediate neighbour of both Varun and Pramod.
  • Clue 3: Sia is sitting second to the left of Amit.
  • Clue 4: Amit is an immediate neighbour of both Mahesh and Varun.

Step-by-Step Solution to Determine the Arrangement

Let's build the seating arrangement step-by-step using the clues.

  1. From Clue 2, Jia's neighbours are Varun and Pramod. This means Varun and Pramod are on either side of Jia. The arrangement segment looks like Varun - Jia - Pramod or Pramod - Jia - Varun.
  2. From Clue 4, Amit's neighbours are Mahesh and Varun. This means Mahesh and Varun are on either side of Amit. The arrangement segment looks like Mahesh - Amit - Varun or Varun - Amit - Mahesh.
  3. Notice that Varun is a common neighbour for both Jia (Clue 2) and Amit (Clue 4). This is a key connection. This means Varun must be sitting between Amit and Jia. So, the sequence must contain Amit - Varun - Jia or Jia - Varun - Amit.
  4. Let's combine the segments based on Varun being between Amit and Jia.
    • If the segment is Amit - Varun - Jia:
      • From Clue 2, Jia's other neighbour is Pramod. So, the segment extends to Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod.
      • From Clue 4, Amit's other neighbour is Mahesh. So, the segment extends to Mahesh - Amit - Varun.
    • Combining these, we get the sequence Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod. This places 5 out of the 6 students.
  5. Now let's check Clue 1: Amit is sitting second to the left of Jia. In the sequence Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod, if we consider this as a segment of the circle, starting from Jia and moving left: the first person to the left of Jia is Varun, the second person to the left of Jia is Amit. This matches Clue 1. So the partial arrangement Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod is consistent.
  6. We have 6 students in total. The sequence Mahesh, Amit, Varun, Jia, Pramod accounts for 5 students. The remaining student is Sia. In a circular arrangement, the 6th person must fit in the gap to complete the circle. The gap is between Mahesh (at one end of the segment) and Pramod (at the other end). So, Sia must sit between Pramod and Mahesh.
  7. The full circular arrangement is Sia - Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod - (back to Sia). Let's verify this arrangement with all clues.
    • Amit is second to the left of Jia: Starting from Jia, left is Pramod, second left is Sia. Oops, this doesn't match our deduced arrangement above. Let's re-check our left/right interpretation in a circle.

Let's re-draw or visualize the circular arrangement systematically.

Assume Jia is at position 1. Second to her left (in a circle of 6) means skipping one person. Positions are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 around the circle. If Jia is at 1, second left (say anticlockwise) means position 3. So Amit is at position 3.

Position Student
1 Jia
2 ?
3 Amit
4 ?
5 ?
6 ?

Jia is neighbour of Varun and Pramod (Clue 2). They must be at positions 6 and 2 (next to Jia at 1).

Position Student
1 Jia
2 Varun/Pramod
3 Amit
4 ?
5 ?
6 Pramod/Varun

Amit is neighbour of Mahesh and Varun (Clue 4). Amit is at position 3. His neighbours are positions 2 and 4. So, either Mahesh or Varun is at position 2, and the other is at position 4.

We know from the previous step that position 2 is either Varun or Pramod. This means Varun must be at position 2.

Position Student
1 Jia
2 Varun
3 Amit
4 Mahesh
5 ?
6 Pramod

Let's verify this partial arrangement:

  • Jia (1) neighbour of Varun (2) and Pramod (6)? Yes.
  • Amit (3) neighbour of Mahesh (4) and Varun (2)? Yes.
  • Amit (3) second left of Jia (1)? Moving left from Jia (1): Pos 6 is first left, Pos 5 is second left, Pos 4 is third left, Pos 3 is fourth left. This doesn't match. Our initial assumption about direction of left or starting position might be off, or we need to consider the other possibility for Varun/Pramod in step 2.

Let's restart, using the strong connection that Varun is between Amit and Jia (from Clues 2 & 4).

Arrangement segment: Amit - Varun - Jia

This uses 3 positions. In a circle of 6, there are 3 more positions to fill. Total positions: Pos1, Pos2, Pos3, Pos4, Pos5, Pos6.

Let's place this segment:

Position Student
1 Amit
2 Varun
3 Jia
4 ?
5 ?
6 ?

Now apply other clues:

  • Jia is neighbour of Varun and Pramod (Clue 2). Jia is at Pos 3, neighbour Varun is at Pos 2. Her other neighbour must be at Pos 4. So, Pramod is at Pos 4.
Position Student
1 Amit
2 Varun
3 Jia
4 Pramod
5 ?
6 ?

  • Amit is neighbour of Mahesh and Varun (Clue 4). Amit is at Pos 1, neighbour Varun is at Pos 2. His other neighbour must be at Pos 6. So, Mahesh is at Pos 6.
Position Student
1 Amit
2 Varun
3 Jia
4 Pramod
5 ?
6 Mahesh

We have placed 5 students: Amit, Varun, Jia, Pramod, Mahesh. The remaining student is Sia, who must be at the last empty position, Pos 5.

Position Student
1 Amit
2 Varun
3 Jia
4 Pramod
5 Sia
6 Mahesh

Let's verify this full circular arrangement (clockwise from Pos 1): Amit, Varun, Jia, Pramod, Sia, Mahesh.

  • Clue 1: Amit is sitting second to the left of Jia. Start at Jia (Pos 3). Moving left (say, anticlockwise): First left is Varun (Pos 2), Second left is Amit (Pos 1). Yes, this matches!
  • Clue 2: Jia is an immediate neighbour of both Varun and Pramod. Jia is at Pos 3, neighbours are Varun (Pos 2) and Pramod (Pos 4). Yes.
  • Clue 3: Sia is sitting second to the left of Amit. Start at Amit (Pos 1). Moving left (anticlockwise): First left is Mahesh (Pos 6), Second left is Sia (Pos 5). Yes.
  • Clue 4: Amit is an immediate neighbour of both Mahesh and Varun. Amit is at Pos 1, neighbours are Varun (Pos 2) and Mahesh (Pos 6). Yes.

All clues are satisfied by the circular arrangement (clockwise): Amit, Varun, Jia, Pramod, Sia, Mahesh.

The arrangement can be visualized as:

Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod - Sia - (back to Mahesh)

Answering the Final Question: Who is the immediate neighbour of Sia and Jia?

The question asks for the person who is sitting immediately next to both Sia and Jia.

Looking at our confirmed circular arrangement:

... Jia - Pramod - Sia ...

  • The neighbour of Jia on one side is Varun, and on the other side is Pramod.
  • The neighbour of Sia on one side is Pramod, and on the other side is Mahesh.

The person who is an immediate neighbour to both Sia and Jia is Pramod.

Conclusion

By carefully using each clue to build and verify the circular seating arrangement, we found the final positions of all six students. Based on this arrangement, we could identify the person sitting next to both Sia and Jia.

The person who is the immediate neighbour of Sia and Jia is Pramod.

Revision Table: Circular Seating Arrangement

Step Clues Used Deduction Partial/Full Arrangement
1 Clue 2, Clue 4 Varun is between Amit & Jia Amit - Varun - Jia (or reverse)
2 Clue 2 Pramod is Jia's other neighbour Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod (extending from step 1)
3 Clue 4 Mahesh is Amit's other neighbour Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia (extending from step 1)
4 Combine Steps 2 & 3 Sequence of 5 students Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod
5 Remaining student (Sia) Sia completes the circle Mahesh - Amit - Varun - Jia - Pramod - Sia (circular)
6 Verify all clues Confirm arrangement validity Arrangement valid (e.g., Clockwise: Amit, Varun, Jia, Pramod, Sia, Mahesh)
7 Final Question Find neighbour of Sia & Jia Pramod is between Sia and Jia

Additional Information: Tips for Solving Seating Puzzles

Solving seating arrangement puzzles requires careful reading, logical deduction, and systematic arrangement. Here are a few tips:

  • Visualize: Draw a circle and mark positions. For a circular table, label positions 1 through N (where N is the number of people).
  • Choose a Starting Point: Although it's a circle, starting with a person involved in multiple clues can make it easier. Place that person at a fixed position temporarily.
  • Handle Left/Right Carefully: In a circle, left and right are relative. If everyone faces the center, "left" usually means anticlockwise and "right" means clockwise (or vice versa, just be consistent). "Second to the left" means skipping one person.
  • Use Connecting Clues: Look for people mentioned in more than one clue, especially if they are neighbours or in fixed relative positions to others.
  • Build Step-by-Step: Don't try to place everyone at once. Use one clue to place people relative to each other, then use another clue to add more people or refine positions.
  • Fill the Gaps: Once most people are placed, the remaining people must fit into the remaining spots.
  • Verify: Always check your final arrangement against *all* the original clues to ensure consistency. If even one clue doesn't fit, your arrangement is incorrect, and you need to re-evaluate your steps.
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Similar Questions

  1. Six friends, A, B, C, D, E and F, are sitting around a circular table facing the centre of the table. A is to the immediate left of E. B is to the immediate right of F. D is second to the left of F. A and C have equal number of persons between them from both the ends. Who is sitting between A and F?

  2. Eight persons J, K, L, M, N, 0, P and Q are sitting around a circular table facing the centre. N is between M and J. P is second to the left of K. O is between Q and P. L is second to right of O. N is to the immediate left of J.
    Who is sitting at third place to the right of P?
  3. Five friends K, L, M, N and O are sitting around a circular table facing centre. N is to the immediate right of K. L is to the immediate left of M. N is at the second place to the right of M. Where is O sitting ?

  4. Eight friends A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting anticlockwise around a circular table facing the centre of the table at equal distances between them. If G is sitting in the Southeast, then which pair of persons and direction that person is sitting in is NOT correct?

  5. Six friends A, B, C, D, E, and F are sitting around a circular table. B is sitting to the immediate left of D. C is third to the right of E. A is between C and F. D is sitting to the immediate left of E. Who is sitting between A and E?

  6. A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting in a circular manner in the same order for lunch at equal distance. Their positions are clockwise. If C sits in the East, then what will be the position of H?

  7. A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting in a circle in the same order for lunch at equal distances, Their positions are clockwise. If C is sitting in the east, then what is be the position of G?

  8. Six friends – A, B, C, D, E and F are sitting in a circle facing centre. F is sitting immediate left of A and B is sitting opposite to E. A and D is sitting opposite to each other. Who is sitting opposite to F?

  9. A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H are sitting around a square table facing the centre of the table. Some of them are sitting at the corners while some are sitting at the exact centre of the sides. A sits third to the right of C. H sits between B and G . F sits second to the right of C. D does not sit in a corner. G sits third to the right of D. Three people sit between D and C.

    Who sits second to the left of B ?


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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