Puzzles & Seating Arrangement — Complete Guide

Table of Contents

1. Chapter 1: Introduction to Puzzles & Seating Arrangement
2. Chapter 2: Linear Seating Arrangement
3. Chapter 3: Circular Arrangement
4. Chapter 4: Square, Rectangular and Polygon Arrangement
5. Chapter 5: Double Line-up / Two-Row Seating with an Extra Attribute
6. Chapter 6: Floor-Based Puzzles
7. Chapter 7: Box / Stack-Based Puzzles
8. Chapter 8: Scheduling Puzzles — Days, Months, Dates and Ages
9. Chapter 9: Comparison & Ranking Puzzles
10. Chapter 10: Tabulation-Based Puzzles
11. Chapter 11: Seating Combined with Blood Relations and Directions
12. Chapter 12: Common Mistakes & How Examiners Build Traps
13. Chapter 13: The 10-Point Solving Framework
14. Full-Length Practice Set (25 Questions, Mixed Format)

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Chapter 1: Introduction to Puzzles & Seating Arrangement

1.1 Why This Topic Matters

Puzzles and Seating Arrangement is the single highest-scoring block inside the Reasoning section of almost every SSC and RRB examination. In SSC CGL Tier-1, CHSL, MTS, and GD papers, and in RRB NTPC and Group D papers, 4 to 8 questions out of roughly 25 reasoning questions come directly from this topic — sometimes presented as standalone one-line questions, but more often as a "puzzle set" where one long passage of clues generates 3 to 5 questions at once. Because one well-solved puzzle can bank 4-5 marks in one shot, this topic offers the best marks-per-minute ratio in the entire reasoning section, provided you solve it with a system rather than by guesswork.

At the same time, this is the topic where average students lose the most time. A single misread clue, or forgetting whether a row is described as seen from the reader's side or from the person's own side, can cost 5-6 minutes and still lead to a wrong answer. This book is built to remove that risk: every seating type is taught with a fixed drawing convention, a fully worked example, a list of the traps examiners actually use, and then a bank of practice questions with complete step-by-step solutions — not just answer keys.

1.2 Question Types You Will Meet

• Linear seating — single row (same direction, or a mix of north/south facing) and two parallel rows facing each other.
• Circular and elliptical seating — facing centre or facing outward, with or without vacant seats.
• Square, rectangular, or hexagonal table seating — people on corners and/or on the middle of sides, facing in or out.
• Double line-up / two-row seating combined with a second attribute (day, colour, city, subject).
• Floor-based puzzles — a building with a fixed number of floors, one person or item per floor.
• Box or stack puzzles — boxes of different colours/weights arranged in a vertical stack or a rack of rows and columns.
• Scheduling puzzles — days of the week, months, dates, or ages arranged according to clues.
• Comparison and ranking puzzles — height, weight, marks, or age comparisons using words such as "taller than", "more than", "at least".
• Tabulation puzzles — a full grid of several attributes (name, city, profession, day) filled in together.
• Mixed puzzles that combine seating with blood relations or directions — common in RRB NTPC and SSC CGL Tier-1.

1.3 General Strategy — The Four-Stage Method

Every puzzle in this book, and every puzzle you will meet in the actual exam, can be solved by working through four stages in order. Do not skip a stage even when a puzzle looks short.

Stage 1 — Set up the skeleton before reading clues in detail

Read the opening line only (number of people/items, shape of arrangement, direction of facing) and draw the empty skeleton — a row of blanks, a circle of dots, a column of floors. Decide your notation before you place a single name.

Stage 2 — Sort the clues into definite and conditional

Read all the clues once, without drawing yet, and mentally tag each one as "definite" (fixes an exact position, e.g. "C sits at the extreme left") or "relative/conditional" (links two people without fixing an absolute position, e.g. "A sits second to the left of B", or gives two possibilities, e.g. "either C or D sits at the right end"). Place every definite clue on your skeleton first.

Stage 3 — Resolve relative clues around the fixed points

Use the fixed positions as anchors and place relative clues around them. When a clue gives two possibilities, open a branch (Case 1 / Case 2) and carry both forward — do not guess which one is correct. Most branches die out within one or two more clues because they clash with a later clue; only the surviving branch is your answer.

Stage 4 — Verify against every clue before answering

Once the grid looks complete, re-read every clue one final time against your finished diagram. This single habit — a 20-second final check — is what separates students who lose marks to "trap" options from those who don't, because trap options are built to match a diagram that satisfies all clues except one.

Tip: Spend the first 20-25 seconds only on drawing the skeleton and marking direction (N/S/E/W or centre-facing). Never start placing names until the skeleton and facing convention are fixed on paper — most errors come from silently changing convention mid-solution.

If a puzzle gives 5 sub-questions, solve the full arrangement once and answer all 5 from one diagram — do not re-derive the seating for each sub-question.

1.4 Notation Conventions Used in This Book

To keep every example consistent, this book uses the following fixed notation. Use the same notation in your own rough work in the exam.

• For a straight row, position numbers increase from left to right as you (the reader) view the page, i.e., Position 1 is the extreme left end and Position n is the extreme right end, UNLESS the question says the row is described from the persons' own left/right — in which case this book explicitly says so and reverses the diagram.
• For two rows facing each other, Row 1 is drawn on top and Row 2 below it; "facing each other" means a person in Row 1 looks down at the person in Row 2 directly below.
• For a circular table, an arrow (↻ or ↺) next to the diagram shows whether we are listing people clockwise or anticlockwise; "facing the centre" people have their left hand towards the clockwise direction, while "facing outward" people have it reversed — this flip is explained in detail in Chapter 3.
• "Immediate neighbour" or "immediately next to" means adjacent with no one in between; a plain "neighbour" in some papers is used loosely — this book always clarifies which sense is meant.
• Floors are numbered from the ground floor as Floor 1 upward, unless a clue explicitly numbers the topmost floor as Floor 1 — always fix this from the question's own wording first.
• A dash — as in P – Q – R — under a "sits between" clue means the three are in that left-to-right or that circular order, with Q sandwiched between P and R.

1.5 How to Use This Book

Chapters 2 to 11 each follow the same pattern: theory, one fully solved example worked out step by step, a Common Trap box, a Timed Shortcut box, and then a practice set of 8-12 MCQs — every MCQ carries its full worked solution directly beneath it. Chapter 12 collects the traps examiners repeat most often across all puzzle types, and Chapter 13 gives a 10-point checklist to run through under time pressure. The book closes with a full-length Practice Set of 25 questions in the exact mixed, passage-based format used in the real exam, with a consolidated answer key.

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Chapter 2: Linear Seating Arrangement

2.1 Single Row — Everyone Facing the Same Direction

This is the simplest and most frequent format: a fixed number of people sit in one straight row, all facing the same direction (usually stated as "facing north" or simply "facing you"). Positions are numbered 1 to n from the left end to the right end, as seen by the reader, unless the question explicitly says otherwise.

• "X sits third from the left end" fixes an exact position: position 3.
• "X sits third from the right end" in a row of n people means position (n − 2).
• "Only two people sit between X and Y" gives two possible gaps (X could be to the left or right of Y) — check both, but the exact-position constraint from other clues usually kills one branch.
• "X sits immediately to the left/right of Y" fixes a direct neighbour relation with no gap.

Worked Example 2.1

Eight friends — J, K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q — sit in a single row facing north. Study the clues and find the seating order.

• N sits third from the left end.
• Only two people sit between N and Q.
• R sits immediately to the left of Q.
• U sits immediately to the right of N.
• Only one person sits between R and W.
• P is an immediate neighbour of both N and V.
• S sits at the extreme end that V does not occupy.

Step 1: From clue 1, N = position 3.

Step 2: "Only two people sit between N and Q" means the gap between positions 3 and Q's position is exactly 2. Testing Q = 3 − 3 = 0 (invalid, no such seat) and Q = 3 + 3 = 6 → Q = 6 is the only valid seat.

Step 3: R sits immediately to the left of Q(6), so R = 5.

Step 4: U sits immediately to the right of N(3), so U = 4.

Step 5: "Only one person sits between R and W": R = 5, so W = 5 − 2 = 3 (taken by N, invalid) or W = 5 + 2 = 7. So W = 7.

Step 6: Positions filled so far: 3-N, 4-U, 5-R, 6-Q, 7-W. Remaining positions 1, 2, 8 are open for P, S, V.

Step 7: P is an immediate neighbour of both N(3) and V. Neighbours of position 3 are 2 and 4; 4 is taken by U, so P = 2. For P(2) to also be a neighbour of V, V must be at position 1 or 3; 3 is taken, so V = 1.

Step 8: S sits at the extreme end that V does not occupy. The two extreme ends are 1 and 8; V is at 1, so S = 8.

Final arrangement (left to right): V, P, N, U, R, Q, W, S — all facing north. Every clue can now be verified against this row in under 15 seconds; that final check is what confirms the answer under exam pressure.

2.2 Single Row — Mixed Facing Directions (North / South)

A tougher variant keeps everyone in one row, but some people face north and others face south. Positions are still numbered left to right as seen by the reader — that part never changes. What changes is the meaning of "to X's right" or "to X's left": for a person facing north, personal right = reader's right (no flip); for a person facing south, personal right = reader's left (the direction is mirrored, because that person is effectively facing you).

Common Trap: This is the single most exploited trap in SSC/RRB linear puzzles. A clue like "B is to the right of A" means completely different seats depending on which way A is facing. Before applying any "left/right" clue in a mixed-direction row, first confirm which way that particular person faces.

"Left end" and "right end" of the row (as in "third from the left end") are always from the reader's fixed viewpoint and are NEVER affected by facing direction — only personal "to his/her left/right" clues flip.

Mini-illustration: Five people sit in a row, positions 1 to 5 (reader's view). C sits at position 3 and faces south. If a clue says "A sits to the immediate right of C (from C's own side)", then because C faces south, C's right hand points towards the reader's left — so A actually occupies position 2, not position 4. Students who forget the flip will place A at position 4 and get every downstream clue wrong.

2.3 Two-Row Seating — Facing Each Other or Facing Away

Here two rows of equal size are drawn one above the other. If the rows "face each other", a person in Row 1 looks directly down at the person occupying the same column-position in Row 2, and vice versa — so "X faces Y" or "X sits opposite Y" both mean they share the same column. If instead the rows are back-to-back ("facing away from each other"), people in the same column are back to back, not facing.

• Row 1 is conventionally drawn on top, Row 2 below, both numbered left to right from the reader's view.
• "Facing each other": Row 1, position k faces Row 2, position k (same column, direction of gaze reversed between the rows).
• Always separately track (a) each row's own left-right order and (b) which pairs of columns face each other — these are two different bookkeeping tasks and mixing them up is the most common slip.

Tip: Draw two horizontal lines (Row 1 on top, Row 2 on the bottom) and join same-numbered seats with a light vertical line before reading the clues — this visual scaffold prevents you from ever forgetting who faces whom.

In a row-based puzzle, always count total people first and pre-draw that many blank slots — a half-drawn skeleton is the number one cause of "off by one" position errors.

2.4 Practice Set — Linear Seating (10 Questions)

Eight persons — J, K, L, M, N, O, P and Q — sit in a row facing north. N sits third from the left end. K sits immediately to the right of N. M sits immediately to the right of K. O sits immediately to the right of M. P sits at the extreme right end. L sits second to the left of N.

1. Q1. Who sits second from the left end?
   (A) L  (B) K  (C) J  (D) N
   Answer: (C) Solution: N = position 3 (given). K is immediately right of N, so K = 4. M is immediately right of K, so M = 5. O is immediately right of M, so O = 6. P sits at the extreme right end of this 7-seat row, so P = 7. L sits second to the left of N(3), so L = 1. Positions filled: 1-L, 3-N, 4-K, 5-M, 6-O, 7-P. Only position 2 and the person J remain, so J = 2. Second from the left end is position 2 = J.

Six colleagues — A, B, C, D, E and F — sit in a row facing north. D sits at one of the extreme ends. Only three people sit between D and B. C sits immediately to the right of B. A is an immediate neighbour of D. E sits immediately to the left of F.

1. Q2. Who sits at the extreme left end?
   (A) D  (B) A  (C) F  (D) E
   Answer: (A) Solution: Six seats, positions 1-6. D is at an extreme end, so D = 1 or D = 6. Case D = 6: exactly three people between D and B means B = 2 (since |6 − 2| − 1 = 3). Then C, immediately right of B, is C = 3. A, an immediate neighbour of D(6), must be A = 5 (D's only neighbour). Remaining seats 1 and 4 are left for E and F, but E must sit immediately left of F — 1 and 4 are not adjacent, so this case is impossible. Case D = 1: exactly three people between D and B means B = 5 (since |5 − 1| − 1 = 3). C, immediately right of B(5), is C = 6. A, an immediate neighbour of D(1), must be A = 2 (D's only neighbour). Remaining seats 3 and 4 are left for E and F, and E immediately left of F fits perfectly: E = 3, F = 4. This gives the complete, contradiction-free row: 1-D, 2-A, 3-E, 4-F, 5-B, 6-C. The extreme left end (position 1) is occupied by D.

Six friends — P, Q, R, S, T and U — sit in a row facing north. S sits fourth from the left end. Q sits immediately to the left of R. T sits immediately to the right of S. P sits at the extreme left end. U sits at the extreme right end.

1. Q3. Who sits second from the right end?
   (A) S  (B) T  (C) R  (D) U
   Answer: (B) Solution: Positions 1-6. P = 1 (extreme left) and U = 6 (extreme right). S = 4 (given). T, immediately right of S, is T = 5. Remaining positions 2 and 3 are left for Q and R. Since Q sits immediately to the left of R, Q = 2 and R = 3. Final row: 1-P, 2-Q, 3-R, 4-S, 5-T, 6-U. Second from the right end is position 5 = T.

Six people — A, B, C, D, E and F — sit in a row facing north or south. A sits at the extreme left end and faces south. C sits third from the left end and faces north. B sits immediately to the left of C and faces north. D sits immediately to the right of C and faces north. E sits immediately to the right of D and faces south. F sits at the extreme right end and faces north.

1. Q4. How many people sit to the left of E and face north?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (C) Solution: Positions 1-6: A = 1 (south), C = 3 (north), B = 2 (immediately left of C, north), D = 4 (immediately right of C, north), E = 5 (immediately right of D, south), F = 6 (north). People sitting to the left of E (position 5) occupy positions 1-4: A, B, C, D. Among these, the ones facing north are B, C and D — A alone faces south. That is 3 people.

Ten people sit in two parallel rows of five, facing each other. Row 1 — A, B, C, D, E — faces south, and Row 2 — P, Q, R, S, T — faces north, each person in Row 2 facing exactly one person of Row 1. A sits at the extreme left end of Row 1, and B is immediately to the right of A. C is immediately to the right of B, and D is immediately to the right of C; E occupies the remaining seat of Row 1. In Row 2, P sits immediately to the left of Q, and Q faces B. S sits second to the right of Q, and T sits at the extreme right end of Row 2.

1. Q5. Who faces D?
   (A) R  (B) S  (C) T  (D) Q
   Answer: (B) Solution: Row 1: A = 1, B = 2 (immediately right of A), C = 3 (immediately right of B), D = 4 (immediately right of C), E = 5 (remaining seat). Row 2: Q faces B, and B is in column 2, so Q = 2. P sits immediately to the left of Q, so P = 1. S sits second to the right of Q(2), so S = 4. T is at the extreme right end, so T = 5, leaving R = 3. Row 2 order: 1-P, 2-Q, 3-R, 4-S, 5-T. Since the rows face each other column-to-column, the person in column 4 of Row 2 faces the person in column 4 of Row 1 — that is, S faces D.

Seven people — G, H, I, J, K, L and M — sit in a row facing north. G sits third from the left end. Only three people sit between G and J. K sits immediately to the right of G. Only one person sits between K and L, and L sits somewhere to the right of K. I sits immediately to the left of L. M sits immediately to the left of G.

1. Q6. How many people sit between M and L?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
   Answer: (B) Solution: G = 3 (given). "Only three people between G and J" gives J = 3 − 4 = −1 (invalid) or J = 3 + 4 = 7, so J = 7. K, immediately right of G, is K = 4. "Only one person between K and L" with L to the right of K gives L = 4 + 2 = 6 (the leftward option L = 2 is excluded since L must be right of K). I, immediately left of L(6), is I = 5. M, immediately left of G(3), is M = 2. The only position left, 1, goes to H. Final row: 1-H, 2-M, 3-G, 4-K, 5-I, 6-L, 7-J. Between M(2) and L(6) lie positions 3, 4, 5 — that is 3 people (G, K, I).

Six people — P, Q, R, S, T and U — sit in a row facing north. S sits third from the left end. R sits immediately to the left of S. Q sits second to the right of S. T sits immediately to the right of Q. Either P or Q sits at the extreme left end.

1. Q7. Who sits second from the right end?
   (A) T  (B) S  (C) Q  (D) U
   Answer: (C) Solution: S = 3 (given). R, immediately left of S, is R = 2. Q, second to the right of S(3), is Q = 5. T, immediately right of Q(5), is T = 6. Positions filled: 2-R, 3-S, 5-Q, 6-T. Positions 1 and 4 remain for P and U. The clue "either P or Q sits at the extreme left end" and Q is already fixed at 5 (not the extreme left), so by elimination P must occupy the extreme left end: P = 1. That leaves U = 4. Final row: 1-P, 2-R, 3-S, 4-U, 5-Q, 6-T. Second from the right end is position 5 = Q.

Six people — A, B, C, D, E and F — sit in a row. A sits at the extreme left end and faces south. B sits immediately to the right of A and faces north. C sits immediately to the right of B and faces south. D sits fourth from the left end and faces north. E sits immediately to the right of D and faces north. F sits at the extreme right end and faces south.

1. Q8. Which of the following persons faces the same direction as A?
   (A) B  (B) D  (C) C  (D) E
   Answer: (C) Solution: Positions: A = 1 (south), B = 2 (north), C = 3 (south), D = 4 (north), E = 5 (north), F = 6 (south). A faces south. Among the given options (B, D, C, E), only C also faces south.

Ten people sit in two rows of five, back to back (facing away from each other) — Row 1: A, B, C, D, E facing north; Row 2: P, Q, R, S, T facing south, each person in Row 2 seated directly behind the person in the same column of Row 1. C sits at the middle position of Row 1. B sits immediately to the left of C, and D sits immediately to the right of C. A sits at the extreme left end of Row 1, and E at the extreme right end. R sits directly behind C. Q sits immediately to the left of R, and S sits immediately to the right of R. P sits at the extreme left end of Row 2, and T at the extreme right end.

1. Q9. Who sits directly behind B?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) R  (D) S
   Answer: (B) Solution: Row 1 (5 seats): C = 3 (middle), B = 2 (immediately left of C), D = 4 (immediately right of C), A = 1, E = 5. Row 2: R = 3 (directly behind C, same column), Q = 2 (immediately left of R), S = 4 (immediately right of R), P = 1, T = 5. B is in column 2 of Row 1, so the person directly behind B is in column 2 of Row 2, which is Q.

Seven people — A, B, C, D, E, F and G — sit in a row facing north. G sits exactly in the middle of the row. As many people sit to the left of A as sit to the right of D. B sits immediately to the left of A. C sits at the extreme left end. F sits immediately to the right of D. E sits at the extreme right end.

1. Q10. How many people sit between B and F?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
   Answer: (B) Solution: Seven seats, so the middle position is 4: G = 4. C = 1 (extreme left), E = 7 (extreme right). Let D's position be d; people to its right = 7 − d. This must equal people to the left of A. Testing D = 5 gives 2 people to its right, so A must have exactly 2 people to its left, meaning A = 3. B, immediately left of A(3), is B = 2 — consistent with C already at 1. F, immediately right of D(5), is F = 6. Final row: 1-C, 2-B, 3-A, 4-G, 5-D, 6-F, 7-E. Between B(2) and F(6) lie positions 3, 4, 5 — that is 3 people (A, G, D).

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Chapter 3: Circular Arrangement

3.1 Facing the Centre vs Facing Outward — The Left/Right Flip

In a circular arrangement, people are seated around a round table. The two most important setup facts are: (a) how many people are seated, and (b) which way they face — towards the centre, or away from it (outward, back to the centre). Positions are still read out in a fixed rotational order — clockwise or anticlockwise — but the meaning of a person's own "left" and "right" depends entirely on which way they face.

• If everyone faces the CENTRE: moving CLOCKWISE around the table corresponds to moving to each person's LEFT. So "the person immediately to X's left" is the person immediately clockwise of X, and "to X's right" is the person immediately anticlockwise of X.
• If everyone faces OUTWARD (away from the centre): the rule reverses. Moving CLOCKWISE corresponds to moving to each person's RIGHT, and moving anticlockwise corresponds to their left.

Common Trap: This flip is the single most tested idea in circular seating. Before applying any "to X's left/right" clue, first re-confirm from the question whether people face the centre or face outward — examiners frequently place this information in one line at the start and never repeat it.

Unlike a straight row, a circular arrangement has no fixed "left end" or "right end" — only relative order matters. Never assume the person mentioned first in the question sits at any particular clock position; the whole figure can be rotated freely as long as relative order is preserved.

3.2 Even vs Odd Number of People

With an EVEN number of people seated with uniform, equal spacing, exactly one person sits diametrically "opposite" any given person (n/2 seats away in either direction). This gives a clean, unambiguous "X sits opposite Y" clue. With an ODD number of people, no one sits exactly opposite anyone else — so genuine "opposite" clues never appear in odd-count puzzles; if you see one, re-check the total headcount, because you have likely miscounted.

3.3 Vacant / Empty Seats

Some puzzles seat fewer people than the number of chairs, leaving one or more seats vacant. A vacant seat still occupies a position in the rotational sequence and is still counted when applying "third to the left of X" or similar clues, unless the question explicitly says otherwise. Track the vacant seat(s) on your diagram exactly as you would track a named person.

Worked Example 3.1

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. Using the clues below, find the clockwise seating order.

• D sits third to the left of A.
• G sits third to the left of D.
• F sits immediately to the right of G.
• E sits immediately to the right of F.
• B sits immediately to the left of A.
• C sits immediately to the right of D.

Since everyone faces the centre, "left" = clockwise and "right" = anticlockwise. Fix A's position as a reference point (say, clock-index 0); all other positions are read relative to A.

Step 1: D sits third to the left of A → three steps clockwise from A(0) → D = index 3.

Step 2: G sits third to the left of D(3) → three steps clockwise → G = index 6.

Step 3: F sits immediately to the right of G(6) → one step anticlockwise → F = index 5.

Step 4: E sits immediately to the right of F(5) → one step anticlockwise → E = index 4.

Step 5: B sits immediately to the left of A(0) → one step clockwise → B = index 1.

Step 6: C sits immediately to the right of D(3) → one step anticlockwise → C = index 2.

Step 7: Only index 7 remains unassigned, and only H is left unplaced, so H = index 7.

Final clockwise order: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H. Reading every clue back against this circle confirms all six conditions are satisfied.

Tip: Always fix ONE person's position first (even arbitrarily) as your zero-reference before converting any "left/right" clue into clockwise/anticlockwise steps — this keeps every subsequent step a simple addition or subtraction modulo the total number of seats.

When two people are said to sit "opposite" each other, instantly note total seats ÷ 2 as the fixed step-count between them — this is often the fastest clue to place first in even-count puzzles.

3.4 Practice Set — Circular Arrangement (10 Questions)

Seven people — P, Q, R, S, T, U and V — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. S sits third to the left of P. R sits immediately to the right of S. Q sits immediately to the right of R. T sits immediately to the left of S. V sits immediately to the right of P.

1. Q11. Who sits second to the right of T?
   (A) Q  (B) R  (C) P  (D) U
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise. Fix P at index 0. S, third to the left of P, is index 3. R, immediately to the right of S(3), is index 2. Q, immediately to the right of R(2), is index 1. T, immediately to the left of S(3), is index 4. V, immediately to the right of P(0), is index 6 (one step anticlockwise from 0, i.e. 0 − 1 mod 7 = 6). Only index 5 remains, filled by U. Clockwise order: P(0), Q(1), R(2), S(3), T(4), U(5), V(6). Second to the right of T(4) means two steps anticlockwise: 4 − 2 = 2 = R.

Six people — A, B, C, D, E and F — sit around a circular table, all facing outward (away from the centre). C sits second to the right of A. D sits immediately to the right of C. E sits immediately to the right of D. F sits immediately to the right of E. D sits opposite A.

1. Q12. Who sits to the immediate left of C (from C's own side)?
   (A) A  (B) B  (C) D  (D) E
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing outward, right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix A at index 0. C, second to the right of A, is index 2 (0 + 2). D, immediately to the right of C(2), is index 3 — this also matches "D sits opposite A" since with 6 seats, opposite means 3 seats apart (0 + 3 = 3). E, immediately right of D(3), is index 4. F, immediately right of E(4), is index 5. Only index 1 remains, filled by B. Clockwise order: A(0), B(1), C(2), D(3), E(4), F(5). To C's own immediate left (anticlockwise, since facing outward): index 2 − 1 = 1 = B.

Six seats are arranged around a circular table, all facing the centre; one seat is vacant. A sits second to the left of B. The vacant seat is immediately to the left of B. C sits immediately to the left of A. D sits immediately to the left of C. E sits immediately to the left of D.

1. Q13. Who sits third to the left of the vacant seat?
   (A) C  (B) D  (C) E  (D) A
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix B at index 0. A, second to the left of B, is index 2. The vacant seat, immediately left of B(0), is index 1. C, immediately left of A(2), is index 3. D, immediately left of C(3), is index 4. E, immediately left of D(4), is index 5 — the only remaining seat. Clockwise order: B(0), Vacant(1), A(2), C(3), D(4), E(5). Third to the left of the vacant seat(1): 1 + 3 = 4 = D.

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. B sits immediately to the left of A. C sits immediately to the left of B. D sits immediately to the left of C. E sits opposite A. F sits immediately to the left of E. G sits immediately to the left of F. H sits immediately to the left of G.

1. Q14. Who sits exactly opposite D?
   (A) G  (B) H  (C) F  (D) E
   Answer: (A) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix A at index 0. B = 1, C = 2, D = 3 (each immediately left of the previous). E, opposite A with 8 seats, is index 4 (0 + 4). F = 5, G = 6, H = 7 (each immediately left of the previous). Clockwise order: A(0), B(1), C(2), D(3), E(4), F(5), G(6), H(7). With 8 seats, the seat opposite D(3) is 3 + 4 = 7 = H.

Six people — D, K, A, N, L and O sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. A sits immediately to the left of D. N sits immediately to the left of A. L sits immediately to the left of N. O sits immediately to the left of L. K occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q15. How many people sit between D and L, counting along the clockwise path from D to L?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix D at index 0. A = 1, N = 2, L = 3 (each immediately left of the previous). O, immediately left of L(3), is index 4. K takes the only remaining seat, index 5. Clockwise order: D(0), A(1), N(2), L(3), O(4), K(5). Along the clockwise path from D(0) to L(3), the seats in between are indices 1 and 2 — that is 2 people (A and N).

Six people — R, U, S, W, T and V — sit around a circular table, all facing outward (away from the centre). S sits second to the right of R. W sits opposite R. U sits immediately to the left of S. T sits immediately to the right of W. V occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q16. Who sits to the immediate right of T (from T's own side)?
   (A) W  (B) V  (C) U  (D) S
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing outward, right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix R at index 0. S, second to the right of R, is index 2. W, opposite R with 6 seats, is index 3. U, immediately to the left of S(2) — anticlockwise — is index 1. T, immediately to the right of W(3) — clockwise — is index 4. V takes the only remaining seat, index 5. Clockwise order: R(0), U(1), S(2), W(3), T(4), V(5). To T's own immediate right (clockwise, since outward-facing): index 4 + 1 = 5 = V.

Eight seats are arranged around a circular table, all facing the centre; two seats are vacant. B sits second to the left of A. One vacant seat is immediately to the left of A. C sits immediately to the left of B. The other vacant seat is immediately to the left of C. D sits immediately to the left of the second vacant seat. E sits immediately to the left of D. F occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q17. How many people sit between the two vacant seats, counted along the shorter (clockwise) path from the first vacant seat to the second?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix A at index 0. B, second to the left of A, is index 2. The first vacant seat, immediately left of A(0), is index 1. C, immediately left of B(2), is index 3. The second vacant seat, immediately left of C(3), is index 4. D, immediately left of the second vacant seat(4), is index 5. E, immediately left of D(5), is index 6. F takes the remaining seat, index 7. Clockwise order: A(0), Vacant1(1), B(2), C(3), Vacant2(4), D(5), E(6), F(7). Between Vacant1(1) and Vacant2(4), the clockwise path passes indices 2 and 3 — that is 2 people (B and C).

Seven people — X, Z, Y, W, V, U and T — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. Z sits immediately to the left of X. Y sits immediately to the left of Z. V sits second to the left of Y. U sits immediately to the left of V. T sits immediately to the left of U. W does not sit immediately next to X.

1. Q18. Who sits exactly between Y and V (along the shorter arc)?
   (A) Z  (B) U  (C) W  (D) T
   Answer: (C) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix X at index 0. Z = 1, Y = 2 (each immediately left of the previous). V, second to the left of Y(2), is index 4. U, immediately left of V(4), is index 5. T, immediately left of U(5), is index 6. The only remaining index, 3, is filled by W — and W(3) is indeed not adjacent to X(0), whose neighbours are indices 1 and 6, confirming consistency. Clockwise order: X(0), Z(1), Y(2), W(3), V(4), U(5), T(6). Between Y(2) and V(4) along the shorter arc lies index 3 = W.

Six people — D, A, F, B, E and C — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. A sits immediately to the left of D. F sits immediately to the left of A. B sits immediately to the left of F. E sits immediately to the left of B. C occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q19. How many people sit between D and B, counted along the clockwise path from D to B?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix D at index 0. A = 1, F = 2, B = 3 (each immediately left of the previous). E, immediately left of B(3), is index 4. C takes the remaining seat, index 5. Clockwise order: D(0), A(1), F(2), B(3), E(4), C(5). Along the clockwise path from D(0) to B(3), the seats in between are indices 1 and 2 — that is 2 people (A and F).

Eight people — K, N, L, P, M, R, Q and O — sit around a circular table, all facing outward (away from the centre). N sits immediately to the right of K. L sits immediately to the right of N. P sits immediately to the right of L. M sits immediately to the right of P. Either R or Q sits immediately to the right of M, but Q does not sit immediately to the right of M. Q sits immediately to the right of R. O sits immediately to the left of K.

1. Q20. Who sits second to the left of M (from M's own side)?
   (A) P  (B) L  (C) N  (D) K
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing outward, right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix K at index 0. N = 1, L = 2, P = 3, M = 4 (each immediately to the right of the previous). Since R or Q sits immediately right of M(4), and the clue rules out Q, R must be at index 5. Q, immediately right of R(5), is index 6. O, immediately to the left of K(0) — anticlockwise — is index 7 (0 − 1 mod 8 = 7). Clockwise order: K(0), N(1), L(2), P(3), M(4), R(5), Q(6), O(7). Second to the left of M (anticlockwise, since outward-facing): index 4 − 2 = 2 = L.

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Chapter 4: Square, Rectangular and Polygon Arrangement

4.1 Corners and Mid-Side Positions

A very common SSC/RRB variant seats people around a square or rectangular table rather than a circular one. Typically, some people sit at the four corners and others sit at the middle of each side. The clockwise (or anticlockwise) sequence of seats behaves exactly like a circular arrangement for the purpose of "immediately to the left/right", "Nth to the left/right", and "opposite" clues — the only new feature is that each seat additionally carries a TYPE label: corner or side (middle of a side).

• For an 8-seat square table (4 corners + 4 mid-sides), corner and side positions strictly alternate as you go around.
• "Diagonally opposite" for a corner person means the corner 4 steps away (with 8 total seats) — always another corner, never a side position. Likewise, the side position "opposite" a given side position is also 4 steps away and is always another side position.
• A rectangular table with unequal sides (for example, 3 people on each long side and 1 at each short side, totalling 8) still follows the same clockwise/anticlockwise seat-counting logic — the labels "long side" and "short side" only describe where people physically sit, they do not change how you count positions.
• A regular polygon table — pentagon (5), hexagon (6), etc. — with everyone at the corners behaves exactly like a circular arrangement of that many seats; whether "opposite" clues exist depends only on whether the seat count is even (a defined opposite) or odd (no exact opposite).

4.2 The Classic Trap: Facing Direction Tied to Seat Type

Common Trap: The most frequently repeated square-table trick states: "those at the corners face outward (away from the centre) while those at the middle of the sides face the centre" (or vice versa). This means the left/right flip rule from Chapter 3 must be applied PERSON BY PERSON, based on where each one sits — not uniformly for the whole table.

Some papers instead give each person's facing direction individually rather than by seat type. Always re-read whether the facing rule is "by type" (all corners one way, all sides the other) or "by individual" before you start applying left/right clues.

Worked Example 4.1

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit around a square table: A, C, E and G at the four corners (facing outward, away from the centre) and B, D, F and H at the middle of the four sides (facing the centre). Going clockwise, the seats alternate corner-side-corner-side. Use the clues below to find the full clockwise order.

• B (a side-sitter) sits immediately to the right of A (a corner-sitter).
• C sits immediately to the left of B.
• D sits immediately to the right of C.
• E sits immediately to the left of D.
• F sits immediately to the right of E.
• G sits immediately to the left of F.
• H occupies the only remaining seat.

Corner-sitters (A, C, E, G) face outward, so for them right = clockwise and left = anticlockwise. Side-sitters (B, D, F, H) face the centre, so for them right = anticlockwise and left = clockwise. Fix A at clock-index 0 as reference.

Step 1: B is immediately to the right of A — A is a corner-sitter (outward), so right = clockwise → B = index 1.

Step 2: C is immediately to the left of B — B is a side-sitter (centre-facing), so left = clockwise → C = index 2.

Step 3: D is immediately to the right of C — C is a corner-sitter (outward), so right = clockwise → D = index 3.

Step 4: E is immediately to the left of D — D is a side-sitter (centre-facing), so left = clockwise → E = index 4.

Step 5: F is immediately to the right of E — outward corner, right = clockwise → F = index 5.

Step 6: G is immediately to the left of F — centre-facing side, left = clockwise → G = index 6.

Step 7: H occupies the only remaining seat, index 7.

Final clockwise order: A(corner), B(side), C(corner), D(side), E(corner), F(side), G(corner), H(side) — every clue in this alternating-facing puzzle simply advanced one step clockwise, because "right of an outward corner" and "left of a centre-facing side" both happen to mean clockwise here. This coincidence is exactly what examiners exploit — always verify the direction word-by-word rather than pattern-matching.

Tip: On a square/rectangular table, immediately mark each seat with a small "C" (corner) or "S" (side) and an arrow for its facing direction before reading the position clues — this 10-second labelling step prevents the by-type flip trap entirely.

"Diagonally opposite" only ever pairs corner-with-corner or side-with-side on a standard 8-seat square table — if an option pairs a corner person opposite a side person, eliminate it immediately without further calculation.

4.3 Practice Set — Square / Rectangular / Polygon Arrangement (9 Questions)

Eight people — M, N, O, P, Q, R, S and T — sit around a square table. M, O, Q and S sit at the four corners and face the centre; N, P, R and T sit at the middle of the four sides and face outward (away from the centre). N sits immediately to the left of M. O sits immediately to the right of N. P sits immediately to the left of O. Q sits immediately to the right of P. R sits immediately to the left of Q. S sits immediately to the right of R. T occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q21. Who sits at the corner diagonally opposite O?
   (A) T  (B) U  (C) V  (D) S
   Answer: (D) Solution: Corner-sitters (M, O, Q, S) face the centre: left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise. Side-sitters (N, P, R, T) face outward: right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix M at index 0. N, immediately left of M (centre-facing corner, left = clockwise) = index 1. O, immediately right of N (outward side, right = clockwise) = index 2. P, immediately left of O (centre-facing corner, left = clockwise) = index 3. Q, immediately right of P (outward side) = index 4. R, immediately left of Q (corner) = index 5. S, immediately right of R (side) = index 6. T occupies the only remaining seat, index 7. Clockwise order: M(0), N(1), O(2), P(3), Q(4), R(5), S(6), T(7). The corner diagonally opposite O(2) is 4 seats away: index 6 = S.

Eight people sit around a rectangular table with three people on each long side and one person at the middle of each short side, all facing the centre — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H, going clockwise. B sits immediately to the left of A. C sits immediately to the left of B. D sits immediately to the left of C. E sits opposite A. F sits immediately to the left of E. G sits immediately to the left of F. H occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q22. How many people sit between B and H, counted along the clockwise path from B to H?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face the centre, so left = clockwise. Fix A at index 0. B = 1, C = 2, D = 3 (each immediately left of the previous). E, opposite A (8 seats, 4 apart) = index 4 — consistent with the chain continuing from D. F, immediately left of E(4) = index 5. G, immediately left of F(5) = index 6. H occupies the last seat, index 7. Clockwise order: A(0), B(1), C(2), D(3), E(4), F(5), G(6), H(7). Between B(1) and H(7) along the clockwise path lie indices 2, 3, 4, 5 — that is 4 people (C, D, E, F).

Six people — J, K, L, M, N and O — sit around a hexagonal table (one person at each corner), all facing the centre. K sits immediately to the left of J. L sits immediately to the left of K. M sits opposite J. N sits immediately to the left of M. O occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q23. Who sits exactly opposite L?
   (A) N  (B) O  (C) M  (D) K
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face the centre, so left = clockwise. Fix J at index 0. K = 1, L = 2 (each immediately left of the previous). M, opposite J (6 seats, 3 apart) = index 3. N, immediately left of M(3) = index 4. O occupies the only remaining seat, index 5. Clockwise order: J(0), K(1), L(2), M(3), N(4), O(5). With 6 seats, opposite means 3 steps apart: the seat opposite L(2) is 2 + 3 = 5 = O.

Eight people — M, N, O, P, Q, R, S and T — sit around a square table; M, O, Q and S sit at the corners and face outward, while N, P, R and T sit at the middle of the sides and face the centre. N sits immediately to the right of M. O sits immediately to the left of N. Either P or R sits immediately to the right of O, but R does not sit immediately to the right of O. Q sits immediately to the left of P. R sits immediately to the right of Q. S sits immediately to the left of R. T occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q24. Who sits at the corner diagonally opposite O?
   (A) Q  (B) R  (C) S  (D) T
   Answer: (C) Solution: Corner-sitters (M, O, Q, S) face outward: right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Side-sitters (N, P, R, T) face the centre: left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise. Fix M at index 0. N, immediately right of M (corner, outward, right = clockwise) = index 1. O, immediately left of N (side, centre-facing, left = clockwise) = index 2. Since R is ruled out from sitting immediately right of O, P must sit there instead: O is a corner (outward), right = clockwise, so P = index 3. Q, immediately left of P (side, centre-facing, left = clockwise) = index 4. R, immediately right of Q (corner, outward, right = clockwise) = index 5 — consistent with R being excluded from index 3. S, immediately left of R (side, centre-facing, left = clockwise) = index 6. T occupies the only remaining seat, index 7. Clockwise order: M(0), N(1), O(2), P(3), Q(4), R(5), S(6), T(7). Diagonally opposite O(2), 4 seats away, is index 6 = S.

Five people — V, W, X, Y and Z — sit around a pentagonal table (one at each corner), all facing the centre. W sits immediately to the left of V. X sits immediately to the left of W. Y sits second to the left of X. Z occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q25. How many people sit between X and Y, counted along the clockwise path?
   (A) 0  (B) 1  (C) 2  (D) 3
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face the centre, so left = clockwise. Fix V at index 0. W = 1, X = 2 (each immediately left of the previous). Y, second to the left of X(2) = index 4 (5-seat table, so indices run 0-4). Z occupies the only remaining seat, index 3. Clockwise order: V(0), W(1), X(2), Z(3), Y(4). Between X(2) and Y(4) along the clockwise path lies only index 3 — that is 1 person (Z). Note: with an odd number of seats (5), no clue can validly claim two people sit exactly 'opposite' each other.

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit around a square table; A, C, E and G sit at the corners and B, D, F and H at the middle of the sides. All eight face the centre. B sits immediately to the left of A. C sits immediately to the left of B. D sits immediately to the left of C. E sits opposite A. F, G and H occupy the remaining seats in clockwise order after E.

1. Q26. Which corner person sits diagonally opposite C?
   (A) E  (B) G  (C) A  (D) F
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face the centre, so left = clockwise. Fix A at index 0. B = 1, C = 2, D = 3 (each immediately left of the previous). E, opposite A (4 apart) = index 4, consistent with the chain. F, G, H fill indices 5, 6, 7 respectively in clockwise order. Clockwise order: A(0), B(1), C(2), D(3), E(4), F(5), G(6), H(7). The corner diagonally opposite C(2), 4 seats away, is index 6 = G.

Eight people sit around a rectangular table (three on each long side, one at each short side), all facing outward (away from the centre) — I, J, K, L, M, N, O and P, going clockwise. J sits immediately to the right of I. K sits immediately to the right of J. L sits immediately to the right of K. M sits opposite I. N sits immediately to the right of M. O sits immediately to the right of N. P occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q27. Who sits to the immediate left of M (from M's own side)?
   (A) K  (B) L  (C) N  (D) I
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face outward, so right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix I at index 0. J = 1, K = 2, L = 3 (each immediately right of the previous). M, opposite I (4 apart) = index 4, consistent with the chain. N, immediately right of M(4) = index 5. O, immediately right of N(5) = index 6. P occupies the last seat, index 7. Clockwise order: I(0), J(1), K(2), L(3), M(4), N(5), O(6), P(7). To M's own immediate left (anticlockwise, since facing outward): index 4 − 1 = 3 = L.

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit around a square table, all facing outward (away from the centre) — A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H in some clockwise order. B sits immediately to the right of A. C sits immediately to the right of B. D sits immediately to the right of C. E sits opposite A. F sits immediately to the right of E. G sits immediately to the right of F. H occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q28. How many people sit between F and B, counted along the anticlockwise path from F to B?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
   Answer: (B) Solution: All face outward, so right = clockwise. Fix A at index 0. B = 1, C = 2, D = 3 (each immediately right of the previous). E, opposite A (4 apart) = index 4, consistent with the chain. F, immediately right of E(4) = index 5. G, immediately right of F(5) = index 6. H occupies the last seat, index 7. Clockwise order: A(0), B(1), C(2), D(3), E(4), F(5), G(6), H(7). Travelling anticlockwise from F(5) to B(1): F(5) → E(4) → D(3) → C(2) → B(1). The people strictly in between are E, D and C — that is 3 people.

Six people — R, S, T, U, V and W — sit around a hexagonal table (one at each corner). R faces the centre, S faces outward, T faces the centre, U faces outward, V faces the centre, and W faces outward, in that clockwise physical order starting from R. S sits immediately to the left of R. T sits immediately to the right of S. U sits immediately to the left of T. V sits immediately to the right of U. W sits immediately to the left of V.

1. Q29. Who sits exactly opposite R?
   (A) T  (B) U  (C) V  (D) W
   Answer: (B) Solution: Apply the flip individually: a centre-facing person's left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise; an outward-facing person's right = clockwise, left = anticlockwise. Fix R at index 0. S, immediately left of R (R faces centre, left = clockwise) = index 1. T, immediately right of S (S faces outward, right = clockwise) = index 2. U, immediately left of T (T faces centre, left = clockwise) = index 3. V, immediately right of U (U faces outward, right = clockwise) = index 4. W, immediately left of V (V faces centre, left = clockwise) = index 5 — the only remaining seat. Clockwise order: R(0), S(1), T(2), U(3), V(4), W(5). With 6 seats, opposite means 3 apart: the seat opposite R(0) is index 3 = U.

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Chapter 5: Double Line-up / Two-Row Seating with an Extra Attribute

5.1 What Makes It "Double"

A double line-up puzzle keeps the two-facing-rows structure from Chapter 2, but attaches a second, independent piece of information to every person — a favourite colour, a day of the week, a profession, a subject, a fruit, and so on. You now have to build and fill in TWO linked grids at once: the seating grid (row and column) and the attribute grid (who has what). The two grids interact only through the clues — a clue may fix a seat directly, fix an attribute directly, or link a seat to an attribute ("the person who likes Red sits at the extreme left end of Row 1").

• Always maintain the seating grid and the attribute list as two separate, clearly labelled columns in your rough work — merging them into one sloppy diagram is the biggest source of errors in this puzzle type.
• Solve whichever grid has more "definite" clues first; use the cross-linking clues (seat↔attribute) as the bridge once one side is partly fixed.
• A cross-linking clue only becomes useful once you know at least one side of the link (either the seat or the person) — hold such clues in reserve if both sides are still unknown, and revisit them once you have made progress.

Worked Example 5.1

Ten people sit in two parallel rows of five, facing each other — Row 1: A, B, C, D, E (facing south) and Row 2: P, Q, R, S, T (facing north), each person in Row 2 facing exactly one person of Row 1. Each of the ten also likes a different colour: Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White, Pink, Black, Orange, Grey and Purple.

• A sits at the extreme left end of Row 1 and likes Red.
• B sits immediately to the right of A. C sits immediately to the right of B. D sits immediately to the right of C. E occupies the remaining seat of Row 1.
• Q faces B. P sits immediately to the left of Q. S sits second to the right of Q. T sits at the extreme right end of Row 2 (this leaves R for the only remaining seat).
• D likes Yellow. E, at the extreme right end of Row 1, likes White. Q likes Black. The person who likes Green faces the person who likes Orange.
• P likes Pink, S likes Grey, and T likes Purple.

Step 1 (seating grid): A = column 1 (extreme left). B, C, D are immediately right of each other in sequence, so B = 2, C = 3, D = 4. E takes the remaining seat, column 5.

Step 2: Q faces B, and since the rows face each other column-to-column, Q is in column 2 of Row 2. P, immediately left of Q(2), is column 1. S, second to the right of Q(2), is column 4. T, at the extreme right end, is column 5 — leaving R for column 3.

Step 3 (attribute grid): A = Red (given), D = Yellow (given), E = White (given), Q = Black (given), P = Pink (given), S = Grey (given), T = Purple (given). Only B, C and R remain unassigned, and only Green and Orange remain unused, plus one more colour — recount: 10 colours listed, 7 already used (Red, Yellow, White, Black, Pink, Grey, Purple), leaving Green, Orange and Blue for B, C, R.

Step 4: "The person who likes Green faces the person who likes Orange." B(column 2) faces Q(Black) — not a Green/Orange pair. C(column 3) faces R(column 3) — C and R are a facing pair, so one of them likes Green and the other Orange. That leaves Blue for B by elimination.

Step 5: Between C and R, no further clue distinguishes which one is Green and which is Orange — in the real exam this would mean a question relying on this exact distinction is unanswerable, which tells you such a puzzle would include one more differentiating clue. For this illustration, take the additional (implied) fact that C, sitting third in Row 1, likes Green, making R like Orange.

Final grid — Row 1: A(Red)-1, B(Blue)-2, C(Green)-3, D(Yellow)-4, E(White)-5. Row 2: P(Pink)-1, Q(Black)-2, R(Orange)-3, S(Grey)-4, T(Purple)-5.

Common Trap: The step above (Step 5) is deliberately shown as a teaching moment: if you ever reach a point where two people remain interchangeable after using every clue, you have either mis-read a clue or missed one — a genuine SSC/RRB puzzle always has enough clues for a unique solution. Re-scan every clue once more before assuming ambiguity.

Do not assume the attribute list runs out at the same pace as the seating list — count how many attributes are already fixed and how many remain after every 2-3 clues, so you notice immediately if you are one clue short.

Tip: Make a single combined answer table only at the very end, once both grids are separately solved — combining too early causes you to overwrite cells you later need to change during a branch.

In cross-linking clues ("the Red-liker sits..."), immediately write the colour name next to the seat once resolved, and cross out that colour from your remaining-attributes list — a running strike-off list is faster than repeatedly re-scanning all ten names.

5.2 Practice Set — Double Line-up (8 Questions)

Eight people sit in two rows of four, facing each other — Row 1: A, B, C, D (facing south); Row 2: P, Q, R, S (facing north), column-to-column. Each also likes a different fruit: Mango, Apple, Banana, Grape (Row 1 members, not necessarily in that order) and Orange, Guava, Papaya, Litchi (Row 2 members, not necessarily in that order). A sits at the extreme left end of Row 1 and likes Mango. B sits immediately to the right of A and likes Apple. C sits immediately to the right of B. D occupies the remaining seat of Row 1 and likes Grape, so C likes Banana. Q faces B. P sits immediately to the left of Q and likes Guava. R sits immediately to the right of Q and likes Papaya. S occupies the remaining seat and likes Litchi, so Q likes Orange.

1. Q30. Who faces the person who likes Grape?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) R  (D) S
   Answer: (D) Solution: Row 1: A = column 1, B = column 2 (immediately right of A), C = column 3 (immediately right of B), D = column 4 (remaining seat). Row 2: Q faces B, so Q = column 2. P, immediately left of Q, is column 1. R, immediately right of Q, is column 3. S occupies the remaining seat, column 4. D, who likes Grape, is in column 4 of Row 1. The person facing column 4 of Row 2 is S.

Six people sit in two rows of three, facing each other — Row 1: J, K, L (facing south); Row 2: X, Y, Z (facing north), column-to-column. J sits at the extreme left end of Row 1. K sits immediately to the right of J. L occupies the remaining seat. Y faces K. X sits immediately to the left of Y. Z occupies the remaining seat. Each person was born in a different month among January to June. J was born in March. K was born in January. L was born in May. Y was born in February. The one born in April faces the one born in March. Z was born in June.

1. Q31. Who was born in April?
   (A) X  (B) Y  (C) Z  (D) L
   Answer: (A) Solution: Row 1: J = column 1, K = column 2, L = column 3. Row 2: Y faces K, so Y = column 2. X, immediately left of Y, is column 1. Z occupies column 3. Months so far: J = March, K = January, L = May, Y = February, Z = June. Only April is unassigned, and only X is unassigned — so X was born in April. Check the cross-link: the April-born person should face the March-born person. X is column 1, facing J (column 1) who was born in March. This is consistent, confirming X = April.

Eight people sit in two rows of four, facing each other — Row 1: P, Q, R, S (facing north); Row 2: W, X, Y, Z (facing south), column-to-column. Each person also has a different profession: Doctor, Engineer, Teacher, Lawyer (Row 1, not necessarily in order) and Pilot, Nurse, Chef, Artist (Row 2, not necessarily in order). Q sits second from the left end of Row 1 and is an Engineer. P sits immediately to the left of Q and is a Doctor. R sits immediately to the right of Q and is a Teacher. S occupies the remaining seat and is a Lawyer. X faces Q and is a Nurse. W sits immediately to the left of X and is a Pilot. Y sits immediately to the right of X and is a Chef. Z occupies the remaining seat and is an Artist.

1. Q32. Which profession does the person facing the Lawyer have?
   (A) Pilot  (B) Nurse  (C) Chef  (D) Artist
   Answer: (D) Solution: Row 1: Q = column 2, P = column 1 (immediately left of Q), R = column 3 (immediately right of Q), S = column 4 (remaining seat) — S is the Lawyer. Row 2: X faces Q, so X = column 2. W, immediately left of X, is column 1. Y, immediately right of X, is column 3. Z occupies column 4 — Z is the Artist. S (Lawyer, column 4) is faced by Z (column 4), who is the Artist.

Six people sit in two rows of three, facing each other — Row 1: D, E, F (facing south); Row 2: M, N, O (facing north), column-to-column. Each likes a different colour among Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, White and Black. D sits at the extreme left end of Row 1 and likes Red. E sits immediately to the right of D and likes Blue. F occupies the remaining seat and likes Green. N faces E and likes Yellow. M sits immediately to the left of N and likes White. O occupies the remaining seat and likes Black.

1. Q33. Who sits opposite (faces) the person who likes Green?
   (A) M  (B) N  (C) O  (D) D
   Answer: (C) Solution: Row 1: D = column 1 (Red), E = column 2 (Blue), F = column 3 (Green). Row 2: N faces E, so N = column 2. M, immediately left of N, is column 1. O occupies column 3. F, who likes Green, is in column 3 of Row 1. The person facing column 3 of Row 2 is O.

Eight people sit in two rows of four, facing each other — Row 1: A, B, C, D (facing north); Row 2: E, F, G, H (facing south), column-to-column. Each also prepares a different subject among Maths, English, Science, GK (Row 1) and Reasoning, Computer, GS, Hindi (Row 2). B sits second from the left end of Row 1 and teaches English. A sits immediately to the left of B and teaches Maths. C sits immediately to the right of B and teaches Science. D occupies the remaining seat and teaches GK. G faces B and teaches Computer. F sits immediately to the left of G and teaches Reasoning. H sits immediately to the right of G and teaches GS. E occupies the remaining seat and teaches Hindi.

1. Q34. Who teaches the subject facing the person who teaches GK?
   (A) Reasoning  (B) Computer  (C) GS  (D) Hindi
   Answer: (D) Solution: Row 1: B = column 2, A = column 1 (immediately left of B), C = column 3 (immediately right of B), D = column 4 (remaining seat) — D teaches GK. Row 2: G faces B, so G = column 2. F, immediately left of G, is column 1. H, immediately right of G, is column 3. E occupies column 4 — E teaches Hindi. D (GK, column 4) is faced by E (column 4), who teaches Hindi.

Ten people sit in two rows of five, facing each other — Row 1: P, Q, R, S, T (facing south); Row 2: V, W, X, Y, Z (facing north), column-to-column. Each also has a different pet among Dog, Cat, Rabbit, Parrot, Fish (Row 1) and Hamster, Turtle, Goat, Cow, Horse (Row 2). Q sits second from the left end of Row 1 and has a Cat. P sits immediately to the left of Q and has a Dog. R sits immediately to the right of Q and has a Rabbit. S sits immediately to the right of R and has a Parrot. T occupies the remaining seat and has a Fish. W faces Q and has a Turtle. V sits immediately to the left of W and has a Hamster. X sits immediately to the right of W and has a Goat. Y sits immediately to the right of X and has a Cow. Z occupies the remaining seat and has a Horse.

1. Q35. Which pet does the person facing the Fish-owner have?
   (A) Goat  (B) Cow  (C) Horse  (D) Turtle
   Answer: (C) Solution: Row 1: Q = column 2, P = column 1, R = column 3, S = column 4, T = column 5 (remaining seat) — T has the Fish. Row 2: W faces Q, so W = column 2. V, immediately left of W, is column 1. X, immediately right of W, is column 3. Y, immediately right of X, is column 4. Z occupies column 5 — Z has the Horse. T (Fish, column 5) is faced by Z (column 5), who has the Horse.

Six people sit in two rows of three, back to back (facing away from each other) — Row 1: A, B, C (facing north); Row 2: D, E, F (facing south), each seated directly behind the same column of Row 1. Each likes a different beverage among Tea, Coffee, Juice (Row 1) and Milk, Water, Soda (Row 2). B sits at the middle of Row 1 and likes Coffee. A sits immediately to the left of B and likes Tea. C occupies the remaining seat and likes Juice. E sits directly behind B and likes Water. D sits immediately to the left of E and likes Milk. F occupies the remaining seat and likes Soda.

1. Q36. Who sits directly behind the Juice drinker?
   (A) D  (B) E  (C) F  (D) B
   Answer: (C) Solution: Row 1: B = column 2 (middle), A = column 1 (immediately left of B), C = column 3 (remaining seat) — C likes Juice. Row 2: E is directly behind B, so E = column 2. D, immediately left of E, is column 1. F occupies column 3. C (Juice, column 3) has F (column 3) directly behind.

Eight people sit in two rows of four, facing each other — Row 1: K, L, M, N (facing south); Row 2: O, P, Q, R (facing north), column-to-column. Each also studies in a different city among Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai (Row 1) and Jaipur, Lucknow, Patna, Bhopal (Row 2). L sits second from the left end of Row 1 and studies in Mumbai. K sits immediately to the left of L and studies in Delhi. M sits immediately to the right of L and studies in Pune. N occupies the remaining seat and studies in Chennai. P faces L and studies in Lucknow. O sits immediately to the left of P and studies in Jaipur. Q sits immediately to the right of P and studies in Patna. R occupies the remaining seat and studies in Bhopal.

1. Q37. The person studying in which city faces the person studying in Chennai?
   (A) Jaipur  (B) Lucknow  (C) Patna  (D) Bhopal
   Answer: (D) Solution: Row 1: L = column 2, K = column 1, M = column 3, N = column 4 (remaining seat) — N studies in Chennai. Row 2: P faces L, so P = column 2. O, immediately left of P, is column 1. Q, immediately right of P, is column 3. R occupies column 4 — R studies in Bhopal. N (Chennai, column 4) is faced by R (column 4), who studies in Bhopal.

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Chapter 6: Floor-Based Puzzles

6.1 Setting Up the Building

In a floor-based puzzle, a fixed number of floors are stacked vertically, and one person (occasionally one item) lives on each floor. The very first thing to fix — before touching a single clue — is the numbering direction: does Floor 1 mean the ground floor (the usual, default convention), or does the question explicitly assign Floor 1 to the topmost floor? Both appear in SSC/RRB papers, and the second variant is a favourite trap.

• Default convention (used unless stated otherwise): Floor 1 = ground floor, and floor numbers increase as you go up, so the topmost floor has the highest number.
• "Immediately above" always means physically one floor higher, and "immediately below" means physically one floor lower — regardless of which way the floor numbers run.
• "X lives on the topmost floor" and "X lives on the ground floor" are absolute, definite clues — place them first, exactly like extreme-end clues in linear seating.
• "Only two floors are there between X and Y" works exactly like the row-based "people between" clue: the numeric gap between their floor numbers is exactly 2 more than 1, i.e., |floor(X) − floor(Y)| = 3.

Worked Example 6.1

A building has 8 floors, numbered 1 (ground) to 8 (topmost). Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — live on these floors, one on each. Find who lives on which floor.

• D lives on the topmost floor.
• B lives exactly two floors below D.
• E lives immediately below D.
• G lives exactly one floor below B.
• A lives immediately below G.
• F lives exactly one floor below A.
• C lives immediately below F.
• H lives on the ground floor.

Step 1: D is on the topmost floor of an 8-floor building, so D = Floor 8.

Step 2: B is exactly two floors below D(8), so B = Floor 6.

Step 3: E is immediately below D(8), so E = Floor 7.

Step 4: G is exactly one floor below B(6), so G = Floor 5.

Step 5: A is immediately below G(5), so A = Floor 4.

Step 6: F is exactly one floor below A(4), so F = Floor 3.

Step 7: C is immediately below F(3), so C = Floor 2.

Step 8: H lives on the ground floor, so H = Floor 1 — this is also the only floor left, confirming the arrangement.

Final arrangement, ground to top: H(1), C(2), F(3), A(4), G(5), B(6), E(7), D(8).

Common Trap: If a question says "the topmost floor is numbered 1 and the numbers increase as you go down," every "immediately above/below" clue still refers to PHYSICAL position, but the floor NUMBER arithmetic reverses — "immediately above" now means the floor number decreases by 1, not increases. Re-derive your direction of counting the moment you spot this phrasing.

"Between" clues for floors count the same way as row clues (numeric gap, not physical distance in metres) — do not be misled by a puzzle that also gives building heights or floor sizes as flavour text; those numbers are irrelevant to solving the seating.

Tip: Draw the building as a simple vertical stack of boxes with the ground floor at the bottom of your rough page — this matches real-world intuition and prevents you from accidentally placing "topmost" at the bottom of your diagram.

As soon as you fix the topmost and ground floor people, write the total floor count in the margin and cross off floor numbers as you fill them — this catches missed or duplicate floor assignments instantly.

6.2 Practice Set — Floor-Based Puzzles (9 Questions)

A six-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 6 = topmost) houses six people — A, B, C, D, E and F, one per floor. B lives on floor 3. Only two floors are there between B and E. A lives on the ground floor. D lives immediately above A. F lives exactly two floors below E. C lives immediately above F.

1. Q38. How many floors are there between D and C?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: B = Floor 3 (given). "Only two floors between B and E" means |3 − E| = 3, so E = 6 (E = 0 is invalid). A = Floor 1 (ground). D, immediately above A, is Floor 2. F, exactly two floors below E(6), is Floor 4. C, immediately above F(4), is Floor 5. Final: A(1), D(2), B(3), F(4), C(5), E(6). Between D(2) and C(5) lie floors 3 and 4 — that is 2 floors.

A six-floor building has the topmost floor numbered Floor 1 and the ground floor numbered Floor 6 (floor numbers increase as you go down). Six people — M, N, O, P, Q and R — live on these floors, one per floor. R lives on the ground floor. Q lives immediately above R. P lives immediately above Q. O lives immediately above P. N lives immediately above O. M lives on the topmost floor.

1. Q39. Which floor number does Q live on?
   (A) Floor 3  (B) Floor 4  (C) Floor 5  (D) Floor 6
   Answer: (C) Solution: Ground floor = Floor 6 here (reversed numbering), so R = Floor 6. "Immediately above" is always a physical relation — one floor higher — regardless of numbering direction; physically higher means a SMALLER floor number under this reversed scheme. Q, immediately above R(Floor 6), is Floor 5. P, immediately above Q, is Floor 4. O, immediately above P, is Floor 3. N, immediately above O, is Floor 2. M, the topmost floor, is Floor 1 — consistent with the pattern. Q lives on Floor 5.

A seven-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 7 = topmost) houses seven people — G, E, H, F, I, K and J, one per floor. H lives on floor 3. Only two floors are there between H and K. F lives immediately above H. I lives immediately above F. Either J or E lives immediately above K, but E does not live immediately above K. G lives on the ground floor.

1. Q40. How many floors are there between F and J?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: H = Floor 3. "Only two floors between H and K" means |3 − K| = 3, so K = 6 (K = 0 invalid). F, immediately above H(3), is Floor 4. I, immediately above F(4), is Floor 5. Since E is ruled out from being immediately above K(6), J must be there instead: J = Floor 7. G = Floor 1 (ground). The only remaining floor, 2, goes to E by elimination. Final: G(1), E(2), H(3), F(4), I(5), K(6), J(7). Between F(4) and J(7) lie floors 5 and 6 — that is 2 floors.

A six-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 6 = topmost) houses six people — S, U, T, R, V and Q, one per floor. T lives on floor 3. R does not live on floor 1 or floor 6, and R lives immediately above T. V lives immediately above R. Q lives on the topmost floor. U lives immediately below T. S lives on the ground floor.

1. Q41. Who lives exactly two floors above U?
   (A) T  (B) R  (C) V  (D) Q
   Answer: (B) Solution: T = Floor 3. R, immediately above T, is Floor 4 (this also satisfies R not being on floor 1 or 6). V, immediately above R(4), is Floor 5. Q, the topmost floor, is Floor 6. U, immediately below T(3), is Floor 2. S, the ground floor, is Floor 1. Final: S(1), U(2), T(3), R(4), V(5), Q(6). Exactly two floors above U(2) is Floor 4 = R.

A six-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 6 = topmost) houses six people, each owning a different car. D lives on floor 4 and owns a Hyundai. C lives immediately below D and owns a Toyota. B lives immediately below C and owns a Maruti. A lives on the ground floor and owns a Honda. E lives immediately above D and owns a Kia. F lives on the topmost floor and owns a Tata.

1. Q42. Who lives two floors below the Kia owner?
   (A) B  (B) C  (C) D  (D) A
   Answer: (B) Solution: D = Floor 4 (Hyundai). C, immediately below D, is Floor 3 (Toyota). B, immediately below C, is Floor 2 (Maruti). A = Floor 1 (Honda, ground floor). E, immediately above D(4), is Floor 5 (Kia). F = Floor 6 (Tata, topmost). The Kia owner is E on Floor 5. Two floors below Floor 5 is Floor 3, which is C.

An eight-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 8 = topmost) houses eight people — M, P, K, N, L, O, J and I, one per floor. K lives on floor 3. N lives immediately above K. L lives immediately above N. O lives immediately above L. J lives immediately above O. I lives on the topmost floor. P lives immediately below K. M lives on the ground floor.

1. Q43. How many floors are there between P and J?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
   Answer: (B) Solution: K = Floor 3. N, immediately above K, is Floor 4. L, immediately above N, is Floor 5. O, immediately above L, is Floor 6. J, immediately above O, is Floor 7. I, the topmost floor, is Floor 8. P, immediately below K(3), is Floor 2. M, the ground floor, is Floor 1. Final: M(1), P(2), K(3), N(4), L(5), O(6), J(7), I(8). Between P(2) and J(7) lie floors 3, 4, 5 and 6 — that is 4 floors.

A five-floor building has the topmost floor numbered Floor 1 and the ground floor numbered Floor 5. Five people — A, B, C, D and E — live on these floors, one per floor. A lives on the topmost floor. B lives immediately below A. C lives immediately below B. D lives immediately below C. E lives on the ground floor.

1. Q44. Which floor number does C live on?
   (A) Floor 1  (B) Floor 2  (C) Floor 3  (D) Floor 4
   Answer: (C) Solution: Topmost = Floor 1, so A = Floor 1. "Immediately below" is a physical relation — one floor lower — which under this reversed numbering means the floor number increases by 1. B, immediately below A(Floor 1), is Floor 2. C, immediately below B(Floor 2), is Floor 3. D, immediately below C(Floor 3), is Floor 4. E, the ground floor, is Floor 5 — consistent. C lives on Floor 3.

A seven-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 7 = topmost) has six people and one vacant floor. B lives on floor 3. The vacant floor is immediately below B. A lives immediately below the vacant floor. C lives immediately above B. D lives immediately above C. E lives immediately above D. F lives on the topmost floor.

1. Q45. How many people live between the vacant floor and E?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
   Answer: (B) Solution: B = Floor 3. The vacant floor, immediately below B, is Floor 2. A, immediately below the vacant floor, is Floor 1. C, immediately above B(3), is Floor 4. D, immediately above C(4), is Floor 5. E, immediately above D(5), is Floor 6. F, the topmost floor, is Floor 7. Final: A(1), Vacant(2), B(3), C(4), D(5), E(6), F(7). Between the vacant floor(2) and E(6) live the people on floors 3, 4 and 5 — that is 3 people (B, C, D).

A six-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 6 = topmost) houses six people — X, Z, Y, W, V and U, one per floor. Y lives on floor 3. W lives immediately above Y. V lives immediately above W. U lives on the topmost floor. Z lives immediately below Y. X lives on the ground floor.

1. Q46. Who lives exactly three floors above X?
   (A) Y  (B) Z  (C) W  (D) V
   Answer: (C) Solution: Y = Floor 3. W, immediately above Y, is Floor 4. V, immediately above W(4), is Floor 5. U, the topmost floor, is Floor 6 — consistent with being immediately above V. Z, immediately below Y(3), is Floor 2. X, the ground floor, is Floor 1. Final: X(1), Z(2), Y(3), W(4), V(5), U(6). Exactly three floors above X(1) is Floor 4 = W.

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Chapter 7: Box / Stack-Based Puzzles

7.1 Boxes Stacked Vertically

A stack puzzle behaves exactly like a floor puzzle: a fixed number of boxes (often of different colours or weights) are kept one on top of another, and you number the positions 1 (bottom) upward, unless the question fixes the numbering differently. Every phrase from Chapter 6 — "immediately above/below", "at the top/bottom", "only N boxes between" — carries over unchanged, just applied to boxes instead of floors.

• Flavour details such as weight or colour are often just extra attributes layered onto the same vertical position grid — solve the position grid first using the pure position clues, then fill in colour/weight from the direct or linking clues.
• A repeated trap: "heavier boxes are kept below lighter ones" (or the reverse) is sometimes given as a general rule at the start of the question, then used only implicitly later — always check whether such a rule is actually needed to answer, or is a distractor that happens to be already consistent with the position clues.

Worked Example 7.1

Seven boxes — A, B, C, D, E, F and G — are kept in a stack, one above another. Positions are numbered 1 (bottom) to 7 (top).

• C is kept at the top.
• Only two boxes are kept between C and B.
• A is kept immediately above B.
• F is kept immediately above A.
• E is kept immediately below B.
• G is kept immediately below E.
• D is kept at the bottom.

Step 1: C is at the top of a 7-box stack, so C = position 7.

Step 2: "Only two boxes between C and B" means |7 − B| = 3, so B = 4 (B = 10 is invalid).

Step 3: A, immediately above B(4), is position 5. F, immediately above A(5), is position 6.

Step 4: E, immediately below B(4), is position 3. G, immediately below E(3), is position 2.

Step 5: D is at the bottom, so D = position 1 — the only position left, confirming the full stack.

Final stack, bottom to top: D(1), G(2), E(3), B(4), A(5), F(6), C(7).

7.2 Boxes Arranged in a Rack (Rows and Columns)

A second common variant arranges boxes in a rectangular rack with a fixed number of rows and columns — for example, 3 rows and 3 columns holding 9 boxes. Each box now has TWO coordinates: a row and a column. Clues use both dimensions: "immediately to the left/right" moves along a row (same row, adjacent column); "directly above/below" moves along a column (same column, adjacent row); and "in the same row as X, at the extreme left/right" fixes a column within a row already partly known.

Common Trap: In a rack puzzle, always double-check whether a clue is a ROW clue (left/right) or a COLUMN clue (above/below) — the two are easy to conflate under time pressure, and swapping them produces a completely different (but often still "plausible-looking") grid.

"Diagonally opposite" in a rack means a different row AND a different column (typically the extreme opposite corner) — it is not the same as "directly above" or "directly beside".

Tip: For a rack puzzle, draw the actual grid (rows × columns) on paper before reading clues — an empty grid with row and column labels turns every clue into a simple fill-in-the-cell action.

Solve one row completely using its own internal left/right clues before jumping to the column-linking clues — this avoids half-finished rows that create false contradictions.

7.3 Practice Set — Box / Stack Puzzles (8 Questions)

Six boxes — J, M, K, N, O and L — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 6 (top). K is kept at position 3. Only one box is kept between K and O, and O is kept above K. N is kept immediately above K. L is kept at the top. M is kept immediately below K. J is kept at the bottom.

1. Q47. How many boxes are kept between N and L?
   (A) 0  (B) 1  (C) 2  (D) 3
   Answer: (B) Solution: K = position 3. "Only one box between K and O, and O is above K" means O = 5 (3 + 2), since O must be above K. N, immediately above K(3), is position 4. L, at the top, is position 6 — consistent with being immediately above O(5). M, immediately below K(3), is position 2. J, at the bottom, is position 1. Final stack: J(1), M(2), K(3), N(4), O(5), L(6). Between N(4) and L(6) lies position 5 — that is 1 box (O).

Eight boxes — B, E, A, H, C, F, D and G — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 8 (top). A is kept at position 3. H is kept immediately above A. C is kept immediately above H. F is kept immediately above C. D is kept immediately above F. G is kept at the top. E is kept immediately below A. B is kept at the bottom.

1. Q48. Which box is kept exactly three positions above E?
   (A) A  (B) H  (C) C  (D) F
   Answer: (C) Solution: A = position 3. H, immediately above A, is position 4. C, immediately above H(4), is position 5. F, immediately above C(5), is position 6. D, immediately above F(6), is position 7. G, at the top, is position 8. E, immediately below A(3), is position 2. B, at the bottom, is position 1. Final stack: B(1), E(2), A(3), H(4), C(5), F(6), D(7), G(8). Exactly three positions above E(2) is position 5 = C.

Seven boxes — X, Z, Y, W, V, U and T — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 7 (top). Y is kept at position 3. Only two boxes are kept between Y and U. W is kept immediately above Y. V is kept immediately above W. Either T or Z is kept immediately above U, but Z is not. Z is kept immediately below Y. X is kept at the bottom.

1. Q49. How many boxes are kept between W and T?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: Y = position 3. "Only two boxes between Y and U" gives |3 − U| = 3, so U = 6 (U = 0 invalid). W, immediately above Y(3), is position 4. V, immediately above W(4), is position 5. Since Z is ruled out from being immediately above U(6), T must be there: T = position 7. Z, immediately below Y(3), is position 2. X, at the bottom, is position 1. Final stack: X(1), Z(2), Y(3), W(4), V(5), U(6), T(7). Between W(4) and T(7) lie positions 5 and 6 — that is 2 boxes (V, U).

Six boxes, each a different colour, are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 6 (top). S is kept at position 4 and is Yellow. R is kept immediately below S and is Green. Q is kept immediately below R and is Blue. P is kept at the bottom and is Red. T is kept immediately above S and is White. U is kept at the top and is Black.

1. Q50. Which box is kept two positions below the White box?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) R  (D) S
   Answer: (C) Solution: S = position 4 (Yellow). R, immediately below S, is position 3 (Green). Q, immediately below R(3), is position 2 (Blue). P, at the bottom, is position 1 (Red). T, immediately above S(4), is position 5 (White). U, at the top, is position 6 (Black). The White box is T at position 5. Two positions below position 5 is position 3, which is R.

Nine boxes — A to I — are kept in a rack of 3 rows and 3 columns (Row 1 = bottom, Row 3 = top; Column 1 = left, Column 3 = right). E is kept in the middle row and middle column. D is kept immediately to the left of E, in the same row. F is kept immediately to the right of E, in the same row. B is kept directly below E. H is kept directly above E. A is kept in the same row as B, at the extreme left column. C is kept in the same row as B, at the extreme right column. G is kept in the same row as H, at the extreme left column. I is kept in the same row as H, at the extreme right column.

1. Q51. Which box is kept diagonally opposite A (different row and different column, at the farthest corner)?
   (A) C  (B) G  (C) I  (D) E
   Answer: (C) Solution: E = Row 2, Column 2 (middle). D, immediately left of E in the same row, is Row 2, Column 1. F, immediately right of E, is Row 2, Column 3. B, directly below E, is Row 1, Column 2. H, directly above E, is Row 3, Column 2. A, same row as B (Row 1) at the extreme left, is Row 1, Column 1. C, same row as B at the extreme right, is Row 1, Column 3. G, same row as H (Row 3) at the extreme left, is Row 3, Column 1. I, same row as H at the extreme right, is Row 3, Column 3. A is at Row 1, Column 1. The box diagonally opposite (different row and column, farthest corner) is at Row 3, Column 3 — that is I.

Eight boxes — P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W — are kept in a rack of 2 rows and 4 columns (Row 1 = bottom, Row 2 = top; columns numbered 1 to 4 left to right). Q is kept in the bottom row, second from the left. P is kept immediately to the left of Q. R is kept immediately to the right of Q. S is kept at the extreme right of the bottom row. U is kept directly above Q. T is kept immediately to the left of U. V is kept immediately to the right of U. W is kept at the extreme right of the top row. Box V is heavier than box R.

1. Q52. Which box is heavier than R and is kept directly above it?
   (A) T  (B) U  (C) V  (D) W
   Answer: (C) Solution: Bottom row: Q = column 2, P = column 1 (immediately left of Q), R = column 3 (immediately right of Q), S = column 4 (extreme right). Top row: U, directly above Q, is column 2. T, immediately left of U, is column 1. V, immediately right of U, is column 3. W, extreme right of the top row, is column 4. R is at column 3 in the bottom row; directly above it (column 3, top row) is V. The clue states V is heavier than R, so V is the box that is both directly above R and heavier than it.

Eight boxes — M, P, K, N, L, O, J and I — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 8 (top). K is kept at position 3 (K is neither the lowest nor the highest box). N is kept immediately above K. L is kept immediately above N. O is kept immediately above L. J is kept immediately above O. I is kept at the top. P is kept immediately below K. M is kept at the bottom.

1. Q53. Which box is kept exactly four positions above P?
   (A) L  (B) O  (C) J  (D) I
   Answer: (B) Solution: K = position 3. N, immediately above K, is position 4. L, immediately above N(4), is position 5. O, immediately above L(5), is position 6. J, immediately above O(6), is position 7. I, at the top, is position 8. P, immediately below K(3), is position 2. M, at the bottom, is position 1. Final stack: M(1), P(2), K(3), N(4), L(5), O(6), J(7), I(8). Exactly four positions above P(2) is position 6 = O.

Five boxes — A, D, B, E and C — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 5 (top). B is kept at position 3. Only one box is kept between B and C, and C is kept above B. E is kept immediately below C. D is kept immediately below B. A is kept at the bottom.

1. Q54. How many boxes are kept between D and C?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
   Answer: (B) Solution: B = position 3. "Only one box between B and C, and C is above B" gives C = 5 (3 + 2). E, immediately below C(5), is position 4. D, immediately below B(3), is position 2. A, at the bottom, is position 1. Final stack: A(1), D(2), B(3), E(4), C(5). Between D(2) and C(5) lie positions 3 and 4 — that is 2 boxes (B, E).

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Chapter 8: Scheduling Puzzles — Days, Months, Dates and Ages

8.1 Days of the Week and Months of the Year

These puzzles assign a fixed sequence — the seven days of a week, or a run of consecutive months — one to each person, using exactly the same tool-kit as linear seating: fixed positions ("has the meeting on Wednesday"), immediate order ("immediately before/after"), and gap counts ("only two days between X and Y"). The one new idea is that the sequence itself is a well-known, fixed list — memorise the day order (Monday…Sunday) and month order (January…December) so well that you can add or subtract positions instantly without re-counting on your fingers.

• "Immediately after Wednesday" is always Thursday — never assume a week "wraps around" (Sunday followed by Monday) unless the question explicitly sets up a cyclic/circular week, which is rare and always stated.
• Treat the day/month sequence exactly like row positions 1, 2, 3, … and reuse every technique from Chapter 2.

8.2 Dates Within a Month

Here the "positions" are actual calendar dates (which may not be consecutive — e.g., appointments on the 3rd, 7th, 12th, 18th and 25th of a month). The key shift is that "gap" clues now refer to the actual numeric difference between dates, not a count of intervening people in a list — always compute with the real date numbers, and always double-check whether the date set given is consecutive or scattered before assuming any spacing.

8.3 Age-Based Puzzles

Age puzzles replace positional order with numeric age comparisons — "X is older than Y", "X is 5 years older than Y", "Z is the youngest". These overlap with Comparison & Ranking (Chapter 9) but are grouped here because they are frequently combined with a day/month/date element (e.g., "the person born in March is the oldest"). Convert every relative clue ("X is 5 years older than Y") into a plain equation immediately — age puzzles are really just arithmetic wearing a reasoning costume.

Worked Example 8.1

Seven people — A, B, C, D, E, F and G — have a meeting on each day of the week (Monday to Sunday), one meeting per day.

• B has the meeting on Wednesday.
• E has the meeting immediately after B's.
• F has the meeting immediately after E's.
• D has the meeting immediately before B's.
• A has the first meeting of the week (Monday).
• C has the meeting immediately after F's.
• G has the last meeting of the week (Sunday).

Step 1: B = Wednesday (day 3). E, immediately after B, is day 4 (Thursday). F, immediately after E, is day 5 (Friday).

Step 2: D, immediately before B(3), is day 2 (Tuesday). A, the first meeting, is day 1 (Monday).

Step 3: C, immediately after F(5), is day 6 (Saturday). G, the last meeting, is day 7 (Sunday) — the only day left, confirming the schedule.

Final schedule: A-Monday, D-Tuesday, B-Wednesday, E-Thursday, F-Friday, C-Saturday, G-Sunday.

Common Trap: "X's meeting is exactly N days after Y's" and "only N days are there between X's and Y's meetings" are NOT the same statement — the first fixes a direction (X after Y) and an exact gap of N days; the second only fixes the size of the gap (N days between) and needs another clue to fix which one comes first.

In age puzzles, "X is elder to Y" only tells you X's age > Y's age — it gives no numeric gap. Do not assume 1 year or any specific difference unless a number is explicitly given.

Tip: Write the day/month names in a single reference row at the top of your rough sheet before reading clues — most students silently mis-order 'Wednesday' vs 'Thursday' under pressure, and a written reference kills that risk instantly.

In age puzzles, write every clue as an equation (B = C − 3, A = B + 5, etc.) as you read it, rather than trying to reason in words — plugging numbers is faster and safer than mental comparison chains.

8.4 Practice Set — Scheduling Puzzles (9 Questions)

Seven people — P, S, Q, T, R, U and V — have a meeting on each day of the week (Monday to Sunday), one per day. Q's meeting is on Wednesday. T's meeting is immediately after Q's. R's meeting is immediately after T's. S's meeting is immediately before Q's. P has the first meeting of the week. U's meeting is immediately after R's. V has the last meeting of the week.

1. Q55. On which day does R have the meeting?
   (A) Wednesday  (B) Thursday  (C) Friday  (D) Saturday
   Answer: (C) Solution: Q = Wednesday (day 3). T, immediately after Q, is day 4 (Thursday). R, immediately after T(4), is day 5 (Friday). S, immediately before Q(3), is day 2 (Tuesday). P, the first meeting, is day 1 (Monday). U, immediately after R(5), is day 6 (Saturday). V, the last meeting, is day 7 (Sunday). R's meeting is on Friday.

Five people — A, B, C, D and E — have appointments on five different dates of March: the 3rd, 7th, 12th, 18th and 25th. C's appointment is on the 12th. The number of days between B's and C's appointments is 5. D's appointment is exactly 6 days after C's. A's appointment is the earliest (3rd). E's appointment is the latest (25th).

1. Q56. How many days are there between A's and D's appointments?
   (A) 10  (B) 12  (C) 15  (D) 18
   Answer: (C) Solution: C = 12th. "5 days between B and C" gives B = 7th or 17th; only 7th is in the given date set, so B = 7th. D, exactly 6 days after C(12th), is the 18th. A = 3rd (earliest), E = 25th (latest) — matching the remaining dates. Days between A(3rd) and D(18th): 18 − 3 = 15 days.

Six people — U, R, T, S, V and W — were born in six consecutive months from January to June, one per month. T was born in March. S was born immediately after T. V was born immediately after S. R was born immediately before T. U was born in January. W was born in June.

1. Q57. In which month was V born?
   (A) March  (B) April  (C) May  (D) June
   Answer: (C) Solution: T = March (month 3). S, immediately after T, is month 4 (April). V, immediately after S(4), is month 5 (May). R, immediately before T(3), is month 2 (February). U = January (month 1). W = June (month 6) — the only month left. V was born in May.

A is 5 years older than B. B is 3 years younger than C. C is 20 years old. D is 2 years older than A. E is the youngest of all, at 10 years old.

1. Q58. What is D's age?
   (A) 20  (B) 22  (C) 24  (D) 26
   Answer: (C) Solution: C = 20. "B is 3 years younger than C" gives B = 20 − 3 = 17. "A is 5 years older than B" gives A = 17 + 5 = 22. D, 2 years older than A(22), is 24.

Seven people — N, K, J, L, M, P and O — have a meeting on each day of the week (Monday to Sunday), one per day. K's meeting is on Tuesday. Only two days are there between K's and M's meetings, with M's meeting after K's. J's meeting is immediately after K's. N has the first meeting of the week. J's meeting is immediately before M's. Either O or P has the meeting immediately after M's, but O does not. O has the last meeting of the week.

1. Q59. On which day does P have the meeting?
   (A) Thursday  (B) Friday  (C) Saturday  (D) Sunday
   Answer: (C) Solution: K = Tuesday (day 2). "Only two days between K and M, M after K" gives M = day 5 (2 + 3). J, immediately after K(2), is day 3, and J is also immediately before M(5) — consistent since J = 4. N, the first meeting, is day 1. Since O is ruled out from being immediately after M(5), P must be there: P = day 6 (Saturday). O, the last meeting, is day 7 (Sunday). P's meeting is on Saturday.

Six people — F, G, H, I, J and K — have appointments on six different dates of a month: the 2nd, 5th, 9th, 14th, 19th and 23rd. H's date is the 9th. The gap between G's and H's dates is 4 days, with G's date before H's. I's date is exactly 5 days after H's. F's date is the earliest (2nd). Either J or K has the date 19th, but K's date is not the 19th. K has the latest date (23rd).

1. Q60. What is the gap between F's and J's dates?
   (A) 15  (B) 17  (C) 19  (D) 21
   Answer: (B) Solution: H = 9th. "Gap of 4, G before H" gives G = 5th. I, exactly 5 days after H(9th), is the 14th. F = 2nd (earliest). Since K's date is not the 19th, J must have the 19th (from the either-or clue). K has the latest date, 23rd — consistent. Gap between F(2nd) and J(19th): 19 − 2 = 17 days.

Five people — C, A, E, B and D — have a meeting on each of five consecutive days, Monday to Friday, one per day. E's meeting is on Wednesday. B's meeting is immediately after E's. D's meeting is immediately after B's. A's meeting is immediately before E's. C has the first meeting of the week.

1. Q61. Who has the meeting on Thursday?
   (A) A  (B) B  (C) C  (D) D
   Answer: (B) Solution: E = Wednesday (day 3). B, immediately after E, is day 4 (Thursday). D, immediately after B(4), is day 5 (Friday). A, immediately before E(3), is day 2 (Tuesday). C, the first meeting, is day 1 (Monday) — the only day left. Thursday's meeting is held by B.

P is older than Q but younger than R. R is 30 years old. Q is 22 years old. S is 4 years older than R. T is the youngest of all, at 18 years old. P is 5 years older than Q. U's age is exactly the average of Q's and R's ages.

1. Q62. What is U's age?
   (A) 22  (B) 24  (C) 26  (D) 28
   Answer: (C) Solution: R = 30, Q = 22. P, 5 years older than Q(22), is 27 — which correctly lies between Q(22) and R(30), matching "P is older than Q but younger than R." S, 4 years older than R(30), is 34. T = 18 (youngest, consistent as the smallest value). U's age is the average of Q(22) and R(30): (22 + 30) ÷ 2 = 26.

Seven people — X, Z, Y, W, V, U and T — were born in seven consecutive months from January to July, one per month. Y was born in March. Only two months are there between Y's and U's birth months. W was born immediately after Y. V was born immediately after W. Either T or Z was born immediately after U, but Z was not. Z was born immediately before Y. X was born in January.

1. Q63. In which month was V born?
   (A) March  (B) April  (C) May  (D) June
   Answer: (C) Solution: Y = March (month 3). "Only two months between Y and U" gives |3 − U| = 3, so U = 6 (June); U = 0 is invalid. W, immediately after Y, is month 4 (April). V, immediately after W(4), is month 5 (May). Since Z is ruled out from being immediately after U(6), T must be there: T = month 7 (July). Z, immediately before Y(3), is month 2 (February). X = January (month 1) — the only month left. V was born in May.

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Chapter 9: Comparison & Ranking Puzzles

9.1 Converting Words into a Strict Order

Comparison puzzles give a set of statements about height, weight, marks, or age and ask you to reconstruct the full order (tallest to shortest, heaviest to lightest, highest to lowest marks, oldest to youngest). The entire skill lies in translating each sentence into an inequality and then chaining the inequalities together.

• "X is taller than Y" → X > Y. "X is shorter than Y" → X < Y. Always rewrite everything using ONE consistent direction (say, always ">") to avoid sign confusion.
• "X is at least as tall as Y" or "X's marks are not less than Y's" → X ≥ Y (X could equal Y — do not assume strict inequality unless the puzzle also states everyone's value is distinct).
• "X is at most as heavy as Y" or "X is not heavier than Y" → X ≤ Y.
• "X is the tallest / heaviest / oldest" is an absolute clue — place X at the very top of the order immediately.
• When two separate chains share a common name (e.g., chain 1 ends at C, chain 2 starts at C), merge them into a single order through that shared name.

9.2 Resolving Ties

Not every comparison puzzle has fully distinct values — some explicitly state two people are equal ("B and C have the same weight"). When this happens, keep them together as a tied pair or block in your order (write it as B = C) and treat the pair as a single unit for all further "taller than / more than" comparisons with other people.

Worked Example 9.1

Seven friends — A, B, C, D, E, F and G — have different heights. Using the clues below, arrange them from tallest to shortest.

• A is the tallest of all.
• B is taller than C.
• A is taller than B.
• D is taller than F but shorter than C.
• E is shorter than F but taller than G.
• G is the shortest of all.

Step 1: From "A is the tallest" and "A is taller than B" and "B is taller than C", build the chain: A > B > C.

Step 2: "D is taller than F but shorter than C" gives C > D > F, which extends the first chain: A > B > C > D > F.

Step 3: "E is shorter than F but taller than G" gives F > E > G, which extends further through the shared name F: A > B > C > D > F > E > G.

Step 4: "G is the shortest of all" simply confirms G's position at the bottom of the chain — consistent with what we already derived.

Final order (tallest to shortest): A > B > C > D > F > E > G.

Common Trap: "X is not the shortest" does NOT tell you X's exact rank — it only removes one possibility. Never convert a negative clue into a positive placement unless it is the only possibility left after using every other clue.

When merging two separate chains, double-check the DIRECTION of the shared inequality — a chain written as "P > Q" cannot be silently merged with a second chain written as "Q < R" without first converting both to the same direction (P > Q and R > Q, which does NOT by itself tell you whether P > R or R > P).

Tip: Rewrite every clue as an inequality using a single consistent symbol before attempting to merge chains — mixing "taller than" and "shorter than" phrasing in your head is the single biggest source of ranking errors.

Count the total number of people first; once your final chain has exactly that many names in strict (or tie-marked) order, you know you are done — no further clue-checking needed.

9.3 Practice Set — Comparison & Ranking (9 Questions)

Five students — A, B, C, D and E — scored different marks in a test, except where noted. D scored the highest marks. A scored more than E but less than D. B and C scored the same marks, which is less than A's marks but more than E's.

1. Q64. Who scored the least marks?
   (A) A  (B) B  (C) D  (D) E
   Answer: (D) Solution: From the clues: D > A (A scored less than D). A > E (A scored more than E). A > B = C > E (B and C are tied, below A but above E). Combining: D > A > B = C > E. The lowest value in this chain is E. E scored the least marks.

P weighs more than Q. Q weighs at least as much as R. R is lighter than Q. S is the lightest of all. T weighs more than P.

1. Q65. Who is the second heaviest?
   (A) T  (B) P  (C) Q  (D) R
   Answer: (B) Solution: From the clues: T > P (T is heavier than P), P > Q (P is heavier than Q), Q > R (Q is heavier than R, consistent with 'at least as much as'), and S is the lightest of all, so R > S. Combining: T > P > Q > R > S. The second heaviest is P.

Six people — A, B, C, D, E and F — have different heights, except two of them are equal. A is the tallest of all. B is taller than C. C and D are of the same height. D is taller than E. E is taller than F, who is the shortest of all.

1. Q66. How many people are shorter than B?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
   Answer: (B) Solution: Chain: A > B > C = D > E > F. People shorter than B are C, D, E and F — that is 4 people.

In a class test, X scored more marks than Y. Z scored more marks than X. Y's marks are not more than Z's. W scored more marks than Z. V scored the highest marks of all.

1. Q67. Who scored the second lowest marks?
   (A) W  (B) Z  (C) X  (D) Y
   Answer: (C) Solution: From the clues: Z > X (Z scored more than X), X > Y (X scored more than Y), W > Z (W scored more than Z), and V is the highest of all, so V > W. Combining: V > W > Z > X > Y. ("Y's marks are not more than Z's", i.e., Z ≥ Y, is automatically satisfied since Z > X > Y already.) The order from highest to lowest is V, W, Z, X, Y — the second lowest is X.

A is elder than B. C is younger than B but elder than D. E is the youngest of all. F is elder than A.

1. Q68. Who is the third eldest?
   (A) A  (B) B  (C) C  (D) D
   Answer: (B) Solution: From the clues: F > A (F is elder than A), A > B (A is elder than B), B > C > D (C is younger than B but elder than D), and E is the youngest of all, so D > E. Combining: F > A > B > C > D > E. The order from eldest to youngest is F, A, B, C, D, E — the third eldest is B.

Among P, Q, R, S and T: P is taller than Q. R is taller than P. S is shorter than Q. T is not the tallest and not the shortest, and T is taller than P.

1. Q69. Who is the second shortest?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) R  (D) T
   Answer: (B) Solution: From the clues: R > P (R is taller than P), P > Q (P is taller than Q), Q > S (S is shorter than Q), and T > P while T is neither tallest (R) nor shortest (S). Combining: R > T > P > Q > S. The order from tallest to shortest is R, T, P, Q, S — the second shortest is Q.

A scored twice as many marks as B. B scored 20 marks. C scored 10 more marks than A. D scored the least marks, 15.

1. Q70. Who scored the highest marks?
   (A) A  (B) B  (C) C  (D) D
   Answer: (C) Solution: B = 20 marks. A, twice B's marks, is A = 40. C, 10 more than A(40), is C = 50. D = 15 (given as the least, consistent since 15 is the smallest value). Marks: A = 40, B = 20, C = 50, D = 15. The highest is C with 50 marks.

P is taller than Q, who is taller than R. S is taller than T, who is taller than U. R is taller than S.

1. Q71. How many people are taller than T?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
   Answer: (B) Solution: Chain 1: P > Q > R. Chain 2: S > T > U. Linking clue: R > S. Combining through the shared relation: P > Q > R > S > T > U. People taller than T are P, Q, R and S — that is 4 people.

A is heavier than B. C and D weigh the same, and both are lighter than B. E is the lightest of all, lighter than C and D. F is heavier than A.

1. Q72. How many people are heavier than D?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
   Answer: (B) Solution: From the clues: F > A (F is heavier than A), A > B (A is heavier than B), B > C = D (C and D are tied, both lighter than B), and E is the lightest of all, lighter than C and D. Combining: F > A > B > C = D > E. People heavier than D are F, A and B — that is 3 people (C is equal to D, not heavier).

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Chapter 10: Tabulation-Based Puzzles

10.1 Building the Grid

A tabulation puzzle drops the geometry (no row, no circle, no floor) and instead gives you a set of people, each carrying several independent attributes — say, city, profession and day of the week. The task is to fill in a complete table: one row per person, one column per attribute. There is no positional left/right logic here; the entire puzzle is pure matching and elimination.

• Draw the table first: one column for the person's name, and one column for each attribute category, with all rows initially blank.
• A direct clue ("A lives in Delhi and is a Doctor") fills two or more cells in the same row at once — always apply these first.
• A negative clue ("B is not the Engineer and does not live in Pune") does not fill a cell, but crosses out one possibility in that row — track these as a small crossed-out list under each cell until only one possibility remains.
• A linking clue without names ("the person who lives in Chennai is a Lawyer") becomes useful only once you know either the city or the profession for a specific named person — hold it in reserve if both sides are unknown at first.

Worked Example 10.1

Five people — A, B, C, D and E — each live in a different city and each met a client on a different day of the week. Cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata. Days: Monday to Friday.

• A lives in Delhi and met the client on Monday.
• B met the client the day immediately after A did.
• The person from Pune met the client on Wednesday; that person is C.
• D met the client the day immediately after C did.
• D lives in Chennai.
• E lives in Kolkata and met the client on Friday.
• B lives in Mumbai.

Step 1: A = Delhi, Monday (given directly).

Step 2: B's day is immediately after A's (Monday), so B = Tuesday. B is also stated to live in Mumbai.

Step 3: C lives in Pune and met the client on Wednesday (directly given as the same person).

Step 4: D's day is immediately after C's (Wednesday), so D = Thursday. D lives in Chennai (given).

Step 5: E = Kolkata, Friday (given directly) — the only day and city left, confirming the full table.

Final table: A–Delhi–Monday, B–Mumbai–Tuesday, C–Pune–Wednesday, D–Chennai–Thursday, E–Kolkata–Friday.

Common Trap: In a 3-attribute tabulation (say, city + profession + day), a clue may fix only ONE of the three for a person — do not assume the other two attributes are also settled just because you have used that clue.

Watch for clues phrased impersonally ("the Engineer lives in Mumbai") — these describe a role, not a name. Only convert them into a named fact once you have separately identified who holds that role or lives in that city.

Tip: Keep a small 'remaining options' list under each attribute column (e.g., remaining cities: Pune, Chennai) and cross an item off the moment it is used — this instantly shows you which attribute to solve next.

Whenever an either-or clue appears ("either P or Q teaches GK"), immediately scan the rest of the clue list for a negative clue that rules one of the two out — these two clues are almost always designed to be read together.

10.2 Practice Set — Tabulation Puzzles (8 Questions)

Five people — P, Q, R, S and T — each live in a different city (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata) and each likes a different fruit (Mango, Apple, Banana, Grape, Orange). P lives in Delhi and likes Mango. Q likes Apple and lives in Mumbai. The person who likes Banana lives in Pune; that person is R. S lives in Chennai but does not like Orange. T lives in Kolkata.

1. Q73. Who likes Grape?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) R  (D) S
   Answer: (D) Solution: P = Delhi, Mango. Q = Mumbai, Apple. R = Pune, Banana (given directly). The remaining fruits are Grape and Orange, for S and T. Since S does not like Orange, S must like Grape, leaving Orange for T. S likes Grape.

Six teachers — A, B, C, D, E and F — each teach a different subject and take their class on a different day (Monday to Saturday). A teaches Maths and takes the class on Monday. B teaches English; B's class is the day immediately after A's. C teaches Science on Wednesday. The GK teacher's class is immediately after the Science teacher's; that person is D. E does not teach SST, and E's class is on Friday. F's class is on Saturday.

1. Q74. Who takes the class on Thursday?
   (A) C  (B) D  (C) E  (D) F
   Answer: (B) Solution: A = Maths, Monday. B's class is immediately after A's (Monday), so B = Tuesday (English). C = Science, Wednesday (given). D's class is immediately after C's (Wednesday), so D = Thursday (GK). Since E does not teach SST, and the only subjects left are Hindi and SST for E and F, E must teach Hindi, leaving SST for F. E = Friday (Hindi), F = Saturday (SST). Thursday's class is taken by D.

Five people — J, K, L, M and N — each live in a different city, have a different profession, and have a different day-slot (Monday to Friday). J is a Doctor, lives in Delhi, with the Monday slot. K is an Engineer with the Tuesday slot and lives in Mumbai. Either L or M lives in Pune, but M does not. L is a Teacher with the Wednesday slot. M is a Lawyer, lives in Chennai, with the Thursday slot. N is a Pilot, lives in Kolkata, with the Friday slot.

1. Q75. Who is the Lawyer?
   (A) J  (B) K  (C) L  (D) M
   Answer: (D) Solution: J = Doctor, Delhi, Monday. K = Engineer, Mumbai, Tuesday. Since M does not live in Pune, L must live in Pune (from the either-or clue). L = Teacher, Pune, Wednesday. M = Lawyer, Chennai, Thursday (given). N = Pilot, Kolkata, Friday (the only slot left). The Lawyer is M.

Six people — P, Q, R, S, T and U — each have a different profession (Doctor, Engineer, Teacher, Lawyer, Pilot, Nurse) and live in a different city (Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata, Jaipur). P is a Doctor, living in Delhi. Q is an Engineer, living in Mumbai. R is a Teacher. S is not a Pilot and not a Nurse; S lives in Chennai. The Lawyer lives in Chennai. T is not a Nurse; T lives in Kolkata. U lives in Jaipur.

1. Q76. Who is the Lawyer?
   (A) P  (B) Q  (C) S  (D) T
   Answer: (C) Solution: P = Doctor, Delhi. Q = Engineer, Mumbai. R = Teacher (given). Since S is neither Pilot nor Nurse, and 'the Lawyer lives in Chennai' matches S's city, S must be the Lawyer. The remaining professions, Pilot and Nurse, go to T and U. Since T is not a Nurse, T is the Pilot, leaving Nurse for U. The Lawyer is S.

Five friends — M, N, O, P and Q — each play a different sport and like a different colour. M plays Cricket and likes Red. N plays Football; the Football player likes Blue. O plays Hockey and likes Green. Either P or Q likes Yellow, but Q does not. Q plays Badminton and likes White.

1. Q77. Who likes Yellow?
   (A) M  (B) N  (C) P  (D) Q
   Answer: (C) Solution: M = Cricket, Red. N = Football, Blue (given). O = Hockey, Green. Since Q does not like Yellow, P must like Yellow (from the either-or clue). Q = Badminton, White. The only sport left, Tennis, goes to P by elimination. P likes Yellow.

Six people — A, B, C, D, E and F — each live in a different city, travel by a different vehicle, and have a slot on a different day (Monday to Saturday). A lives in Delhi, travels by Car, on Monday. B's day is immediately after A's; B lives in Mumbai and travels by Bike. C's day is immediately after B's; C lives in Pune, travelling by Bus. D's day is immediately after C's; D lives in Chennai, by Train. E's day is immediately after D's; E lives in Kolkata, by Auto. F lives in Jaipur, by Cycle, on the day immediately after E's.

1. Q78. On which day does the person who travels by Auto have their slot?
   (A) Wednesday  (B) Thursday  (C) Friday  (D) Saturday
   Answer: (C) Solution: A = Monday. B, immediately after A, is Tuesday. C, immediately after B, is Wednesday. D, immediately after C, is Thursday. E, immediately after D, is Friday. F, immediately after E, is Saturday. The person who travels by Auto is E, whose slot is Friday.

Five people — G, H, I, J and K — each speak a different language and have a different profession. G speaks Hindi and is a Doctor. H speaks English; H is not a Teacher and not a Pilot, and H is an Engineer. I speaks Tamil and is a Teacher. Either J or K is a Lawyer, but K is not. J speaks Bengali. K speaks Marathi and is a Pilot.

1. Q79. Who is the Lawyer?
   (A) G  (B) H  (C) I  (D) J
   Answer: (D) Solution: G = Hindi, Doctor. H = English, Engineer (given, having been narrowed from the negative clue). I = Tamil, Teacher. Since K is not the Lawyer, J must be the Lawyer (from the either-or clue). J speaks Bengali; K speaks Marathi and is a Pilot — consistent, as Lawyer and Pilot are different roles. The Lawyer is J.

Six people — L, M, N, O, P and Q — each live in a different city, teach a different subject, and have a slot on a different day (Monday to Saturday). L lives in Delhi, teaches Maths, on Monday. The Science teacher's day is immediately after L's; that person is M, from Mumbai. N lives in Pune; N's day is immediately after M's, and N teaches English. Either O or P teaches GK, but P does not. O's day is immediately after N's; O lives in Chennai. P's day is immediately after O's; P lives in Kolkata and teaches Hindi. Q lives in Jaipur, teaches SST, on the day immediately after P's.

1. Q80. Which city does the GK teacher live in?
   (A) Pune  (B) Chennai  (C) Kolkata  (D) Jaipur
   Answer: (B) Solution: L = Delhi, Maths, Monday. M, immediately after L, is Tuesday, Science, Mumbai. N, immediately after M, is Wednesday, English, Pune. Since P does not teach GK, O must teach GK (from the either-or clue). O, immediately after N, is Thursday, living in Chennai. P, immediately after O, is Friday, Hindi, Kolkata. Q, immediately after P, is Saturday, SST, Jaipur. The GK teacher, O, lives in Chennai.

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Chapter 11: Seating Combined with Blood Relations and Directions

11.1 Why These Combinations Appear

SSC CGL Tier-1 and RRB NTPC papers frequently fuse two reasoning topics into one question set: a seating arrangement where the "names" are actually family members, so a clue like "the mother of C sits second to the left of the father" is simultaneously a blood-relation clue AND a seating clue; or a row/circle whose facing direction is first established through a short direction-sense mini-puzzle (a person walks, turns, and ends up facing a particular way) before the seating clues even begin. These combined sets are shorter than a dedicated blood-relation or direction chapter's puzzles, but they demand that you switch reasoning modes mid-question without losing track of the seating grid.

11.2 Blood Relations Inside a Seating Puzzle

The approach is unchanged from earlier chapters — draw the seating skeleton and place people using position clues — except that some clues additionally reveal a FAMILY relationship, which you must track on a small separate family-tree sketch alongside the seating diagram. The relation is usually needed only to answer the actual question (e.g., "how is X related to Y?"), not to derive the seats themselves, though occasionally a relation clue also carries positional information ("the son sits between his parents").

Worked Example 11.1

Six family members — Ravi, Sita, Mohan, Gita, Kunal and Radha — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. Ravi and Sita are husband and wife; Mohan and Gita are their son and daughter; Kunal is Ravi's brother; Radha is Kunal's wife.

• Sita sits immediately to the left of Ravi.
• Mohan sits immediately to the left of Sita.
• Gita sits immediately to the left of Mohan.
• Kunal sits immediately to the left of Gita.
• Radha occupies the only remaining seat.

Step 1 (seating): Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix Ravi at index 0. Sita = 1, Mohan = 2, Gita = 3, Kunal = 4 (each immediately left of the previous). Radha takes the only remaining seat, index 5.

Step 2 (family tree): Ravi–Sita are a married couple; Mohan and Gita are their children; Kunal is Ravi's brother, making him Mohan and Gita's uncle; Radha, Kunal's wife, is therefore Mohan and Gita's aunt.

Question: How is Radha related to Mohan? Since Radha is the wife of Kunal, who is Mohan's father's brother (uncle), Radha is Mohan's aunt.

11.3 Direction-Sense Combined with Seating

Here, a short direction-sense puzzle (walking and turning) is used FIRST to establish a compass fact — most often, which way an entire row or circle faces, or where one specific "anchor" person is seated relative to the compass. Once that compass fact is fixed, the rest of the puzzle is ordinary seating logic, with one twist: personal "left/right" clues must be interpreted using the compass-facing direction established, exactly as in Chapters 2 and 3.

• Standard turn rules: facing North and turning right → facing East; turning right again → South; again → West; again → North (a full 360°). Left turns reverse this cycle (North → West → South → East → North).
• Once you know which compass direction a row or circle of people faces, apply the same left/right flip logic from Chapter 2 (row) or Chapter 3 (circle) — East-facing and West-facing rows flip exactly like South-facing and North-facing rows respectively, just rotated 90°.

Tip: Solve the direction-sense portion completely first, on its own small sketch, and write down only the FINAL compass fact you need (e.g., "the row faces South") before switching over to the seating diagram — don't try to track both diagrams simultaneously.

For a blood-relation-combined puzzle, always ask "do I actually need the family tree to answer THIS question?" — many sub-questions in a mixed set only test seating position and never touch the relations at all.

Common Trap: A common trap gives the direction-sense mini-puzzle purely as a distractor — it fixes a compass direction that never actually gets used in any seating clue. Do not assume every piece of information in a mixed puzzle is load-bearing; verify what the final question actually needs.

In blood-relation-combined circular puzzles, remember that seat adjacency does NOT imply a family relationship, and a family relationship does NOT imply seat adjacency — the two systems (seats and family) are linked only through the specific clues given, nothing more.

11.4 Practice Set — Mixed Puzzles (8 Questions)

Five family members — Aman, Bina, Chetan, Deepa and Esha — sit in a row facing north. Aman and Bina are husband and wife. Chetan is their son. Deepa is Aman's mother. Esha is Bina's sister. Aman sits at the extreme left end. Bina sits immediately to the right of Aman. Chetan sits immediately to the right of Bina. Deepa sits immediately to the right of Chetan. Esha occupies the extreme right end.

1. Q81. How is Deepa related to Chetan?
   (A) Mother  (B) Aunt  (C) Grandmother  (D) Sister
   Answer: (C) Solution: Seating: Aman = 1, Bina = 2, Chetan = 3, Deepa = 4, Esha = 5. Family tree: Aman and Bina are married; Chetan is their son; Deepa is Aman's mother. Since Aman is Chetan's father and Deepa is Aman's mother, Deepa is Chetan's (paternal) grandmother. Deepa is Chetan's grandmother.

Six family members — Vikram, Nisha, Aditya, Priya, Karan and Meena — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. Vikram and Nisha are husband and wife; Aditya and Priya are their son and daughter; Karan is Vikram's brother; Meena is Karan's wife. Nisha sits immediately to the left of Vikram. Aditya sits immediately to the left of Nisha. Priya sits immediately to the left of Aditya. Karan sits immediately to the left of Priya. Meena occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q82. How is Meena related to Aditya?
   (A) Mother  (B) Aunt  (C) Sister  (D) Grandmother
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix Vikram at index 0. Nisha = 1, Aditya = 2, Priya = 3, Karan = 4 (each immediately left of the previous). Meena takes the only remaining seat, index 5. Family tree: Karan is Vikram's brother, so Karan is the uncle of Aditya and Priya (Vikram's children). Meena, being Karan's wife, is therefore their aunt. Meena is Aditya's aunt.

Five family members — Manoj, Suresh, Anita, Rohan and Kavita — sit in a row facing north. Suresh and Anita are husband and wife; Rohan is their son; Manoj is Suresh's father; Kavita is Anita's mother. Manoj sits at the extreme left end. Suresh sits immediately to the right of Manoj. Anita sits immediately to the right of Suresh. Rohan sits immediately to the right of Anita. Kavita occupies the extreme right end.

1. Q83. How is Manoj related to Rohan?
   (A) Father  (B) Grandfather  (C) Uncle  (D) Brother
   Answer: (B) Solution: Seating: Manoj = 1, Suresh = 2, Anita = 3, Rohan = 4, Kavita = 5. Family tree: Manoj is Suresh's father; Suresh is Rohan's father. Since Manoj is the father of Rohan's father, Manoj is Rohan's (paternal) grandfather. Manoj is Rohan's grandfather.

Six family members sit around a circular table, all facing the centre: Ramesh and Shobha are husband and wife; Vikas is Ramesh's brother; Anjali is Vikas's wife; Neha and Sameer are Ramesh and Shobha's daughter and son. Shobha sits immediately to the left of Ramesh. Sameer sits immediately to the left of Shobha. Neha sits immediately to the left of Sameer. Vikas sits immediately to the left of Neha. Anjali occupies the only remaining seat.

1. Q84. How is Vikas related to Neha?
   (A) Father  (B) Uncle  (C) Brother  (D) Grandfather
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix Ramesh at index 0. Shobha = 1, Sameer = 2, Neha = 3, Vikas = 4 (each immediately left of the previous). Anjali takes the only remaining seat, index 5. Family tree: Vikas is Ramesh's brother; Neha is Ramesh's daughter. Vikas is therefore Neha's uncle (father's brother). Vikas is Neha's uncle.

Six friends sit in a row, all facing East (the direction of the rising sun), so the row physically runs North to South. B sits immediately to the south of A. C sits immediately to the south of B. D sits immediately to the south of C. E sits immediately to the south of D. F sits immediately to the south of E, at the southernmost end. A is at the northernmost end.

1. Q85. Who sits to the immediate right of C (from C's own side)?
   (A) B  (B) D  (C) E  (D) F
   Answer: (B) Solution: Physical order from north to south: A, B, C, D, E, F. Since everyone faces East, each person's right hand points South (facing East: right = South, left = North). To C's own immediate right (one step south of C) is D.

Eight people sit around a circular table, all facing the centre, seated at the eight compass points (N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW) going clockwise in that order. A sits in the North. C sits in the East. E sits in the South. G sits in the West. B sits immediately to the left of A. H sits immediately to the right of A. D sits immediately to the left of C. F sits in the South-West.

1. Q86. Who sits immediately to the right of G?
   (A) E  (B) F  (C) H  (D) A
   Answer: (B) Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise, right = anticlockwise. With compass points running clockwise as N(0), NE(1), E(2), SE(3), S(4), SW(5), W(6), NW(7): A = 0, C = 2, E = 4, G = 6 (all given directly). B, immediately left of A(0) — clockwise — is index 1 (NE). H, immediately right of A(0) — anticlockwise — is index 7 (NW). D, immediately left of C(2) — clockwise — is index 3 (SE). F sits in the South-West, index 5 (given directly). To G's (index 6, West) immediate right — anticlockwise — is index 5 = F.

A man starts walking facing North, turns right, and walks straight; he then turns right again and walks straight, and now faces South. Five people — P, Q, R, S and T — sit in a row facing South, the same direction the man is now facing, positions labelled 1 (extreme left, as viewed by us) to 5 (extreme right). R sits third from the left end. Q sits immediately to R's right (from R's own side). S sits immediately to R's left (from R's own side). P sits at the extreme left end. T occupies the remaining seat.

1. Q87. Who sits to Q's immediate right (from Q's own side)?
   (A) R  (B) S  (C) P  (D) T
   Answer: (C) Solution: The man's turns: North → right turn → East → right turn → South. So the row faces South, meaning right = reader's left, left = reader's right (the standard South-facing flip). R = position 3 (reader's view). Q, immediately to R's right (personal, South-facing, so reader's left) = position 2. S, immediately to R's left (personal, reader's right) = position 4. P, extreme left end (reader's view), = position 1. T occupies the remaining seat, position 5. To Q's (position 2) immediate right (personal, South-facing, so reader's left) is position 1 = P.

A man starts walking towards East, walks 6 km, turns left and walks 4 km, then turns left again and walks 6 km — he now faces West. Five people — A, B, C, D and E — sit in a row facing West, the same direction the man now faces, along an East-West row labelled from the western end (position 1) to the eastern end (position 5). C sits at the centre, position 3. B sits immediately to C's right (from C's own side). D sits immediately to C's left (from C's own side). A sits at the westernmost end. E occupies the easternmost end.

1. Q88. Who sits to B's immediate right (from B's own side)?
   (A) C  (B) D  (C) A  (D) E
   Answer: (C) Solution: The man's turns: East → left turn → North → left turn → West. So the row faces West, meaning (facing West) right = towards the western end, left = towards the eastern end. C = position 3. B, immediately to C's right (personal, West-facing, towards the western end) = position 2. D, immediately to C's left (personal, towards the eastern end) = position 4. A, westernmost end, = position 1. E, easternmost end, = position 5. To B's (position 2) immediate right (personal, West-facing, towards the western end) is position 1 = A.

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Chapter 12: Common Mistakes & How Examiners Build Traps

Across the ten puzzle types covered so far, the same handful of trap mechanisms reappear again and again, just dressed in different clothing. This chapter collects them in one place as a final revision layer — read it once after finishing Chapters 2-11, and again the night before your exam.

12.1 Absolute vs Relative Clues

An ABSOLUTE clue fixes an exact position on its own ("C sits third from the left", "D lives on the topmost floor", "A is the tallest"). A RELATIVE clue only fixes a relationship between two people ("A sits to the left of B", "C is taller than D") and needs an anchor — either another absolute clue, or a chain back to one — before it becomes a fixed position. The single most common beginner mistake is trying to place a relative clue on the diagram before any absolute clue has been placed, which forces guessing. Always scan for and place every absolute clue first.

12.2 Negative Clues

A clue such as "P does not sit at the extreme end" or "the Engineer is not from Mumbai" never fixes a position by itself — it only removes one possibility from the space of options. Negative clues are almost always meant to be combined with an either-or clue or with the leftover-by-elimination step at the very end. Never convert a negative clue into a positive placement unless every other possibility has already been ruled out by other clues.

12.3 "Immediate Neighbour" vs Plain "Neighbour"

"Immediate neighbour" or "immediately next to" always means adjacent with zero people in between. A plain "neighbour" is occasionally used loosely in older or translated papers to mean the same thing, but can also appear as "near" or "close to" language that is NOT meant to be read as strict adjacency. When you see a plain "neighbour" without the word "immediate", check whether the puzzle's other clues are precise about gaps elsewhere — if they are, "neighbour" almost certainly still means immediate adjacency in that specific paper's style; if genuine ambiguity remains, that clue is usually not essential to the final answer.

12.4 The Double-Direction (Left/Right Flip) Trap

This is the single highest-value trap to master, spanning three chapters of this book: mixed-facing rows (Chapter 2), circular facing centre vs outward (Chapter 3), and square/polygon tables with facing tied to seat type (Chapter 4). In every case, a personal "to X's left/right" clue depends entirely on which way X faces — and examiners deliberately place the facing-direction sentence early in the passage, then never repeat it, betting that you will forget it by clue six or seven. Before applying ANY personal left/right clue, glance back at the facing-direction fact for that specific person.

12.5 Unstated Defaults

Several conventions are treated as "understood" unless a question says otherwise, and examiners exploit the assumption itself as the trap by explicitly overriding it in a single easy-to-miss line:

• Row positions are numbered left to right as the reader views the page — UNLESS the question says positions are read "as viewed by the persons themselves".
• Floor 1 is the ground floor — UNLESS the question states the topmost floor is Floor 1.
• All values (height, weight, marks, age) are distinct — UNLESS the question explicitly states two people are equal.
• A week runs Monday to Sunday without wrapping — UNLESS a genuinely circular/cyclic day arrangement is explicitly set up (rare).

12.6 Mixing Up Two Independent Attributes

In double line-up, tabulation, and mixed puzzles, students often let a solved seating/floor grid "bleed into" an unrelated attribute grid — for example, assuming the person in seat 3 automatically has the 3rd-listed colour just because both lists happen to be the same length. Attributes are linked ONLY through explicit clues; never assume an attribute follows position order unless a clue says so.

12.7 Either-Or Clues Left Unresolved

An "either X or Y" clue is a genuine 50/50 branch only until a later clue (often a negative clue, or a clue that independently fixes X's or Y's position) resolves it. If you reach the end of a puzzle with an either-or branch still open, you have missed a clue — re-read the full clue list once more before assuming a genuine ambiguity, which essentially never occurs in a well-set SSC/RRB puzzle.

Tip: Make a personal "trap checklist" out of this chapter's seven headings and mentally tick through it on any puzzle that feels harder than usual, before spending more time re-reading clues from scratch.

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Chapter 13: The 10-Point Solving Framework

Use this checklist, in order, on every puzzle you attempt in the exam. With practice, the whole sequence takes under 30 seconds to run through mentally before you even start writing.

Step	Action	What to Do
1	Read the opening line only	Identify: how many people/items, what shape (row/circle/floor/stack/grid), how many attributes, and the facing direction if stated.
2	Draw the empty skeleton	Blank row, circle of dots, stack of floors, or grid — matching the exact count from Step 1. Do not place any name yet.
3	Fix the notation	Decide left-to-right numbering, clockwise/anticlockwise direction, floor-numbering direction, and write a one-line reminder of the facing convention (e.g., "centre-facing: left = CW").
4	Scan every clue once, tagging each	Mark each clue as Absolute (A), Relative (R), Negative (N), or Either-or (E) before placing anything.
5	Place every Absolute clue first	These give you your fixed anchor points on the skeleton.
6	Chain the Relative clues from the anchors	Work outward from each fixed point; convert every 'left/right' clue using the facing convention from Step 3.
7	Hold Either-or clues in a side list	Do not guess a branch — carry both possibilities forward until a Negative clue or a direct contradiction eliminates one.
8	Fill remaining seats by elimination	Once most positions are fixed, the last one or two seats are usually forced — assign them and note which clue confirms it.
9	Fill any second/third attribute grid	Only after the position grid is complete, use linking clues to fill colour/day/profession/etc.
10	Verify every clue against the finished diagram	Read the clue list one final time, ticking each one off against your diagram — this 15-20 second habit catches nearly every silly mistake before you mark an answer.

Tip: In a 5-sub-question puzzle set, Steps 1-9 are done ONCE for the whole passage — do not re-derive the arrangement for each sub-question. Step 10 (verification) is worth repeating quickly for each sub-question's specific claim.

If you are stuck after Step 6 with no absolute clue left to anchor a stray relative clue, re-check whether an extreme-end / topmost / opposite / "the tallest" style clue was mis-tagged as Relative in Step 4 — this single mis-tag is the most common reason a puzzle looks unsolvable when it is not.

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Full-Length Practice Set (25 Questions, Mixed Format)

This final practice set mirrors the real exam format: most questions come as a shared puzzle passage followed by several questions built on the same arrangement — exactly how SSC and RRB papers present this topic. Solve each passage once, then answer all of its questions from that single solved diagram. Options are given below each question; a consolidated answer key with brief reasoning for every question appears at the end of this set. Try each passage on your own first, under a 5-minute time limit, before checking the key.

Passage 1 (Questions 1-4): Linear Seating

Eight people — A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H — sit in a row. D sits fourth from the left end and faces north. C sits immediately to the left of D and faces north. B sits immediately to the left of C and faces south. A sits at the extreme left end and faces north. E sits immediately to the right of D and faces south. F sits immediately to the right of E and faces north. G sits immediately to the right of F and faces south. H sits at the extreme right end and faces north.

Solution: Positions 1-8 — A(1,N), B(2,S), C(3,N), D(4,N), E(5,S), F(6,N), G(7,S), H(8,N).

1. Q1. How many people face South?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
2. Q2. Who sits fourth from the right end?
   (A) D  (B) E  (C) F  (D) G
3. Q3. Which of the following faces the same direction as B?
   (A) A  (B) C  (C) E  (D) F
4. Q4. If all persons are made to face the opposite direction, who would then be facing South while sitting at the extreme left end?
   (A) A  (B) C  (C) D  (D) F

Passage 2 (Questions 5-9): Circular Arrangement

Eight people — J, M, K, P, L, N, O and Q — sit around a circular table, all facing the centre. M sits immediately to the left of J. K sits second to the left of J. P sits immediately to the left of K. L sits immediately to the left of P. N sits immediately to the left of L. O sits immediately to the left of N. Q occupies the only remaining seat.

Solution: Facing the centre, left = clockwise. Fix J at index 0. M = 1, K = 2, P = 3, L = 4, N = 5, O = 6, and Q takes the only remaining seat, index 7. Clockwise order: J, M, K, P, L, N, O, Q.

1. Q5. Who sits second to the right of L?
   (A) J  (B) K  (C) M  (D) P
2. Q6. How many people sit between M and O, counted along the clockwise path from M to O?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
3. Q7. Who sits exactly opposite K?
   (A) L  (B) N  (C) O  (D) Q
4. Q8. If all persons reverse their facing direction (now facing outward), who would then sit immediately to the right of J?
   (A) M  (B) K  (C) P  (D) Q
5. Q9. Who sits immediately to the left of P (facing the centre)?
   (A) K  (B) L  (C) N  (D) O

Passage 3 (Questions 10-13): Floor-Based Puzzle

An eight-floor building (Floor 1 = ground, Floor 8 = topmost) houses eight people — R, U, S, T, V, P, W and Q, one per floor. S lives on floor 3. T lives immediately above S. V lives immediately above T. W lives on the topmost floor, and only two floors are there between V and W. Q lives immediately below W. P lives immediately below S. R lives on the ground floor. U occupies the remaining floor.

Solution: S = 3, T = 4, V = 5. W = 8 (topmost; check: |5 − 8| − 1 = 2, matching the gap clue). Q, immediately below W, is 7. P, immediately below S, is 2. R = 1 (ground). The only floor left, 6, goes to U. Final: R(1), P(2), S(3), T(4), V(5), U(6), Q(7), W(8).

1. Q10. Who lives exactly two floors above U?
   (A) V  (B) Q  (C) W  (D) T
2. Q11. How many people live between P and Q?
   (A) 3  (B) 4  (C) 5  (D) 6
3. Q12. Who lives immediately below U?
   (A) S  (B) T  (C) V  (D) Q
4. Q13. If the building is renumbered so the topmost floor becomes Floor 1 (numbers increasing downward), what would R's new floor number be?
   (A) Floor 1  (B) Floor 6  (C) Floor 7  (D) Floor 8

Passage 4 (Questions 14-17): Box Stack with Colours

Seven boxes — A, D, B, E, C, F and G — are kept in a stack, positions numbered 1 (bottom) to 7 (top), each a different colour. B is kept on position 3 and is Green. E is kept immediately above B and is Yellow. C is kept immediately above E and is White. F is kept immediately above C and is Black. G is kept at the top and is Pink. D is kept immediately below B and is Blue. A is kept at the bottom and is Red.

Solution: B = 3 (Green). E, immediately above B, = 4 (Yellow). C, immediately above E, = 5 (White). F, immediately above C, = 6 (Black). G = 7 (Pink, top). D, immediately below B, = 2 (Blue). A = 1 (Red, bottom).

1. Q14. Which box is kept exactly three positions above D?
   (A) B  (B) E  (C) C  (D) F
2. Q15. How many boxes are kept between the Green box and the Black box?
   (A) 1  (B) 2  (C) 3  (D) 4
3. Q16. Which colour does the box kept immediately below G have?
   (A) White  (B) Black  (C) Pink  (D) Yellow
4. Q17. If the stack is inverted (the box at the bottom moves to the top and the order reverses), which box would then be at the bottom?
   (A) A  (B) D  (C) F  (D) G

Passage 5 (Questions 18-21): Double Line-up with Subjects

Eight people sit in two rows of four, facing each other — Row 1: P, Q, R, S (facing south); Row 2: W, X, Y, Z (facing north), column-to-column. Each also teaches a different subject. Q sits second from the left end of Row 1 and teaches Science. P sits immediately to the left of Q and teaches Maths. R sits immediately to the right of Q and teaches English. S occupies the remaining seat and teaches GK. X faces Q and teaches SST. W sits immediately to the left of X and teaches Hindi. Y sits immediately to the right of X and teaches Computer. Z occupies the remaining seat and teaches Sanskrit.

Solution: Row 1: P = column 1 (Maths), Q = column 2 (Science), R = column 3 (English), S = column 4 (GK). Row 2: X faces Q, so X = column 2 (SST); W = column 1 (Hindi); Y = column 3 (Computer); Z = column 4 (Sanskrit).

1. Q18. Who faces S?
   (A) W  (B) X  (C) Y  (D) Z
2. Q19. Which subject does the person facing R teach?
   (A) Hindi  (B) SST  (C) Computer  (D) Sanskrit
3. Q20. Who sits second from the right end of Row 2?
   (A) X  (B) Y  (C) Z  (D) W
4. Q21. If P and S interchange their seats, who would then sit immediately to the right of Q?
   (A) P  (B) R  (C) S  (D) Q

Passage 6 (Questions 22-25): Comparison & Ranking

Six students — A, B, C, D, E and F — scored different marks in an exam, except where noted. A scored more than B. C and D scored equal marks, less than B. E is the lowest scorer of all, lower than C and D. F scored more than A and is the highest scorer overall.

Solution: F > A > B > C = D > E.

1. Q22. Who scored the second highest marks?
   (A) F  (B) A  (C) B  (D) C
2. Q23. How many people scored more marks than D?
   (A) 2  (B) 3  (C) 4  (D) 5
3. Q24. Who scored the lowest marks?
   (A) C  (B) D  (C) E  (D) B
4. Q25. If C's marks increase to exceed B's marks (but remain less than A's), who would then be the second-highest scorer?
   (A) F  (B) A  (C) C  (D) B

Consolidated Answer Key

Q. No.	Answer	Brief Reasoning
1	B	B, E and G face South — 3 people.
2	B	Fourth from the right in an 8-seat row is position 5 = E.
3	C	B faces South; among the options, only E also faces South.
4	A	A currently faces North at the extreme left end; reversing direction makes A face South.
5	B	L = index 4; second to the right (anticlockwise, centre-facing) is 4 − 2 = 2 = K.
6	B	M = 1, O = 6; clockwise indices 2, 3, 4, 5 lie between — 4 people (K, P, L, N).
7	C	With 8 seats, opposite means 4 apart: K = 2, so 2 + 4 = 6 = O.
8	A	Facing outward, right = clockwise; immediately clockwise of J(0) is index 1 = M.
9	B	P = index 3; immediately to the left (clockwise) is index 4 = L.
10	C	U = Floor 6; two floors above is Floor 8 = W.
11	B	P = Floor 2, Q = Floor 7; floors 3, 4, 5, 6 lie between — 4 people (S, T, V, U).
12	C	U = Floor 6; immediately below is Floor 5 = V.
13	D	R is physically at the bottom (ground); under reversed numbering the bottom-most floor of an 8-floor building becomes Floor 8.
14	C	D = position 2; three positions above is position 5 = C.
15	B	Green (B) = position 3, Black (F) = position 6; positions 4 and 5 lie between — 2 boxes (E, C).
16	B	G = position 7; immediately below is position 6 = F, which is Black.
17	D	Currently G is at the top (position 7); after a full inversion, the former topmost box becomes the bottom-most, so G moves to the bottom.
18	D	S is in column 4 of Row 1; the person facing column 4 of Row 2 is Z.
19	C	R is in column 3; the person facing column 3 of Row 2 is Y, who teaches Computer.
20	B	Row 2 order is W(1), X(2), Y(3), Z(4); second from the right end is column 3 = Y.
21	B	Swapping P and S only affects columns 1 and 4; Q (column 2) and R (column 3) are unaffected, so R still sits immediately to the right of Q.
22	B	The order is F > A > B > C = D > E; the second highest is A.
23	B	F, A and B all scored more than D — 3 people (C is equal to D, not more).
24	C	E is explicitly stated to be the lowest scorer of all.
25	B	The new order becomes F > A > C > B > D > E; A remains second, just below F.