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Veda Skills Logical Reasoning Unit 14: Puzzles

Puzzles is Unit 14 of Veda Skills Logical Reasoning. This page has the complete chapter notes across 3 topics, 170 practice MCQs with answers and explanations, 12 important short and long questions and 36 flashcards, written for SSC, Bank, Railway and placement exams and free to read.
  • 3 topics
  • 170 MCQs
  • 9 short answers
  • 3 long answers
  • 36 flashcards
  • 3 games
  • ~150 min read
  • English

Checked before publishing: 23 automated checks, including a plagiarism check against the textbook's own words. How we check our content

Floor and Box Puzzles

Place people on the floors of a building or boxes in a stack from clues: number from the bottom, place fixed clues first, turn gap clues into cases, and use a table when each person also has a colour or a fruit.

What you will be able to do

  • I can number floors and boxes from the bottom and convert a position from the top.
  • I can decide which clue to place first and when to open cases.
  • I can solve puzzles where each person also has a second attribute, using a table.
  • I can answer floor, count, combination and odd-one-out questions from the final table.

Key points

  • Floor 1 is the lowest floor; "above" means a higher floor number.

  • "Immediately above" means exactly one floor higher; "above" alone means any floor higher.

  • "Only k persons live between X and Y" means their floor numbers differ by k + 1.

  • In a stack of n boxes, k-th from the top is (n + 1 − k)-th from the bottom.

  • An odd/even clue cuts the choices to about half at once.

  • With two categories (person and colour), keep a table with one row for each floor.

  • A "not" clue (X does not like red) is used last, to break a tie between cases.

  • Always check the final table against every clue before answering.

Full explanation

The new building

A tall building cut open like a dolls' house showing different floors, each with a different coloured room and a person inside.

Six families have moved into a six-floor building in Pune. The watchman remembers only a few facts: the doctor is on the top floor, two families live between the doctor and the Sharmas, and so on. Can you tell who lives where? That is a floor puzzle, and banks love to ask it.

How floors are numbered

A stack of coloured boxes of different sizes in a storeroom.

The lowest floor is floor 1 and the numbers go up. Draw the building with floor 1 at the bottom of your page, so "above" on paper means "above" in the clue.

  • Immediately above: exactly one floor higher.
  • Above: any floor higher.
  • Only k persons between X and Y: their floors are $k + 1$ apart.

An empty six-floor building with floor 1 at the bottom and floor 6 at the top.

Which clue first?

  1. Fixed clues: top floor, bottom floor, "lives on floor 4".
  2. Linked clues that attach to someone already placed.
  3. Gap clues: open cases.
  4. Odd/even and not clues: cut the cases.

A clue linking two unplaced persons waits until one of them is placed.

Worked example

Six persons A to F live on floors 1 to 6.

  1. D lives on the topmost floor.
  2. Only two persons live between D and B, and D lives above B.
  3. B lives on the floor immediately above E.
  4. F lives on an odd-numbered floor.
  5. C lives above F.
  6. A lives above C.

Clue 1: D on 6. Clue 2: B is 3 floors below, on 3. Clue 3: E on 2. Clue 4: F on 1 or 5 (floor 3 is taken).

Building after four clues: D on 6, B on 3, E on 2, and F marked as possible on floor 1 or floor 5.

Finishing the example

If F were on 5, clue 5 needs C above F, which is floor 6, but D is there. So F is on floor 1. Floors 4 and 5 are left for A and C, and clue 6 puts A above C: C on 4, A on 5.

Bottom to top: F, E, B, C, A, D.

Final building from floor 1 to floor 6: F, E, B, C, A, D.

Two attributes: draw a table

In bank papers each person also likes a colour or owns a car. Make a table: one row for each floor, one column for the person and one for the colour. A clue such as "the person who likes red lives just below Asha" links the two columns.

A table with floors 1 to 5 as rows and Person and Colour as columns; some cells filled, such as Ravi with red on floor 2, just below Asha on floor 3.

Box puzzles

Boxes kept one above another work exactly like floors: position 1 is the bottom. Exams often say "third from the top"; convert it first.

In a stack of $n$ boxes: $k$-th from the top $= (n + 1 - k)$-th from the bottom.

Six coloured boxes stacked; from the bottom: Q pink, U blue, P red, S green, T black, R white.

Exam shortcuts

  • Draw the building once with floor numbers; fill it in pencil.
  • Gap clue with a known person: write both possible floors at once.
  • Odd/even clue on a person with two possible floors usually settles it.
  • In two-attribute puzzles, finish the persons first if the clues allow, then the attributes.

Back to the building

The watchman's facts were exactly our clues: a fixed top floor, a gap, a link and an odd floor. With the table method he could tell the postman every family's floor in two minutes.

Mind map of floor and box puzzles: numbering, fixed clues, gaps, odd and even, two attributes, from the top.

Concepts and terms

Numbering from the bottom

Floors and boxes are counted upwards: floor 1 or box 1 is the lowest. A position from the top must be converted with n + 1 − k.

Gap clues

"Two persons live between X and Y" puts them 3 floors apart, but does not say who is higher: open two cases.

Two-attribute grid

Write floors down the side and categories across. Every clue fills or rules out a cell.

Did you know

Floor puzzles with 7 or 8 floors and two attributes are a regular feature of IBPS PO and SBI PO prelims, usually with 5 questions per puzzle.

Memory tricks

From the top — Top k = Bottom (n + 1 − k) — Add 1 to the total, then subtract.

Gap clue — Between k, apart k + 1 — Two between means three floors apart.

Practice MCQs with answers (59)

Q1 Five persons, Anita, Chetan, Harish, Rohit and Tarun, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Neither Rohit nor Tarun lives on floor 2. Harish lives on the floor immediately above Anita. Chetan lives on floor 3. Who lives on floor 5? beginner
  • A Chetan
  • B Anita
  • C Tarun
  • D Rohit
Show answer
Answer: Tarun
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Rohit; Floor 3: Chetan; Floor 2: Harish; Floor 1: Anita.

In the final order, Tarun is on floor 5.

Q2 Five persons, Anita, Chetan, Harish, Rohit and Tarun, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Neither Rohit nor Tarun lives on floor 2. Harish lives on the floor immediately above Anita. Chetan lives on floor 3. How many persons live between Anita and Chetan? beginner
  • A 2
  • B 0
  • C 3
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Rohit; Floor 3: Chetan; Floor 2: Harish; Floor 1: Anita.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q3 Five persons, Anita, Chetan, Harish, Rohit and Tarun, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Neither Rohit nor Tarun lives on floor 2. Harish lives on the floor immediately above Anita. Chetan lives on floor 3. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way based on the floors they live on. Which one does not belong to the group? beginner
  • A Rohit
  • B Anita
  • C Chetan
  • D Tarun
Show answer
Answer: Rohit
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Rohit; Floor 3: Chetan; Floor 2: Harish; Floor 1: Anita.

Chetan, Tarun, Anita are at odd-numbered places; Rohit is not.

Q4 Five persons, Amit, Isha, Naveen, Tarun and Yash, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Isha. Only one person lives between Amit and Yash. Naveen lives on the floor immediately above Amit. Tarun lives on an odd-numbered floor. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way based on the floors they live on. Which one does not belong to the group? beginner
  • A Tarun
  • B Isha
  • C Amit
  • D Yash
Show answer
Answer: Isha
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Isha; Floor 3: Yash; Floor 2: Naveen; Floor 1: Amit.

Amit, Yash, Tarun are at odd-numbered places; Isha is not.

Q5 Five persons, Amit, Isha, Naveen, Tarun and Yash, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Isha. Only one person lives between Amit and Yash. Naveen lives on the floor immediately above Amit. Tarun lives on an odd-numbered floor. How many persons live above Naveen? beginner
  • A 4
  • B 2
  • C 3
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Isha; Floor 3: Yash; Floor 2: Naveen; Floor 1: Amit.

Naveen is on floor 2 out of 5, so 5 − 2 = 3 are above.

Q6 Five persons, Amit, Isha, Naveen, Tarun and Yash, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Tarun lives on the floor immediately above Isha. Only one person lives between Amit and Yash. Naveen lives on the floor immediately above Amit. Tarun lives on an odd-numbered floor. How many persons live between Naveen and Tarun? beginner
  • A 4
  • B 3
  • C 1
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Floor 5: Tarun; Floor 4: Isha; Floor 3: Yash; Floor 2: Naveen; Floor 1: Amit.

Their places are 3 apart, so 3 − 1 = 2 lie between them.

Q7 Five persons, Jatin, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Tara, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only three persons live between Tara and Pranav, and Tara lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Jatin and Pranav, and Jatin lives above Pranav. Nikhil lives on some floor above Lalit. On which floor does Tara live? beginner
  • A Floor 5
  • B Floor 3
  • C Floor 1
  • D Floor 4
Show answer
Answer: Floor 5
Why:

Floor 5: Tara; Floor 4: Nikhil; Floor 3: Jatin; Floor 2: Lalit; Floor 1: Pranav.

From the final order, Tara is on floor 5. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q8 Five persons, Jatin, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Tara, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only three persons live between Tara and Pranav, and Tara lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Jatin and Pranav, and Jatin lives above Pranav. Nikhil lives on some floor above Lalit. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way based on the floors they live on. Which one does not belong to the group? beginner
  • A Pranav
  • B Nikhil
  • C Tara
  • D Jatin
Show answer
Answer: Nikhil
Why:

Floor 5: Tara; Floor 4: Nikhil; Floor 3: Jatin; Floor 2: Lalit; Floor 1: Pranav.

Jatin, Pranav, Tara are at odd-numbered places; Nikhil is not.

Q9 Five persons, Jatin, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Tara, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only three persons live between Tara and Pranav, and Tara lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Jatin and Pranav, and Jatin lives above Pranav. Nikhil lives on some floor above Lalit. How many persons live between Lalit and Nikhil? beginner
  • A 3
  • B 2
  • C 1
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 5: Tara; Floor 4: Nikhil; Floor 3: Jatin; Floor 2: Lalit; Floor 1: Pranav.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q10 Five persons, Dev, Jatin, Karan, Pooja and Ravi, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only two persons live between Pooja and Ravi. Only one person lives between Karan and Jatin, and Karan lives above Jatin. Karan lives on the floor immediately above Ravi. Neither Karan nor Pooja lives on floor 1. Who lives on floor 1? beginner
  • A Karan
  • B Pooja
  • C Ravi
  • D Jatin
Show answer
Answer: Jatin
Why:

Floor 5: Pooja; Floor 4: Dev; Floor 3: Karan; Floor 2: Ravi; Floor 1: Jatin.

In the final order, Jatin is on floor 1.

Q11 Five persons, Dev, Jatin, Karan, Pooja and Ravi, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only two persons live between Pooja and Ravi. Only one person lives between Karan and Jatin, and Karan lives above Jatin. Karan lives on the floor immediately above Ravi. Neither Karan nor Pooja lives on floor 1. How many persons live above Dev? beginner
  • A 1
  • B 2
  • C 0
  • D 3
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 5: Pooja; Floor 4: Dev; Floor 3: Karan; Floor 2: Ravi; Floor 1: Jatin.

Dev is on floor 4 out of 5, so 5 − 4 = 1 are above.

Q12 Five persons, Dev, Jatin, Karan, Pooja and Ravi, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Only two persons live between Pooja and Ravi. Only one person lives between Karan and Jatin, and Karan lives above Jatin. Karan lives on the floor immediately above Ravi. Neither Karan nor Pooja lives on floor 1. On which floor does Pooja live? beginner
  • A Floor 1
  • B Floor 5
  • C Floor 4
  • D Floor 3
Show answer
Answer: Floor 5
Why:

Floor 5: Pooja; Floor 4: Dev; Floor 3: Karan; Floor 2: Ravi; Floor 1: Jatin.

From the final order, Pooja is on floor 5. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q13 Six persons, Charu, Harish, Kabir, Pranav, Sita and Vidya, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Only two persons live between Pranav and Vidya. Only one person lives between Harish and Vidya. Only one person lives between Sita and Pranav, and Sita lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Kabir and Pranav. Kabir lives on the lowest floor. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way based on the floors they live on. Which one does not belong to the group? intermediate
  • A Harish
  • B Charu
  • C Pranav
  • D Vidya
Show answer
Answer: Pranav
Why:

Floor 6: Vidya; Floor 5: Sita; Floor 4: Harish; Floor 3: Pranav; Floor 2: Charu; Floor 1: Kabir.

Charu, Vidya, Harish are at even-numbered places; Pranav is not.

Q14 Six persons, Charu, Harish, Kabir, Pranav, Sita and Vidya, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Only two persons live between Pranav and Vidya. Only one person lives between Harish and Vidya. Only one person lives between Sita and Pranav, and Sita lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Kabir and Pranav. Kabir lives on the lowest floor. On which floor does Sita live? intermediate
  • A Floor 6
  • B Floor 4
  • C Floor 2
  • D Floor 5
Show answer
Answer: Floor 5
Why:

Floor 6: Vidya; Floor 5: Sita; Floor 4: Harish; Floor 3: Pranav; Floor 2: Charu; Floor 1: Kabir.

From the final order, Sita is on floor 5. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q15 Six persons, Charu, Harish, Kabir, Pranav, Sita and Vidya, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Only two persons live between Pranav and Vidya. Only one person lives between Harish and Vidya. Only one person lives between Sita and Pranav, and Sita lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Kabir and Pranav. Kabir lives on the lowest floor. Who lives on floor 3? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Charu
  • C Sita
  • D Harish
Show answer
Answer: Pranav
Why:

Floor 6: Vidya; Floor 5: Sita; Floor 4: Harish; Floor 3: Pranav; Floor 2: Charu; Floor 1: Kabir.

In the final order, Pranav is on floor 3.

Q16 Six persons, Charu, Harish, Kabir, Pranav, Sita and Vidya, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Only two persons live between Pranav and Vidya. Only one person lives between Harish and Vidya. Only one person lives between Sita and Pranav, and Sita lives above Pranav. Only one person lives between Kabir and Pranav. Kabir lives on the lowest floor. How many persons live between Charu and Vidya? intermediate
  • A 5
  • B 3
  • C 4
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Floor 6: Vidya; Floor 5: Sita; Floor 4: Harish; Floor 3: Pranav; Floor 2: Charu; Floor 1: Kabir.

Their places are 4 apart, so 4 − 1 = 3 lie between them.

Q17 Six persons, Amit, Hema, Pranav, Rohit, Sita and Vikas, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Amit lives on the floor immediately above Pranav. Only two persons live between Sita and Vikas. Only three persons live between Pranav and Rohit. Vikas lives on the lowest floor. On which floor does Sita live? intermediate
  • A Floor 3
  • B Floor 5
  • C Floor 4
  • D Floor 6
Show answer
Answer: Floor 4
Why:

Floor 6: Rohit; Floor 5: Hema; Floor 4: Sita; Floor 3: Amit; Floor 2: Pranav; Floor 1: Vikas.

From the final order, Sita is on floor 4. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q18 Six persons, Amit, Hema, Pranav, Rohit, Sita and Vikas, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Amit lives on the floor immediately above Pranav. Only two persons live between Sita and Vikas. Only three persons live between Pranav and Rohit. Vikas lives on the lowest floor. How many persons live above Hema? intermediate
  • A 2
  • B 0
  • C 4
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 6: Rohit; Floor 5: Hema; Floor 4: Sita; Floor 3: Amit; Floor 2: Pranav; Floor 1: Vikas.

Hema is on floor 5 out of 6, so 6 − 5 = 1 are above.

Q19 Six persons, Amit, Hema, Pranav, Rohit, Sita and Vikas, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Amit lives on the floor immediately above Pranav. Only two persons live between Sita and Vikas. Only three persons live between Pranav and Rohit. Vikas lives on the lowest floor. Three of the following four are alike in a certain way based on the floors they live on. Which one does not belong to the group? intermediate
  • A Sita
  • B Vikas
  • C Amit
  • D Hema
Show answer
Answer: Sita
Why:

Floor 6: Rohit; Floor 5: Hema; Floor 4: Sita; Floor 3: Amit; Floor 2: Pranav; Floor 1: Vikas.

Vikas, Amit, Hema are at odd-numbered places; Sita is not.

Q20 Six persons, Amit, Hema, Pranav, Rohit, Sita and Vikas, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Amit lives on the floor immediately above Pranav. Only two persons live between Sita and Vikas. Only three persons live between Pranav and Rohit. Vikas lives on the lowest floor. Who lives on floor 5? intermediate
  • A Sita
  • B Hema
  • C Pranav
  • D Rohit
Show answer
Answer: Hema
Why:

Floor 6: Rohit; Floor 5: Hema; Floor 4: Sita; Floor 3: Amit; Floor 2: Pranav; Floor 1: Vikas.

In the final order, Hema is on floor 5.

Q21 Five persons, Divya, Farhan, Hema, Sameer and Uday, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of green, red, blue, white and yellow. Farhan lives on floor 2. The person who likes blue lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes red lives on some floor below Uday. Only two persons live between Hema and Sameer. Sameer likes white. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes green. Who likes green? intermediate
  • A Hema
  • B Sameer
  • C Divya
  • D Farhan
Show answer
Answer: Divya
Why:

Floor 5: Divya (green); Floor 4: Hema (blue); Floor 3: Uday (yellow); Floor 2: Farhan (red); Floor 1: Sameer (white).

The person on floor 5 likes green: Divya.

Q22 Five persons, Divya, Farhan, Hema, Sameer and Uday, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of green, red, blue, white and yellow. Farhan lives on floor 2. The person who likes blue lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes red lives on some floor below Uday. Only two persons live between Hema and Sameer. Sameer likes white. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes green. Who lives on floor 3? intermediate
  • A Farhan
  • B Divya
  • C Hema
  • D Uday
Show answer
Answer: Uday
Why:

Floor 5: Divya (green); Floor 4: Hema (blue); Floor 3: Uday (yellow); Floor 2: Farhan (red); Floor 1: Sameer (white).

In the final order, Uday is on floor 3.

Q23 Five persons, Divya, Farhan, Hema, Sameer and Uday, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of green, red, blue, white and yellow. Farhan lives on floor 2. The person who likes blue lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes red lives on some floor below Uday. Only two persons live between Hema and Sameer. Sameer likes white. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes green. Which of the following combinations is correct? intermediate
  • A Uday – Floor 3 – yellow
  • B Divya – Floor 5 – blue
  • C Sameer – Floor 2 – white
  • D Farhan – Floor 3 – red
Show answer
Answer: Uday – Floor 3 – yellow
Why:

Floor 5: Divya (green); Floor 4: Hema (blue); Floor 3: Uday (yellow); Floor 2: Farhan (red); Floor 1: Sameer (white).

Only this one matches the final table: Uday is on floor 3 with yellow.

Q24 Five persons, Divya, Farhan, Hema, Sameer and Uday, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of green, red, blue, white and yellow. Farhan lives on floor 2. The person who likes blue lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes red lives on some floor below Uday. Only two persons live between Hema and Sameer. Sameer likes white. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes green. How many persons live above Hema? intermediate
  • A 3
  • B 1
  • C 2
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 5: Divya (green); Floor 4: Hema (blue); Floor 3: Uday (yellow); Floor 2: Farhan (red); Floor 1: Sameer (white).

Hema is on floor 4 out of 5, so 5 − 4 = 1 are above.

Q25 Five persons, Karan, Lalit, Mohan, Neha and Rohit, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of yellow, blue, green, black and red. Only one person lives between Lalit and the person who likes yellow. Mohan lives on the topmost floor. The person who likes blue lives on the lowest floor. The person who likes red lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Only one person lives between Mohan and Rohit. Neha lives on the floor immediately above Karan. Only one person lives between Rohit and the person who likes green. What does Lalit like? intermediate
  • A Yellow
  • B Green
  • C Red
  • D Black
Show answer
Answer: Red
Why:

Floor 5: Mohan (green); Floor 4: Lalit (red); Floor 3: Rohit (black); Floor 2: Neha (yellow); Floor 1: Karan (blue).

Lalit lives on floor 4, and the person on floor 4 likes red.

Q26 Five persons, Karan, Lalit, Mohan, Neha and Rohit, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of yellow, blue, green, black and red. Only one person lives between Lalit and the person who likes yellow. Mohan lives on the topmost floor. The person who likes blue lives on the lowest floor. The person who likes red lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Only one person lives between Mohan and Rohit. Neha lives on the floor immediately above Karan. Only one person lives between Rohit and the person who likes green. Who lives immediately above the person who likes yellow? intermediate
  • A Neha
  • B Lalit
  • C Karan
  • D Rohit
Show answer
Answer: Rohit
Why:

Floor 5: Mohan (green); Floor 4: Lalit (red); Floor 3: Rohit (black); Floor 2: Neha (yellow); Floor 1: Karan (blue).

Yellow is on floor 2; one place up is floor 3: Rohit.

Q27 Five persons, Karan, Lalit, Mohan, Neha and Rohit, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of yellow, blue, green, black and red. Only one person lives between Lalit and the person who likes yellow. Mohan lives on the topmost floor. The person who likes blue lives on the lowest floor. The person who likes red lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Only one person lives between Mohan and Rohit. Neha lives on the floor immediately above Karan. Only one person lives between Rohit and the person who likes green. Who likes yellow? intermediate
  • A Neha
  • B Rohit
  • C Karan
  • D Lalit
Show answer
Answer: Neha
Why:

Floor 5: Mohan (green); Floor 4: Lalit (red); Floor 3: Rohit (black); Floor 2: Neha (yellow); Floor 1: Karan (blue).

The person on floor 2 likes yellow: Neha.

Q28 Five persons, Karan, Lalit, Mohan, Neha and Rohit, live on different floors of a five-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 5. Each likes a different one of yellow, blue, green, black and red. Only one person lives between Lalit and the person who likes yellow. Mohan lives on the topmost floor. The person who likes blue lives on the lowest floor. The person who likes red lives on the floor immediately above Rohit. Only one person lives between Mohan and Rohit. Neha lives on the floor immediately above Karan. Only one person lives between Rohit and the person who likes green. On which floor does Neha live? intermediate
  • A Floor 3
  • B Floor 2
  • C Floor 1
  • D Floor 4
Show answer
Answer: Floor 2
Why:

Floor 5: Mohan (green); Floor 4: Lalit (red); Floor 3: Rohit (black); Floor 2: Neha (yellow); Floor 1: Karan (blue).

From the final order, Neha is on floor 2. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q29 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Box P is at an even-numbered position from the bottom. Box S is third from the bottom. Box Q is kept somewhere above box S. Only one box is kept between box T and box U. Box S is kept immediately above box T. Which box is second from the bottom? intermediate
  • A Box R
  • B Box Q
  • C Box T
  • D Box S
Show answer
Answer: Box T
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: U; Third from the bottom: S; Second from the bottom: T; First from the bottom: R.

In the final order, Box T is at position 2 from the bottom.

Q30 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Box P is at an even-numbered position from the bottom. Box S is third from the bottom. Box Q is kept somewhere above box S. Only one box is kept between box T and box U. Box S is kept immediately above box T. How many boxes are kept between box P and box S? intermediate
  • A 1
  • B 4
  • C 3
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: U; Third from the bottom: S; Second from the bottom: T; First from the bottom: R.

Their places are 3 apart, so 3 − 1 = 2 lie between them.

Q31 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Box P is at an even-numbered position from the bottom. Box S is third from the bottom. Box Q is kept somewhere above box S. Only one box is kept between box T and box U. Box S is kept immediately above box T. Three of the following four boxes are alike in a certain way based on their positions. Which one does not belong to the group? intermediate
  • A Box U
  • B Box R
  • C Box Q
  • D Box S
Show answer
Answer: Box U
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: U; Third from the bottom: S; Second from the bottom: T; First from the bottom: R.

Box S, Box R, Box Q are at odd-numbered places; Box U is not.

Q32 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Only one box is kept between box R and box U, and box R is above box U. Box S is kept at the bottom of the stack. Only three boxes are kept between box P and box U, and box P is above box U. Only two boxes are kept between box P and box T. Three of the following four boxes are alike in a certain way based on their positions. Which one does not belong to the group? intermediate
  • A Box T
  • B Box P
  • C Box Q
  • D Box S
Show answer
Answer: Box P
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: R; Third from the bottom: T; Second from the bottom: U; First from the bottom: S.

Box S, Box T, Box Q are at odd-numbered places; Box P is not.

Q33 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Only one box is kept between box R and box U, and box R is above box U. Box S is kept at the bottom of the stack. Only three boxes are kept between box P and box U, and box P is above box U. Only two boxes are kept between box P and box T. How many boxes are kept between box Q and box T? intermediate
  • A 0
  • B 3
  • C 1
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: R; Third from the bottom: T; Second from the bottom: U; First from the bottom: S.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q34 Six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T and U, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Only one box is kept between box R and box U, and box R is above box U. Box S is kept at the bottom of the stack. Only three boxes are kept between box P and box U, and box P is above box U. Only two boxes are kept between box P and box T. Which box is third from the bottom? intermediate
  • A Box R
  • B Box U
  • C Box Q
  • D Box T
Show answer
Answer: Box T
Why:

Sixth from the bottom: P; Fifth from the bottom: Q; Fourth from the bottom: R; Third from the bottom: T; Second from the bottom: U; First from the bottom: S.

In the final order, Box T is at position 3 from the bottom.

Q35 Five boxes, P, Q, R, S and T, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Each box has a different colour: red, blue, green, pink and black. Box Q is not green. The green box is kept immediately above box P. The blue box is kept somewhere below box Q. The red box is kept immediately below box T. Box R is fourth from the bottom. The pink box is kept immediately below box R. The red box is kept somewhere above box S. At which position from the bottom is Box Q? advanced
  • A Third from the bottom
  • B Fifth from the bottom
  • C Fourth from the bottom
  • D Second from the bottom
Show answer
Answer: Third from the bottom
Why:

Fifth from the bottom: T (black); Fourth from the bottom: R (red); Third from the bottom: Q (pink); Second from the bottom: S (green); First from the bottom: P (blue).

From the final order, Box Q is at position 3 from the bottom. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q36 Five boxes, P, Q, R, S and T, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Each box has a different colour: red, blue, green, pink and black. Box Q is not green. The green box is kept immediately above box P. The blue box is kept somewhere below box Q. The red box is kept immediately below box T. Box R is fourth from the bottom. The pink box is kept immediately below box R. The red box is kept somewhere above box S. How many boxes are kept between box P and box R? advanced
  • A 3
  • B 2
  • C 1
  • D 4
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Fifth from the bottom: T (black); Fourth from the bottom: R (red); Third from the bottom: Q (pink); Second from the bottom: S (green); First from the bottom: P (blue).

Their places are 3 apart, so 3 − 1 = 2 lie between them.

Q37 Five boxes, P, Q, R, S and T, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Each box has a different colour: red, blue, green, pink and black. Box Q is not green. The green box is kept immediately above box P. The blue box is kept somewhere below box Q. The red box is kept immediately below box T. Box R is fourth from the bottom. The pink box is kept immediately below box R. The red box is kept somewhere above box S. What is the colour of box T? advanced
  • A Blue
  • B Pink
  • C Black
  • D Red
Show answer
Answer: Black
Why:

Fifth from the bottom: T (black); Fourth from the bottom: R (red); Third from the bottom: Q (pink); Second from the bottom: S (green); First from the bottom: P (blue).

Box T is at position 5 from the bottom, and the box there is black.

Q38 Five boxes, P, Q, R, S and T, are kept one above another in a single stack (not necessarily in this order). Position 1 is the bottom box. Each box has a different colour: red, blue, green, pink and black. Box Q is not green. The green box is kept immediately above box P. The blue box is kept somewhere below box Q. The red box is kept immediately below box T. Box R is fourth from the bottom. The pink box is kept immediately below box R. The red box is kept somewhere above box S. Which box is green? advanced
  • A Box P
  • B Box R
  • C Box Q
  • D Box S
Show answer
Answer: Box S
Why:

Fifth from the bottom: T (black); Fourth from the bottom: R (red); Third from the bottom: Q (pink); Second from the bottom: S (green); First from the bottom: P (blue).

The green box is at position 2 from the bottom: Box S.

Q39 Six persons, Charu, Fatima, Hema, Naveen, Pranav and Uday, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, papaya, mango, apple, banana and guava. Only one person lives between Hema and Pranav. Charu lives on some floor above Naveen. Only one person lives between Charu and Uday. Fatima likes guava. Fatima lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Hema. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes papaya. Only one person lives between Naveen and the person who likes apple. Only one person lives between Fatima and the person who likes pomegranate. How many persons live between Charu and Naveen? advanced
  • A 3
  • B 5
  • C 4
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Floor 6: Charu (papaya); Floor 5: Fatima (guava); Floor 4: Uday (apple); Floor 3: Pranav (pomegranate); Floor 2: Naveen (mango); Floor 1: Hema (banana).

Their places are 4 apart, so 4 − 1 = 3 lie between them.

Q40 Six persons, Charu, Fatima, Hema, Naveen, Pranav and Uday, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, papaya, mango, apple, banana and guava. Only one person lives between Hema and Pranav. Charu lives on some floor above Naveen. Only one person lives between Charu and Uday. Fatima likes guava. Fatima lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Hema. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes papaya. Only one person lives between Naveen and the person who likes apple. Only one person lives between Fatima and the person who likes pomegranate. Who lives on floor 5? advanced
  • A Charu
  • B Fatima
  • C Uday
  • D Naveen
Show answer
Answer: Fatima
Why:

Floor 6: Charu (papaya); Floor 5: Fatima (guava); Floor 4: Uday (apple); Floor 3: Pranav (pomegranate); Floor 2: Naveen (mango); Floor 1: Hema (banana).

In the final order, Fatima is on floor 5.

Q41 Six persons, Charu, Fatima, Hema, Naveen, Pranav and Uday, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, papaya, mango, apple, banana and guava. Only one person lives between Hema and Pranav. Charu lives on some floor above Naveen. Only one person lives between Charu and Uday. Fatima likes guava. Fatima lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Hema. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes papaya. Only one person lives between Naveen and the person who likes apple. Only one person lives between Fatima and the person who likes pomegranate. How many persons live above Fatima? advanced
  • A 4
  • B 2
  • C 1
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Floor 6: Charu (papaya); Floor 5: Fatima (guava); Floor 4: Uday (apple); Floor 3: Pranav (pomegranate); Floor 2: Naveen (mango); Floor 1: Hema (banana).

Fatima is on floor 5 out of 6, so 6 − 5 = 1 are above.

Q42 Six persons, Charu, Fatima, Hema, Naveen, Pranav and Uday, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, papaya, mango, apple, banana and guava. Only one person lives between Hema and Pranav. Charu lives on some floor above Naveen. Only one person lives between Charu and Uday. Fatima likes guava. Fatima lives on the floor immediately above Uday. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Hema. Only one person lives between Uday and the person who likes papaya. Only one person lives between Naveen and the person who likes apple. Only one person lives between Fatima and the person who likes pomegranate. Who lives immediately above the person who likes apple? advanced
  • A Uday
  • B Charu
  • C Pranav
  • D Fatima
Show answer
Answer: Fatima
Why:

Floor 6: Charu (papaya); Floor 5: Fatima (guava); Floor 4: Uday (apple); Floor 3: Pranav (pomegranate); Floor 2: Naveen (mango); Floor 1: Hema (banana).

Apple is on floor 4; one place up is floor 5: Fatima.

Q43 Six persons, Bina, Chetan, Geeta, Imran, Lata and Naveen, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, guava, papaya, mango, banana and apple. The person who likes pomegranate lives on floor 4. The person who likes banana lives on an even-numbered floor. The person who likes pomegranate lives on the floor immediately above Bina. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Geeta. Naveen lives on some floor above Imran. Only two persons live between Chetan and Geeta, and Chetan lives above Geeta. The person who likes apple lives on the floor immediately below Geeta. Only one person lives between Imran and the person who likes guava. The person who likes banana lives on some floor above Geeta. Who likes mango? advanced
  • A Bina
  • B Imran
  • C Geeta
  • D Chetan
Show answer
Answer: Bina
Why:

Floor 6: Naveen (banana); Floor 5: Chetan (papaya); Floor 4: Imran (pomegranate); Floor 3: Bina (mango); Floor 2: Geeta (guava); Floor 1: Lata (apple).

The person on floor 3 likes mango: Bina.

Q44 Six persons, Bina, Chetan, Geeta, Imran, Lata and Naveen, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, guava, papaya, mango, banana and apple. The person who likes pomegranate lives on floor 4. The person who likes banana lives on an even-numbered floor. The person who likes pomegranate lives on the floor immediately above Bina. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Geeta. Naveen lives on some floor above Imran. Only two persons live between Chetan and Geeta, and Chetan lives above Geeta. The person who likes apple lives on the floor immediately below Geeta. Only one person lives between Imran and the person who likes guava. The person who likes banana lives on some floor above Geeta. How many persons live above Lata? advanced
  • A 6
  • B 5
  • C 4
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 5
Why:

Floor 6: Naveen (banana); Floor 5: Chetan (papaya); Floor 4: Imran (pomegranate); Floor 3: Bina (mango); Floor 2: Geeta (guava); Floor 1: Lata (apple).

Lata is on floor 1 out of 6, so 6 − 1 = 5 are above.

Q45 Six persons, Bina, Chetan, Geeta, Imran, Lata and Naveen, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, guava, papaya, mango, banana and apple. The person who likes pomegranate lives on floor 4. The person who likes banana lives on an even-numbered floor. The person who likes pomegranate lives on the floor immediately above Bina. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Geeta. Naveen lives on some floor above Imran. Only two persons live between Chetan and Geeta, and Chetan lives above Geeta. The person who likes apple lives on the floor immediately below Geeta. Only one person lives between Imran and the person who likes guava. The person who likes banana lives on some floor above Geeta. On which floor does Imran live? advanced
  • A Floor 5
  • B Floor 6
  • C Floor 4
  • D Floor 3
Show answer
Answer: Floor 4
Why:

Floor 6: Naveen (banana); Floor 5: Chetan (papaya); Floor 4: Imran (pomegranate); Floor 3: Bina (mango); Floor 2: Geeta (guava); Floor 1: Lata (apple).

From the final order, Imran is on floor 4. Counting from the top instead gives the trap answer.

Q46 Six persons, Bina, Chetan, Geeta, Imran, Lata and Naveen, live on different floors of a six-floor building, one person on each floor. The lowest floor is floor 1 and the topmost is floor 6. Each likes a different one of pomegranate, guava, papaya, mango, banana and apple. The person who likes pomegranate lives on floor 4. The person who likes banana lives on an even-numbered floor. The person who likes pomegranate lives on the floor immediately above Bina. The person who likes mango lives on the floor immediately above Geeta. Naveen lives on some floor above Imran. Only two persons live between Chetan and Geeta, and Chetan lives above Geeta. The person who likes apple lives on the floor immediately below Geeta. Only one person lives between Imran and the person who likes guava. The person who likes banana lives on some floor above Geeta. What does Lata like? advanced
  • A Banana
  • B Mango
  • C Guava
  • D Apple
Show answer
Answer: Apple
Why:

Floor 6: Naveen (banana); Floor 5: Chetan (papaya); Floor 4: Imran (pomegranate); Floor 3: Bina (mango); Floor 2: Geeta (guava); Floor 1: Lata (apple).

Lata lives on floor 1, and the person on floor 1 likes apple.

Q47 In the building shown, who lives on the fifth floor from the top? ![A 6-floor building; from floor 1 up: Tarun, Riya, Meera, Uday, Sameer, Vikas.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-building-1.svg) beginner
  • A Riya
  • B Sameer
  • C Meera
  • D Tarun
Show answer
Answer: Riya
Why:

Fifth from the top = floor 6 + 1 − 5 = 2 from the bottom: Riya. Counting from the bottom gives Sameer, the trap.

Q48 The figure shows who lives on each floor. Who lives two floors below the person who lives immediately above Mohan? ![A 7-floor building; from floor 1 up: Bharat, Vidya, Mohan, Farhan, Rekha, Kabir, Nisha.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-building-2.svg) intermediate
  • A Bharat
  • B Vidya
  • C Rekha
  • D Farhan
Show answer
Answer: Vidya
Why:

Mohan is on floor 3; the person above is on floor 4; two floors below that is floor 2: Vidya.

Q49 In the building shown, who lives on the fourth floor from the top? ![A 8-floor building; from floor 1 up: Sameer, Yash, Dev, Zoya, Neha, Gopal, Vikas, Usha.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-building-3.svg) intermediate
  • A Zoya
  • B Gopal
  • C Neha
  • D Sameer
Show answer
Answer: Neha
Why:

Fourth from the top = floor 8 + 1 − 4 = 5 from the bottom: Neha. Counting from the bottom gives Zoya, the trap.

Q50 In the stack shown, how many boxes are kept between the pink box and the yellow box? ![A stack of boxes, from the bottom: T (red), Q (blue), U (green), S (pink), R (black), P (yellow).](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-stack-1.svg) beginner
  • A 2
  • B 0
  • C 3
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

The pink box is fourth and the yellow box sixth from the bottom, so 6 − 4 − 1 = 1 boxes lie between them.

Q51 In the stack shown, how many boxes are kept between the pink box and the yellow box? ![A stack of boxes, from the bottom: P (red), U (black), V (pink), Q (green), T (blue), R (yellow), S (white).](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-stack-2.svg) intermediate
  • A 2
  • B 4
  • C 3
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

The pink box is third and the yellow box sixth from the bottom, so 6 − 3 − 1 = 2 boxes lie between them.

Q52 In a building, floor 1 is the lowest. Which of these clues places a person on exactly one floor? beginner
  • A Two persons live between Asha and Ravi
  • B Asha lives on the topmost floor
  • C Asha lives above Ravi
  • D Asha lives on an even floor
Show answer
Answer: Asha lives on the topmost floor
Why:

Only "topmost floor" fixes one floor; the others leave several choices.

Q53 In a 9-floor building, Kabir lives on floor 4. Exactly how many persons live between Kabir and the person on floor 8? beginner
  • A 5
  • B 2
  • C 3
  • D 4
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Floors 5, 6 and 7 lie between: 8 − 4 − 1 = 3.

Q54 Seven boxes are stacked. Box M is third from the top. What is its position from the bottom? beginner
  • A Third
  • B Sixth
  • C Fourth
  • D Fifth
Show answer
Answer: Fifth
Why:

7 + 1 − 3 = 5.

Q55 In an 8-floor building, Neha lives on an odd floor and only two persons live between Neha and the person on floor 8. On which floor does Neha live? intermediate
  • A Floor 5
  • B Floor 4
  • C Floor 6
  • D Floor 3
Show answer
Answer: Floor 5
Why:

Three floors apart from 8 means floor 5 (floor 11 does not exist), and 5 is odd.

Q56 Six persons live on six floors. P lives above Q, Q lives above R, and R lives above S. What is the lowest floor on which P can live? advanced
  • A Floor 2
  • B Floor 4
  • C Floor 5
  • D Floor 3
Show answer
Answer: Floor 4
Why:

S, R and Q need three floors below P, so P is at least on floor 4.

Q57 Assertion (A): If only one person lives between X and Y in a 5-floor building and X is on floor 2, then Y must be on floor 4. Reason (R): Floor 0 does not exist, so the only floor two apart from floor 2 is floor 4. intermediate
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Why:

Two apart from floor 2 means floor 0 or floor 4; floor 0 does not exist. Both true, and R explains A.

Q58 Assertion (A): "Rohit lives above Sita" tells us Rohit lives on the floor just above Sita's. Reason (R): Without the word "immediately", "above" means any higher floor. beginner
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: A is false but R is true
Why:

A is false; R is true and shows why.

Q59 Eight boxes are kept in a stack. Which statements are true? 1. The box third from the top is sixth from the bottom. 2. Exactly three boxes lie between the 2nd and the 6th box from the bottom. intermediate
  • A 1 only
  • B 2 only
  • C Both 1 and 2
  • D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: Both 1 and 2
Why:

8 + 1 − 3 = 6 and 6 − 2 − 1 = 3. Both are true.

Important short questions (3)

Why should a floor puzzle be drawn with floor 1 at the bottom?

So that "above" and "below" in the clues match the drawing; it prevents counting from the wrong end.

Box K is 2nd from the top in a stack of 9. Find its position from the bottom.

9 + 1 − 2 = 8th from the bottom.

How do you handle "only two persons live between X and Y" when X is already placed?

Write Y three floors above and three floors below X, drop any floor outside the building, and keep the rest as cases.

Long answer questions (1)

Six persons A to F live on floors 1 to 6. D lives on the top floor; only two persons live between D and B, with D above B; B lives immediately above E; F lives on an odd floor; C lives above F; A lives above C. Find everyone's floor.

D = 6, B = 3, E = 2. F is on 1 or 5. If F = 5, C must be on 6, which is D's: impossible. So F = 1. A and C take 4 and 5 with A above C: C = 4, A = 5.

Bottom to top: F, E, B, C, A, D.

Flashcards (12)

Which floor is floor 1?
The lowest floor
"Immediately above" means?
Exactly one floor higher
"Above" alone means?
Any higher floor
Two persons between X and Y: floors apart?
3
k-th from the top in a stack of n?
(n + 1 − k)-th from the bottom
Which clues go first?
Fixed ones (top, bottom, floor k)
What does a gap clue create?
Two cases
Odd floors in a 6-floor building?
1, 3, 5
Tool for two attributes?
A table, one row per floor
Persons above floor 2 in a 7-floor building?
5
Box 4th from the bottom in 6 is what from the top?
3rd
When are "not" clues used?
Last, to cut cases

Play this topic

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Scheduling Puzzles

Arrange events on days of a week or months of a year: treat the days as ordered slots, place fixed days first, use "immediately after" and gap clues, month lengths, and a second row for subjects.

What you will be able to do

  • I can lay out days or months as ordered slots and place events on them.
  • I can use "before", "after", "immediately after" and gap clues correctly.
  • I can use month lengths (30 or 31 days) as clues.
  • I can solve a two-row schedule with a person and a subject for each day.

Key points

  • Days of a week or months of a year are slots in a straight line, exactly like a row of seats.

  • "Immediately after" means the very next slot; "after" means any later slot.

  • "Only k events between X and Y" means their slots are k + 1 apart.

  • Months with 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December. April, June, September, November have 30; February has 28 or 29.

  • A clue like "X is before Wednesday" fixes a range, not a day.

  • With subjects or cities, add a second row under the days.

  • A case often dies because a person has no room left: count the free slots.

Full explanation

The guest lectures

A weekly planner board with coloured sticky notes and no writing.

The principal of a college in Jaipur has invited six speakers for one lecture each, Monday to Saturday. Her notes say who comes after whom, but not the dates. The office must print the timetable today. Let us help.

Days are slots in a row

Write the days left to right: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat. Now every clue is a row clue:

  • Before / after: left / right of.
  • Immediately after: the very next slot.
  • Only k between: $k + 1$ slots apart.

Worked example

Six persons P, Q, R, S, T and U give lectures from Monday to Saturday.

  1. R's lecture is on Wednesday.
  2. Only one lecture is held between R's and T's.
  3. Q's lecture is on the day immediately after T's.
  4. U's lecture comes before R's.
  5. P's lecture comes after R's.
  6. R's lecture is on the day immediately after S's.

R is on Wednesday. T is two days away: Monday or Friday. Q follows T: Tuesday or Saturday. Two cases.

Two rows for Monday to Saturday. Case 1: T Monday, Q Tuesday, R Wednesday. Case 2: R Wednesday, T Friday, Q Saturday.

Finishing the example

Clue 4 needs a free day before Wednesday for U. In Case 1, Monday and Tuesday are taken: Case 1 fails. In Case 2, P comes after R, so P takes Thursday (the only free day after Wednesday). S is just before R: Tuesday. U gets Monday.

Monday to Saturday: U, S, R, P, T, Q.

Final schedule: Monday U, Tuesday S, Wednesday R, Thursday P, Friday T, Saturday Q.

Month puzzles and month lengths

Birthdays or trips in different months work the same way, with one extra kind of clue: the number of days.

  • 31 days: January, March, May, July, August, October, December.
  • 30 days: April, June, September, November.
  • February: 28 (29 in a leap year).

Strip of January to June with days 31, 28, 31, 30, 31, 30; the 31-day months are highlighted.

A second row for subjects

When each speaker also has a subject, add a row under the days. Clues like "the History lecture is the day before Tara's" link the rows. Fill a cell only when a clue forces it; use pencil marks for possibilities.

A table with Monday to Saturday as columns and two rows, Person and Subject; History is written under Monday.

Exam shortcuts

  • Write the days once across the top; never work from memory.
  • A fixed day first, then "immediately after" chains.
  • When two cases appear, count free slots for every unplaced person; one case usually runs out of room.
  • For months, mark the 31-day months before reading the clues.

Back to the college

The principal's notes were six clues. Fixing Wednesday, opening two cases and counting free days gave one timetable: U, S, R, P, T, Q. The office printed it before lunch.

Mind map of scheduling: slots in order, fixed day, immediately after, gap, month length, second row.

Concepts and terms

Days as slots

Monday to Saturday are six slots in order. Every "before/after" clue is a left/right clue on this line.

Month-length clues

"Her birthday is in a 31-day month" removes every 30-day month and February from her choices.

Room counting

If a case leaves fewer free slots than persons who must fit there, the case fails.

Did you know

Railway timetables are giant scheduling puzzles: each train needs a platform and a time slot, and two trains cannot share both.

Memory tricks

31-day months — Knuckle method — Count months on your knuckles and the dips between them: every knuckle month has 31 days.

Gap clue — Between k, apart k + 1 — One lecture between means two days apart.

Practice MCQs with answers (60)

Q1 Five teachers, Imran, Lalit, Neha, Ravi and Tarun, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Tarun's lecture comes some time after Ravi's lecture. Ravi's lecture is on Wednesday. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Neha's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Neha's lecture. On which day is Lalit's lecture? beginner
  • A Tuesday
  • B Friday
  • C Thursday
  • D Wednesday
Show answer
Answer: Thursday
Why:

Monday: Imran; Tuesday: Neha; Wednesday: Ravi; Thursday: Lalit; Friday: Tarun.

From the final order, Lalit's lecture is on Thursday.

Q2 Five teachers, Imran, Lalit, Neha, Ravi and Tarun, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Tarun's lecture comes some time after Ravi's lecture. Ravi's lecture is on Wednesday. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Neha's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Neha's lecture. How many lectures are held between Imran's and Lalit's lectures? beginner
  • A 4
  • B 3
  • C 1
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Monday: Imran; Tuesday: Neha; Wednesday: Ravi; Thursday: Lalit; Friday: Tarun.

Their places are 3 apart, so 3 − 1 = 2 lie between them.

Q3 Five teachers, Imran, Lalit, Neha, Ravi and Tarun, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Tarun's lecture comes some time after Ravi's lecture. Ravi's lecture is on Wednesday. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Neha's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Neha's lecture. Whose lecture is on Friday? beginner
  • A Tarun
  • B Imran
  • C Lalit
  • D Neha
Show answer
Answer: Tarun
Why:

Monday: Imran; Tuesday: Neha; Wednesday: Ravi; Thursday: Lalit; Friday: Tarun.

In the final order, Tarun's lecture is on Friday.

Q4 Five teachers, Bharat, Fatima, Harish, Jaya and Ravi, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Bharat's lecture is on the day immediately after Ravi's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Jaya's lecture and Ravi's lecture, and Jaya's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and Harish's lecture, and Fatima's lecture comes later. How many lectures are held between Fatima's and Ravi's lectures? beginner
  • A 2
  • B 1
  • C 0
  • D 3
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Monday: Harish; Tuesday: Ravi; Wednesday: Bharat; Thursday: Fatima; Friday: Jaya.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q5 Five teachers, Bharat, Fatima, Harish, Jaya and Ravi, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Bharat's lecture is on the day immediately after Ravi's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Jaya's lecture and Ravi's lecture, and Jaya's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and Harish's lecture, and Fatima's lecture comes later. On which day is Ravi's lecture? beginner
  • A Wednesday
  • B Monday
  • C Tuesday
  • D Thursday
Show answer
Answer: Tuesday
Why:

Monday: Harish; Tuesday: Ravi; Wednesday: Bharat; Thursday: Fatima; Friday: Jaya.

From the final order, Ravi's lecture is on Tuesday.

Q6 Five teachers, Bharat, Fatima, Harish, Jaya and Ravi, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Bharat's lecture is on the day immediately after Ravi's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Jaya's lecture and Ravi's lecture, and Jaya's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and Harish's lecture, and Fatima's lecture comes later. Whose lecture is on Monday? beginner
  • A Bharat
  • B Jaya
  • C Ravi
  • D Harish
Show answer
Answer: Harish
Why:

Monday: Harish; Tuesday: Ravi; Wednesday: Bharat; Thursday: Fatima; Friday: Jaya.

In the final order, Harish's lecture is on Monday.

Q7 Five teachers, Amit, Kabir, Lalit, Nikhil and Tara, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Only three lectures are held between Amit's lecture and Nikhil's lecture. Kabir's lecture is on the day immediately after Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Amit's lecture, and Lalit's lecture comes later. How many lectures are held between Lalit's and Nikhil's lectures? beginner
  • A 1
  • B 3
  • C 2
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Monday: Amit; Tuesday: Tara; Wednesday: Lalit; Thursday: Kabir; Friday: Nikhil.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q8 Five teachers, Amit, Kabir, Lalit, Nikhil and Tara, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Only three lectures are held between Amit's lecture and Nikhil's lecture. Kabir's lecture is on the day immediately after Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Amit's lecture, and Lalit's lecture comes later. On which day is Lalit's lecture? beginner
  • A Tuesday
  • B Wednesday
  • C Friday
  • D Thursday
Show answer
Answer: Wednesday
Why:

Monday: Amit; Tuesday: Tara; Wednesday: Lalit; Thursday: Kabir; Friday: Nikhil.

From the final order, Lalit's lecture is on Wednesday.

Q9 Five teachers, Amit, Kabir, Lalit, Nikhil and Tara, give one lecture each on five consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Friday, one lecture a day. Only three lectures are held between Amit's lecture and Nikhil's lecture. Kabir's lecture is on the day immediately after Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and Amit's lecture, and Lalit's lecture comes later. Whose lecture is on Friday? beginner
  • A Lalit
  • B Amit
  • C Nikhil
  • D Kabir
Show answer
Answer: Nikhil
Why:

Monday: Amit; Tuesday: Tara; Wednesday: Lalit; Thursday: Kabir; Friday: Nikhil.

In the final order, Nikhil's lecture is on Friday.

Q10 Six friends, Anita, Bharat, Mohan, Neha, Rekha and Sameer, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from January to June, one birthday in each month. Only one person has a birthday between Neha's birthday and Rekha's birthday. Anita's birthday comes before April. Mohan's birthday and Sameer's birthday are not in consecutive months. Bharat's birthday and Neha's birthday are not in consecutive months. Only one person has a birthday between Bharat's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Bharat's birthday comes later. Mohan's birthday is in May. Whose birthday is in June? beginner
  • A Bharat
  • B Anita
  • C Mohan
  • D Neha
Show answer
Answer: Neha
Why:

January: Anita; February: Sameer; March: Bharat; April: Rekha; May: Mohan; June: Neha.

In the final order, Neha's birthday is in June.

Q11 Six friends, Anita, Bharat, Mohan, Neha, Rekha and Sameer, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from January to June, one birthday in each month. Only one person has a birthday between Neha's birthday and Rekha's birthday. Anita's birthday comes before April. Mohan's birthday and Sameer's birthday are not in consecutive months. Bharat's birthday and Neha's birthday are not in consecutive months. Only one person has a birthday between Bharat's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Bharat's birthday comes later. Mohan's birthday is in May. In which month is Neha's birthday? beginner
  • A June
  • B April
  • C January
  • D May
Show answer
Answer: June
Why:

January: Anita; February: Sameer; March: Bharat; April: Rekha; May: Mohan; June: Neha.

From the final order, Neha's birthday is in June.

Q12 Six friends, Anita, Bharat, Mohan, Neha, Rekha and Sameer, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from January to June, one birthday in each month. Only one person has a birthday between Neha's birthday and Rekha's birthday. Anita's birthday comes before April. Mohan's birthday and Sameer's birthday are not in consecutive months. Bharat's birthday and Neha's birthday are not in consecutive months. Only one person has a birthday between Bharat's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Bharat's birthday comes later. Mohan's birthday is in May. How many birthdays fall between Neha's and Sameer's birthdays? beginner
  • A 5
  • B 3
  • C 4
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

January: Anita; February: Sameer; March: Bharat; April: Rekha; May: Mohan; June: Neha.

Their places are 4 apart, so 4 − 1 = 3 lie between them.

Q13 Six friends, Amit, Kavya, Neha, Rohit, Vikas and Yash, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from July to December, one birthday in each month. Rohit's birthday is in November. Neha's birthday is in the month immediately after Vikas's birthday. Kavya's birthday and Yash's birthday are not in consecutive months. Neha's birthday comes before September. Kavya's birthday is in the month immediately after Neha's birthday. In which month is Kavya's birthday? beginner
  • A October
  • B August
  • C September
  • D November
Show answer
Answer: September
Why:

July: Vikas; August: Neha; September: Kavya; October: Amit; November: Rohit; December: Yash.

From the final order, Kavya's birthday is in September.

Q14 Six friends, Amit, Kavya, Neha, Rohit, Vikas and Yash, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from July to December, one birthday in each month. Rohit's birthday is in November. Neha's birthday is in the month immediately after Vikas's birthday. Kavya's birthday and Yash's birthday are not in consecutive months. Neha's birthday comes before September. Kavya's birthday is in the month immediately after Neha's birthday. How many birthdays fall between Amit's and Yash's birthdays? beginner
  • A 3
  • B 2
  • C 0
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

July: Vikas; August: Neha; September: Kavya; October: Amit; November: Rohit; December: Yash.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q15 Six friends, Amit, Kavya, Neha, Rohit, Vikas and Yash, have birthdays in six different months of the same year, from July to December, one birthday in each month. Rohit's birthday is in November. Neha's birthday is in the month immediately after Vikas's birthday. Kavya's birthday and Yash's birthday are not in consecutive months. Neha's birthday comes before September. Kavya's birthday is in the month immediately after Neha's birthday. Whose birthday is in August? beginner
  • A Neha
  • B Vikas
  • C Rohit
  • D Kavya
Show answer
Answer: Neha
Why:

July: Vikas; August: Neha; September: Kavya; October: Amit; November: Rohit; December: Yash.

In the final order, Neha's birthday is in August.

Q16 Six teachers, Hema, Imran, Lata, Nikhil, Pranav and Tarun, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Biology, Economics, Geography, Chemistry, Music and History. Hema's lecture is on the day immediately after Lata's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Hema's lecture and the Biology lecture. The History lecture is on the day immediately after Nikhil's lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Pranav's lecture. Only three lectures are held between Pranav's lecture and Imran's lecture, and Pranav's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Lata's lecture and the Music lecture. The Geography lecture is on Tuesday. On which day is Hema's lecture? intermediate
  • A Wednesday
  • B Thursday
  • C Friday
  • D Saturday
Show answer
Answer: Thursday
Why:

Monday: Imran (Biology); Tuesday: Nikhil (Geography); Wednesday: Lata (History); Thursday: Hema (Chemistry); Friday: Pranav (Economics); Saturday: Tarun (Music).

From the final order, Hema's lecture is on Thursday.

Q17 Six teachers, Hema, Imran, Lata, Nikhil, Pranav and Tarun, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Biology, Economics, Geography, Chemistry, Music and History. Hema's lecture is on the day immediately after Lata's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Hema's lecture and the Biology lecture. The History lecture is on the day immediately after Nikhil's lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Pranav's lecture. Only three lectures are held between Pranav's lecture and Imran's lecture, and Pranav's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Lata's lecture and the Music lecture. The Geography lecture is on Tuesday. How many lectures are held between Hema's and Tarun's lectures? intermediate
  • A 0
  • B 3
  • C 1
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Monday: Imran (Biology); Tuesday: Nikhil (Geography); Wednesday: Lata (History); Thursday: Hema (Chemistry); Friday: Pranav (Economics); Saturday: Tarun (Music).

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q18 Six teachers, Hema, Imran, Lata, Nikhil, Pranav and Tarun, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Biology, Economics, Geography, Chemistry, Music and History. Hema's lecture is on the day immediately after Lata's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Hema's lecture and the Biology lecture. The History lecture is on the day immediately after Nikhil's lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Pranav's lecture. Only three lectures are held between Pranav's lecture and Imran's lecture, and Pranav's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Lata's lecture and the Music lecture. The Geography lecture is on Tuesday. Who lectures on History? intermediate
  • A Nikhil
  • B Pranav
  • C Hema
  • D Lata
Show answer
Answer: Lata
Why:

Monday: Imran (Biology); Tuesday: Nikhil (Geography); Wednesday: Lata (History); Thursday: Hema (Chemistry); Friday: Pranav (Economics); Saturday: Tarun (Music).

The History lecture is on Wednesday: Lata.

Q19 Six teachers, Hema, Imran, Lata, Nikhil, Pranav and Tarun, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Biology, Economics, Geography, Chemistry, Music and History. Hema's lecture is on the day immediately after Lata's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Hema's lecture and the Biology lecture. The History lecture is on the day immediately after Nikhil's lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Pranav's lecture. Only three lectures are held between Pranav's lecture and Imran's lecture, and Pranav's lecture comes later. Only two lectures are held between Lata's lecture and the Music lecture. The Geography lecture is on Tuesday. Whose lecture is on the day immediately before the Music lecture? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Hema
  • C Imran
  • D Tarun
Show answer
Answer: Pranav
Why:

Monday: Imran (Biology); Tuesday: Nikhil (Geography); Wednesday: Lata (History); Thursday: Hema (Chemistry); Friday: Pranav (Economics); Saturday: Tarun (Music).

The Music lecture is on Saturday; the day before is Friday, when Pranav lectures.

Q20 Six teachers, Dev, Fatima, Hema, Imran, Pranav and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Economics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Music and History. Imran's lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Fatima does not lecture on Economics. Only two lectures are held between Imran's lecture and the Music lecture. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and the Biology lecture. Only one lecture is held between Hema's lecture and the History lecture. The Physics lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Pranav's lecture and the Economics lecture. Dev's lecture is on the day immediately after Pranav's lecture. The History lecture comes some time before Hema's lecture. What is the subject of Fatima's lecture? intermediate
  • A Economics
  • B History
  • C Physics
  • D Music
Show answer
Answer: History
Why:

Monday: Fatima (History); Tuesday: Zoya (Economics); Wednesday: Hema (Music); Thursday: Pranav (Biology); Friday: Dev (Chemistry); Saturday: Imran (Physics).

Fatima lectures on Monday, and the lecture that day is History.

Q21 Six teachers, Dev, Fatima, Hema, Imran, Pranav and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Economics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Music and History. Imran's lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Fatima does not lecture on Economics. Only two lectures are held between Imran's lecture and the Music lecture. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and the Biology lecture. Only one lecture is held between Hema's lecture and the History lecture. The Physics lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Pranav's lecture and the Economics lecture. Dev's lecture is on the day immediately after Pranav's lecture. The History lecture comes some time before Hema's lecture. Who lectures on Music? intermediate
  • A Dev
  • B Pranav
  • C Hema
  • D Zoya
Show answer
Answer: Hema
Why:

Monday: Fatima (History); Tuesday: Zoya (Economics); Wednesday: Hema (Music); Thursday: Pranav (Biology); Friday: Dev (Chemistry); Saturday: Imran (Physics).

The Music lecture is on Wednesday: Hema.

Q22 Six teachers, Dev, Fatima, Hema, Imran, Pranav and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Economics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Music and History. Imran's lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Fatima does not lecture on Economics. Only two lectures are held between Imran's lecture and the Music lecture. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and the Biology lecture. Only one lecture is held between Hema's lecture and the History lecture. The Physics lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Pranav's lecture and the Economics lecture. Dev's lecture is on the day immediately after Pranav's lecture. The History lecture comes some time before Hema's lecture. How many lectures are held between Fatima's and Imran's lectures? intermediate
  • A 5
  • B 3
  • C 6
  • D 4
Show answer
Answer: 4
Why:

Monday: Fatima (History); Tuesday: Zoya (Economics); Wednesday: Hema (Music); Thursday: Pranav (Biology); Friday: Dev (Chemistry); Saturday: Imran (Physics).

Their places are 5 apart, so 5 − 1 = 4 lie between them.

Q23 Six teachers, Dev, Fatima, Hema, Imran, Pranav and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Economics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Music and History. Imran's lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Fatima does not lecture on Economics. Only two lectures are held between Imran's lecture and the Music lecture. Only two lectures are held between Fatima's lecture and the Biology lecture. Only one lecture is held between Hema's lecture and the History lecture. The Physics lecture is on the day immediately after Dev's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Pranav's lecture and the Economics lecture. Dev's lecture is on the day immediately after Pranav's lecture. The History lecture comes some time before Hema's lecture. Whose lecture is on the day immediately after the Music lecture? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Dev
  • C Zoya
  • D Hema
Show answer
Answer: Pranav
Why:

Monday: Fatima (History); Tuesday: Zoya (Economics); Wednesday: Hema (Music); Thursday: Pranav (Biology); Friday: Dev (Chemistry); Saturday: Imran (Physics).

The Music lecture is on Wednesday; the day after is Thursday, when Pranav lectures.

Q24 Six teachers, Geeta, Kabir, Lalit, Mohan, Ravi and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics and Geography. Only two lectures are held between Kabir's lecture and the Physics lecture. Only one lecture is held between Geeta's lecture and the Biology lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and the History lecture. Only two lectures are held between Geeta's lecture and Zoya's lecture, and Geeta's lecture comes later. Mohan's lecture is on the day immediately after Kabir's lecture. Mohan's lecture comes after Thursday. Ravi lectures on Economics. On which day is Zoya's lecture? intermediate
  • A Wednesday
  • B Monday
  • C Saturday
  • D Tuesday
Show answer
Answer: Monday
Why:

Monday: Zoya (Chemistry); Tuesday: Lalit (Physics); Wednesday: Ravi (Economics); Thursday: Geeta (History); Friday: Kabir (Geography); Saturday: Mohan (Biology).

From the final order, Zoya's lecture is on Monday.

Q25 Six teachers, Geeta, Kabir, Lalit, Mohan, Ravi and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics and Geography. Only two lectures are held between Kabir's lecture and the Physics lecture. Only one lecture is held between Geeta's lecture and the Biology lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and the History lecture. Only two lectures are held between Geeta's lecture and Zoya's lecture, and Geeta's lecture comes later. Mohan's lecture is on the day immediately after Kabir's lecture. Mohan's lecture comes after Thursday. Ravi lectures on Economics. Who lectures on Chemistry? intermediate
  • A Ravi
  • B Lalit
  • C Zoya
  • D Mohan
Show answer
Answer: Zoya
Why:

Monday: Zoya (Chemistry); Tuesday: Lalit (Physics); Wednesday: Ravi (Economics); Thursday: Geeta (History); Friday: Kabir (Geography); Saturday: Mohan (Biology).

The Chemistry lecture is on Monday: Zoya.

Q26 Six teachers, Geeta, Kabir, Lalit, Mohan, Ravi and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics and Geography. Only two lectures are held between Kabir's lecture and the Physics lecture. Only one lecture is held between Geeta's lecture and the Biology lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and the History lecture. Only two lectures are held between Geeta's lecture and Zoya's lecture, and Geeta's lecture comes later. Mohan's lecture is on the day immediately after Kabir's lecture. Mohan's lecture comes after Thursday. Ravi lectures on Economics. What is the subject of Geeta's lecture? intermediate
  • A Economics
  • B Biology
  • C Geography
  • D History
Show answer
Answer: History
Why:

Monday: Zoya (Chemistry); Tuesday: Lalit (Physics); Wednesday: Ravi (Economics); Thursday: Geeta (History); Friday: Kabir (Geography); Saturday: Mohan (Biology).

Geeta lectures on Thursday, and the lecture that day is History.

Q27 Six teachers, Geeta, Kabir, Lalit, Mohan, Ravi and Zoya, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Chemistry, Biology, History, Economics and Geography. Only two lectures are held between Kabir's lecture and the Physics lecture. Only one lecture is held between Geeta's lecture and the Biology lecture. The Chemistry lecture is on the day immediately before Lalit's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Lalit's lecture and the History lecture. Only two lectures are held between Geeta's lecture and Zoya's lecture, and Geeta's lecture comes later. Mohan's lecture is on the day immediately after Kabir's lecture. Mohan's lecture comes after Thursday. Ravi lectures on Economics. Whose lecture is on the day immediately after the Physics lecture? intermediate
  • A Ravi
  • B Zoya
  • C Lalit
  • D Geeta
Show answer
Answer: Ravi
Why:

Monday: Zoya (Chemistry); Tuesday: Lalit (Physics); Wednesday: Ravi (Economics); Thursday: Geeta (History); Friday: Kabir (Geography); Saturday: Mohan (Biology).

The Physics lecture is on Tuesday; the day after is Wednesday, when Ravi lectures.

Q28 Seven friends, Anita, Geeta, Isha, Nikhil, Pranav, Ravi and Sameer, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Ravi's birthday is in May. Anita's birthday comes some time after Nikhil's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only three persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Isha's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only one person has a birthday between Anita's birthday and Geeta's birthday. Whose birthday is in March? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Isha
  • C Anita
  • D Nikhil
Show answer
Answer: Isha
Why:

February: Nikhil; March: Isha; April: Anita; May: Ravi; June: Geeta; July: Pranav; August: Sameer.

In the final order, Isha's birthday is in March.

Q29 Seven friends, Anita, Geeta, Isha, Nikhil, Pranav, Ravi and Sameer, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Ravi's birthday is in May. Anita's birthday comes some time after Nikhil's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only three persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Isha's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only one person has a birthday between Anita's birthday and Geeta's birthday. How many birthdays fall between Geeta's and Sameer's birthdays? intermediate
  • A 0
  • B 3
  • C 1
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

February: Nikhil; March: Isha; April: Anita; May: Ravi; June: Geeta; July: Pranav; August: Sameer.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q30 Seven friends, Anita, Geeta, Isha, Nikhil, Pranav, Ravi and Sameer, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Ravi's birthday is in May. Anita's birthday comes some time after Nikhil's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only three persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Isha's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only one person has a birthday between Anita's birthday and Geeta's birthday. In which month is Geeta's birthday? intermediate
  • A May
  • B April
  • C July
  • D June
Show answer
Answer: June
Why:

February: Nikhil; March: Isha; April: Anita; May: Ravi; June: Geeta; July: Pranav; August: Sameer.

From the final order, Geeta's birthday is in June.

Q31 Seven friends, Anita, Geeta, Isha, Nikhil, Pranav, Ravi and Sameer, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Ravi's birthday is in May. Anita's birthday comes some time after Nikhil's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Anita's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only three persons have birthdays between Pranav's birthday and Isha's birthday, and Pranav's birthday comes later. Only one person has a birthday between Anita's birthday and Geeta's birthday. Whose birthday is in July? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Sameer
  • C Geeta
  • D Isha
Show answer
Answer: Pranav
Why:

February: Nikhil; March: Isha; April: Anita; May: Ravi; June: Geeta; July: Pranav; August: Sameer.

In the final order, Pranav's birthday is in July.

Q32 Seven friends, Amit, Jatin, Lalit, Nisha, Tarun, Vidya and Yash, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Tarun's birthday is in the month immediately after Vidya's birthday. Amit's birthday is in the month immediately after Nisha's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Tarun's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Lalit's birthday. How many birthdays fall between Nisha's and Tarun's birthdays? intermediate
  • A 5
  • B 4
  • C 3
  • D 6
Show answer
Answer: 4
Why:

February: Lalit; March: Nisha; April: Amit; May: Jatin; June: Yash; July: Vidya; August: Tarun.

Their places are 5 apart, so 5 − 1 = 4 lie between them.

Q33 Seven friends, Amit, Jatin, Lalit, Nisha, Tarun, Vidya and Yash, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Tarun's birthday is in the month immediately after Vidya's birthday. Amit's birthday is in the month immediately after Nisha's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Tarun's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Lalit's birthday. In which month is Amit's birthday? intermediate
  • A June
  • B May
  • C April
  • D March
Show answer
Answer: April
Why:

February: Lalit; March: Nisha; April: Amit; May: Jatin; June: Yash; July: Vidya; August: Tarun.

From the final order, Amit's birthday is in April.

Q34 Seven friends, Amit, Jatin, Lalit, Nisha, Tarun, Vidya and Yash, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Tarun's birthday is in the month immediately after Vidya's birthday. Amit's birthday is in the month immediately after Nisha's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Tarun's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Lalit's birthday. Whose birthday is in May? intermediate
  • A Vidya
  • B Yash
  • C Amit
  • D Jatin
Show answer
Answer: Jatin
Why:

February: Lalit; March: Nisha; April: Amit; May: Jatin; June: Yash; July: Vidya; August: Tarun.

In the final order, Jatin's birthday is in May.

Q35 Seven friends, Amit, Jatin, Lalit, Nisha, Tarun, Vidya and Yash, have birthdays in seven different months of the same year, from February to August, one birthday in each month. Tarun's birthday is in the month immediately after Vidya's birthday. Amit's birthday is in the month immediately after Nisha's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Tarun's birthday. Only two persons have birthdays between Jatin's birthday and Lalit's birthday. How many birthdays fall between Amit's and Yash's birthdays? intermediate
  • A 1
  • B 3
  • C 2
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

February: Lalit; March: Nisha; April: Amit; May: Jatin; June: Yash; July: Vidya; August: Tarun.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q36 Seven teachers, Chetan, Dev, Farhan, Hema, Jatin, Ravi and Vidya, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Only one lecture is held between Farhan's lecture and Vidya's lecture. Dev's lecture comes some time after Farhan's lecture. Neither Hema's lecture nor Ravi's lecture is on Monday. Farhan's lecture comes after Wednesday. Ravi's lecture is on the day immediately after Farhan's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Jatin's lecture and Farhan's lecture, and Jatin's lecture comes later. On which day is Chetan's lecture? advanced
  • A Wednesday
  • B Monday
  • C Sunday
  • D Tuesday
Show answer
Answer: Monday
Why:

Monday: Chetan; Tuesday: Vidya; Wednesday: Hema; Thursday: Farhan; Friday: Ravi; Saturday: Jatin; Sunday: Dev.

From the final order, Chetan's lecture is on Monday.

Q37 Seven teachers, Chetan, Dev, Farhan, Hema, Jatin, Ravi and Vidya, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Only one lecture is held between Farhan's lecture and Vidya's lecture. Dev's lecture comes some time after Farhan's lecture. Neither Hema's lecture nor Ravi's lecture is on Monday. Farhan's lecture comes after Wednesday. Ravi's lecture is on the day immediately after Farhan's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Jatin's lecture and Farhan's lecture, and Jatin's lecture comes later. Whose lecture is on Sunday? advanced
  • A Jatin
  • B Farhan
  • C Dev
  • D Chetan
Show answer
Answer: Dev
Why:

Monday: Chetan; Tuesday: Vidya; Wednesday: Hema; Thursday: Farhan; Friday: Ravi; Saturday: Jatin; Sunday: Dev.

In the final order, Dev's lecture is on Sunday.

Q38 Seven teachers, Chetan, Dev, Farhan, Hema, Jatin, Ravi and Vidya, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Only one lecture is held between Farhan's lecture and Vidya's lecture. Dev's lecture comes some time after Farhan's lecture. Neither Hema's lecture nor Ravi's lecture is on Monday. Farhan's lecture comes after Wednesday. Ravi's lecture is on the day immediately after Farhan's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Jatin's lecture and Farhan's lecture, and Jatin's lecture comes later. How many lectures are held between Jatin's and Vidya's lectures? advanced
  • A 4
  • B 2
  • C 5
  • D 3
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Monday: Chetan; Tuesday: Vidya; Wednesday: Hema; Thursday: Farhan; Friday: Ravi; Saturday: Jatin; Sunday: Dev.

Their places are 4 apart, so 4 − 1 = 3 lie between them.

Q39 Seven teachers, Chetan, Dev, Farhan, Hema, Jatin, Ravi and Vidya, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Only one lecture is held between Farhan's lecture and Vidya's lecture. Dev's lecture comes some time after Farhan's lecture. Neither Hema's lecture nor Ravi's lecture is on Monday. Farhan's lecture comes after Wednesday. Ravi's lecture is on the day immediately after Farhan's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Jatin's lecture and Farhan's lecture, and Jatin's lecture comes later. On which day is Jatin's lecture? advanced
  • A Saturday
  • B Friday
  • C Tuesday
  • D Sunday
Show answer
Answer: Saturday
Why:

Monday: Chetan; Tuesday: Vidya; Wednesday: Hema; Thursday: Farhan; Friday: Ravi; Saturday: Jatin; Sunday: Dev.

From the final order, Jatin's lecture is on Saturday.

Q40 Seven teachers, Bina, Imran, Karan, Lalit, Nisha, Pooja and Sameer, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Karan's lecture comes some time after Lalit's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Sameer's lecture. Sameer's lecture comes some time after Bina's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Bina's lecture and Sameer's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Bina's lecture and Nisha's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Imran's lecture and Pooja's lecture, and Imran's lecture comes later. How many lectures are held between Imran's and Karan's lectures? advanced
  • A 4
  • B 3
  • C 2
  • D 5
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Monday: Pooja; Tuesday: Bina; Wednesday: Imran; Thursday: Sameer; Friday: Nisha; Saturday: Lalit; Sunday: Karan.

Their places are 4 apart, so 4 − 1 = 3 lie between them.

Q41 Seven teachers, Bina, Imran, Karan, Lalit, Nisha, Pooja and Sameer, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Karan's lecture comes some time after Lalit's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Sameer's lecture. Sameer's lecture comes some time after Bina's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Bina's lecture and Sameer's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Bina's lecture and Nisha's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Imran's lecture and Pooja's lecture, and Imran's lecture comes later. On which day is Karan's lecture? advanced
  • A Saturday
  • B Friday
  • C Sunday
  • D Monday
Show answer
Answer: Sunday
Why:

Monday: Pooja; Tuesday: Bina; Wednesday: Imran; Thursday: Sameer; Friday: Nisha; Saturday: Lalit; Sunday: Karan.

From the final order, Karan's lecture is on Sunday.

Q42 Seven teachers, Bina, Imran, Karan, Lalit, Nisha, Pooja and Sameer, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Karan's lecture comes some time after Lalit's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Sameer's lecture. Sameer's lecture comes some time after Bina's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Bina's lecture and Sameer's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Bina's lecture and Nisha's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Imran's lecture and Pooja's lecture, and Imran's lecture comes later. Whose lecture is on Thursday? advanced
  • A Lalit
  • B Nisha
  • C Imran
  • D Sameer
Show answer
Answer: Sameer
Why:

Monday: Pooja; Tuesday: Bina; Wednesday: Imran; Thursday: Sameer; Friday: Nisha; Saturday: Lalit; Sunday: Karan.

In the final order, Sameer's lecture is on Thursday.

Q43 Seven teachers, Bina, Imran, Karan, Lalit, Nisha, Pooja and Sameer, give one lecture each on seven consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Sunday, one lecture a day. Karan's lecture comes some time after Lalit's lecture. Lalit's lecture comes some time after Sameer's lecture. Sameer's lecture comes some time after Bina's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Bina's lecture and Sameer's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Bina's lecture and Nisha's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Imran's lecture and Pooja's lecture, and Imran's lecture comes later. How many lectures are held between Lalit's and Sameer's lectures? advanced
  • A 1
  • B 0
  • C 3
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Monday: Pooja; Tuesday: Bina; Wednesday: Imran; Thursday: Sameer; Friday: Nisha; Saturday: Lalit; Sunday: Karan.

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q44 Six teachers, Bharat, Harish, Jaya, Nikhil, Riya and Vikas, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Economics, History, Music, Chemistry and Biology. Only two lectures are held between Bharat's lecture and Riya's lecture, and Bharat's lecture comes later. The Chemistry lecture comes some time after Harish's lecture. The Music lecture is on the day immediately before Riya's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Riya's lecture and the Economics lecture. The Biology lecture is on the day immediately before Jaya's lecture. Harish's lecture comes some time after Vikas's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Harish's lecture and the History lecture. How many lectures are held between Riya's and Vikas's lectures? advanced
  • A 3
  • B 1
  • C 2
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Monday: Vikas (Physics); Tuesday: Harish (Music); Wednesday: Riya (Biology); Thursday: Jaya (History); Friday: Nikhil (Chemistry); Saturday: Bharat (Economics).

Their places are 2 apart, so 2 − 1 = 1 lie between them.

Q45 Six teachers, Bharat, Harish, Jaya, Nikhil, Riya and Vikas, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Economics, History, Music, Chemistry and Biology. Only two lectures are held between Bharat's lecture and Riya's lecture, and Bharat's lecture comes later. The Chemistry lecture comes some time after Harish's lecture. The Music lecture is on the day immediately before Riya's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Riya's lecture and the Economics lecture. The Biology lecture is on the day immediately before Jaya's lecture. Harish's lecture comes some time after Vikas's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Harish's lecture and the History lecture. On which day is Vikas's lecture? advanced
  • A Saturday
  • B Tuesday
  • C Monday
  • D Wednesday
Show answer
Answer: Monday
Why:

Monday: Vikas (Physics); Tuesday: Harish (Music); Wednesday: Riya (Biology); Thursday: Jaya (History); Friday: Nikhil (Chemistry); Saturday: Bharat (Economics).

From the final order, Vikas's lecture is on Monday.

Q46 Six teachers, Bharat, Harish, Jaya, Nikhil, Riya and Vikas, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Economics, History, Music, Chemistry and Biology. Only two lectures are held between Bharat's lecture and Riya's lecture, and Bharat's lecture comes later. The Chemistry lecture comes some time after Harish's lecture. The Music lecture is on the day immediately before Riya's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Riya's lecture and the Economics lecture. The Biology lecture is on the day immediately before Jaya's lecture. Harish's lecture comes some time after Vikas's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Harish's lecture and the History lecture. Which of the following combinations is correct? advanced
  • A Harish – Wednesday – Music
  • B Bharat – Monday – Economics
  • C Nikhil – Saturday – Chemistry
  • D Vikas – Monday – Physics
Show answer
Answer: Vikas – Monday – Physics
Why:

Monday: Vikas (Physics); Tuesday: Harish (Music); Wednesday: Riya (Biology); Thursday: Jaya (History); Friday: Nikhil (Chemistry); Saturday: Bharat (Economics).

Only this one matches the final table: Vikas is on Monday with Physics.

Q47 Six teachers, Bharat, Harish, Jaya, Nikhil, Riya and Vikas, give one lecture each on six consecutive days of the same week, from Monday to Saturday, one lecture a day. Each lectures on a different subject: Physics, Economics, History, Music, Chemistry and Biology. Only two lectures are held between Bharat's lecture and Riya's lecture, and Bharat's lecture comes later. The Chemistry lecture comes some time after Harish's lecture. The Music lecture is on the day immediately before Riya's lecture. Only two lectures are held between Riya's lecture and the Economics lecture. The Biology lecture is on the day immediately before Jaya's lecture. Harish's lecture comes some time after Vikas's lecture. Only one lecture is held between Harish's lecture and the History lecture. Who lectures on Physics? advanced
  • A Vikas
  • B Bharat
  • C Riya
  • D Harish
Show answer
Answer: Vikas
Why:

Monday: Vikas (Physics); Tuesday: Harish (Music); Wednesday: Riya (Biology); Thursday: Jaya (History); Friday: Nikhil (Chemistry); Saturday: Bharat (Economics).

The Physics lecture is on Monday: Vikas.

Q48 The strip shows whose lecture is on each day. Whose lecture is exactly three days after Vidya's? ![Week strip: Monday Vidya, Tuesday Ravi, Wednesday Sameer, Thursday Pooja, Friday Yash, Saturday Zoya.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-week-1.svg) beginner
  • A Zoya
  • B Pooja
  • C Sameer
  • D Yash
Show answer
Answer: Pooja
Why:

Vidya is on Monday; 3 days later is Thursday: Pooja.

Q49 The strip shows whose lecture is on each day. Whose lecture is exactly three days after Amit's? ![Week strip: Monday Pranav, Tuesday Yash, Wednesday Jatin, Thursday Amit, Friday Vidya, Saturday Hema, Sunday Uday.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-week-2.svg) intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Hema
  • C Uday
  • D Vidya
Show answer
Answer: Uday
Why:

Amit is on Thursday; 3 days later is Sunday: Uday.

Q50 The strip shows each friend's birthday month. Whose birthday is in a month that does NOT have 31 days? ![Month strip: March Tarun, April Divya, May Usha, June Fatima, July Amit, August Jatin.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-month-1.svg) intermediate
  • A Amit
  • B Usha
  • C Jatin
  • D Divya
Show answer
Answer: Divya
Why:

Divya's month is April with 30 days; the other three are in 31-day months.

Q51 The strip shows each friend's birthday month. Whose birthday is in a month that does NOT have 31 days? ![Month strip: July Yash, August Arjun, September Jaya, October Nikhil, November Hema, December Sameer.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-month-2.svg) intermediate
  • A Hema
  • B Yash
  • C Nikhil
  • D Arjun
Show answer
Answer: Hema
Why:

Hema's month is November with 30 days; the other three are in 31-day months.

Q52 A week runs from Monday to Saturday. Ravi's lecture is after Thursday. On which day can it be? beginner
  • A Thursday or Friday
  • B Friday or Saturday
  • C Only Saturday
  • D Only Friday
Show answer
Answer: Friday or Saturday
Why:

"After Thursday" allows every later day: Friday and Saturday.

Q53 Which of these months has 31 days? beginner
  • A November
  • B September
  • C August
  • D June
Show answer
Answer: August
Why:

July and August both have 31 days; September, June and November have 30.

Q54 Only two lectures are held between Mohan's and Lata's in a Monday-to-Saturday week. Mohan's is on Tuesday. On which day is Lata's? intermediate
  • A Thursday
  • B Saturday
  • C Monday
  • D Friday
Show answer
Answer: Friday
Why:

Three days apart from Tuesday: Friday, or a day before Monday, which does not exist.

Q55 Seven friends have birthdays in seven consecutive months from March to September, one in each. How many of these months have 30 days? intermediate
  • A 3
  • B 2
  • C 4
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

April, June and September have 30 days: 3 months.

Q56 In a Monday-to-Saturday schedule, A is immediately after B, and B is immediately after C. If A is on Thursday, which day is C's? intermediate
  • A Monday
  • B Tuesday
  • C Saturday
  • D Wednesday
Show answer
Answer: Tuesday
Why:

C, B, A are three consecutive days ending on Thursday: C on Tuesday.

Q57 Assertion (A): If Uday's lecture must come before Wednesday and both Monday and Tuesday are taken, the case being tried is impossible. Reason (R): A case fails when some person has no free slot left that satisfies their clues. intermediate
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Why:

Both true, and R is exactly why A holds.

Q58 Assertion (A): A birthday "in a month with 31 days" between April and September must be in July. Reason (R): May, July and August all have 31 days. intermediate
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: A is false but R is true
Why:

A is false: May and August also qualify. R is true.

Q59 A Monday-to-Saturday schedule has one lecture a day. Which statements are true? 1. Exactly three lectures are held between Monday's and Friday's. 2. A lecture "after Wednesday" can be on Wednesday. beginner
  • A 1 only
  • B 2 only
  • C Both 1 and 2
  • D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: 1 only
Why:

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday lie between: statement 1 true. "After Wednesday" excludes Wednesday: statement 2 false.

Q60 Consider the months of a year. Which statements are true? 1. Two consecutive months can both have 31 days. 2. Exactly four months have 30 days. intermediate
  • A 1 only
  • B 2 only
  • C Both 1 and 2
  • D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: Both 1 and 2
Why:

July–August and December–January are consecutive 31-day pairs; April, June, September, November have 30. Both true.

Important short questions (3)

How is a scheduling puzzle like a linear seating puzzle?

The days are slots in a straight line; "before" and "after" act as left and right, and gap clues work the same way.

List the months with 31 days.

January, March, May, July, August, October, December.

What is "room counting" and when does it end a case?

Counting the free slots each unplaced person could take. If any person has none, the case is impossible.

Long answer questions (1)

Six persons P, Q, R, S, T, U lecture Monday to Saturday. R is on Wednesday; only one lecture is between R and T; Q is immediately after T; U is before R; P is after R; R is immediately after S. Find the schedule.

T is Monday or Friday. If T = Monday, Q = Tuesday, and U has no day before Wednesday: impossible. So T = Friday, Q = Saturday. P after R: Thursday. S before R: Tuesday. U: Monday.

U, S, R, P, T, Q.

Flashcards (12)

Slots in a Monday-to-Saturday schedule?
6
"Immediately after Tuesday" is?
Wednesday
"After Thursday" in a Mon–Sat week?
Friday or Saturday
One lecture between Wednesday and X: X is on?
Monday or Friday
Months with 30 days?
April, June, September, November
How many months have 31 days?
7
Days in February (not leap year)?
28
Two consecutive months with 31 days?
July and August (also December and January)
How to kill a case quickly?
Count free slots for unplaced persons
Where to write subjects?
A second row under the days
Lectures between Monday and Friday?
3
First anchor in a schedule puzzle?
A fixed day clue

Play this topic

  • Days and months

Comparison Puzzles

Order people by height, weight or age from comparison clues: build one chain, read ranks from it, spot when a missing link makes an answer "cannot be determined", and use known values to find a range.

What you will be able to do

  • I can join comparison clues into one chain from the most to the least.
  • I can read ranks such as "second tallest" and "how many are heavier" from the chain.
  • I can tell when the clues do not fix an answer and choose "cannot be determined".
  • I can find the possible values of a person from known values above and below.

Key points

  • Write every clue as X > Y and join them into one chain.

  • "X is taller than Y but shorter than Z" means Z > X > Y.

  • "Only k persons are taller than X" puts X in place k + 1 from the top.

  • "X is shorter than only Y" means Y is first and X is second.

  • If two persons are never compared, even through others, their order is unknown.

  • "Definitely true" must hold in every order the clues allow.

  • When values are all different, a person between 52 kg and 40 kg weighs strictly more than 40 and less than 52.

Full explanation

Sports day line-up

Children comparing heights of sunflowers in a garden.

The PT teacher needs five students in a line from tallest to shortest for the march past, but the measuring tape is missing. The students only say things like "Asha is taller than Bina". Can the teacher still form the line? Usually yes, and sometimes not quite.

Write every clue as X > Y

  • "A is taller than B": A > B.
  • "A is shorter than C": C > A.
  • "A is taller than B but shorter than E": E > A > B.

Always put the bigger one on the left, even when the clue says "shorter".

Join the links into one chain

Five friends: A is taller than B but shorter than E; B is taller than D; D is taller than C.

E > A > B, then B > D, then D > C. Joined: E > A > B > D > C. Now every question is a quick read: tallest E, second tallest A, two persons taller than B.

A ladder from tallest to shortest: E, A, B, D, C.

Drawing arrows

For many clues, draw each person once and an arrow from the taller to the shorter. The person with no arrow coming in is the tallest; follow the arrows to get the order.

Five circles A to E with arrows E to A, A to B, B to D and D to C.

Special clue words

  • "Only two persons are taller than X": X is 3rd tallest.
  • "X is shorter than only Y": Y is 1st, X is 2nd.
  • "X is neither the tallest nor the shortest": X is somewhere in the middle.
  • "X is taller than exactly two persons": X is 3rd from the bottom.

When the answer cannot be determined

Remove the clue "B is taller than D" from the example. Now we know E > A > B and D > C, but nothing links D to the first chain. D could even be the tallest. So "Who is the tallest?" cannot be determined, while "Who is taller, A or B?" still has a definite answer.

Arrows E to A, A to B, and a separate arrow D to C; the two chains are not joined.

Values and ranges

Some questions add numbers: "The second heaviest weighs 52 kg and the lightest 40 kg." Anyone ranked between them weighs strictly between 40 and 52 kg (all weights are different). So 47 kg is possible, but 52 kg or 39 kg is not.

Ladder P, Q (52 kg), R (unknown), S (40 kg) from heaviest to lightest.

Exam shortcuts

  • Rewrite every clue with ">" before joining.
  • One chain covering everyone means every rank is known.
  • If the chain splits, only answers that are the same in every possible order are definite.
  • "Definitely true" means true in every order.

Back to sports day

The teacher wrote each statement as an arrow, joined them, and had the line ready: E, A, B, D, C. When one student's statement was missing, he knew exactly which places were still uncertain and asked just one more question.

Mind map of comparison: one chain, X > Y > Z, only k more, missing link, values, definitely true.

Concepts and terms

The chain

Each "X > Y" is a link. When links share a person they join into a longer chain such as E > A > B > D > C.

Cannot be determined

If two different orders both satisfy all clues and the asked place differs, the answer cannot be fixed.

Value ranges

A person ranked between two known values must have a value strictly between them.

Did you know

Computer sorting programs solve comparison puzzles all day: they find the order of items using only "is X bigger than Y?" questions.

Memory tricks

Order of writing — Big on the left — Always write the larger one first: Z > X > Y. Never mix > and < in one chain.

Only k above — k above, place k + 1 — Two persons heavier than X: X is third heaviest.

Practice MCQs with answers (51)

Q1 Among five friends, Amit, Chetan, Esha, Rohit and Usha, each has a different height. Chetan is taller than only one person. Rohit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Esha. Amit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Rohit. How many persons are taller than Esha? beginner
  • A 1
  • B 2
  • C 4
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 0
Why:

Order: Esha > Rohit > Amit > Chetan > Usha. 0 persons are ahead of Esha.

Q2 Among five friends, Amit, Chetan, Esha, Rohit and Usha, each has a different height. Chetan is taller than only one person. Rohit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Esha. Amit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Rohit. Which of the following is definitely true? beginner
  • A Amit is taller than Usha.
  • B Usha is taller than Amit.
  • C Chetan is taller than Esha.
  • D Amit is taller than Esha.
Show answer
Answer: Amit is taller than Usha.
Why:

The clues fix the order Esha > Rohit > Amit > Chetan > Usha. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q3 Among five friends, Amit, Chetan, Esha, Rohit and Usha, each has a different height. Chetan is taller than only one person. Rohit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Esha. Amit is taller than Chetan but shorter than Rohit. Who is the fourth tallest? beginner
  • A Rohit
  • B Chetan
  • C Usha
  • D Amit
Show answer
Answer: Chetan
Why:

Order from most to least: Esha > Rohit > Amit > Chetan > Usha.

Q4 Among five friends, Asha, Gopal, Karan, Lalit and Rohit, each has a different weight. Asha is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Gopal. Lalit is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Asha. Neither Gopal nor Lalit is the heaviest. Which of the following is definitely true? beginner
  • A Rohit is heavier than Asha.
  • B Asha is heavier than Karan.
  • C Karan is heavier than Asha.
  • D Lalit is heavier than Asha.
Show answer
Answer: Karan is heavier than Asha.
Why:

The clues fix the order Karan > Gopal > Asha > Lalit > Rohit. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q5 Among five friends, Asha, Gopal, Karan, Lalit and Rohit, each has a different weight. Asha is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Gopal. Lalit is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Asha. Neither Gopal nor Lalit is the heaviest. How many persons are heavier than Asha? beginner
  • A 3
  • B 1
  • C 4
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Order: Karan > Gopal > Asha > Lalit > Rohit. 2 persons are ahead of Asha.

Q6 Among five friends, Asha, Gopal, Karan, Lalit and Rohit, each has a different weight. Asha is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Gopal. Lalit is heavier than Rohit but lighter than Asha. Neither Gopal nor Lalit is the heaviest. Who is the fourth heaviest? beginner
  • A Lalit
  • B Gopal
  • C Rohit
  • D Asha
Show answer
Answer: Lalit
Why:

Order from most to least: Karan > Gopal > Asha > Lalit > Rohit.

Q7 Among five friends, Arjun, Bina, Farhan, Karan and Vikas, each has a different age. Arjun is older than Karan but younger than Farhan. Bina is younger than only Farhan. Karan is older than Vikas but younger than Bina. Who is the youngest? beginner
  • A Karan
  • B Vikas
  • C Farhan
  • D Arjun
Show answer
Answer: Vikas
Why:

Order from most to least: Farhan > Bina > Arjun > Karan > Vikas.

Q8 Among five friends, Arjun, Bina, Farhan, Karan and Vikas, each has a different age. Arjun is older than Karan but younger than Farhan. Bina is younger than only Farhan. Karan is older than Vikas but younger than Bina. How many persons are older than Karan? beginner
  • A 1
  • B 4
  • C 3
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Order: Farhan > Bina > Arjun > Karan > Vikas. 3 persons are ahead of Karan.

Q9 Among five friends, Arjun, Bina, Farhan, Karan and Vikas, each has a different age. Arjun is older than Karan but younger than Farhan. Bina is younger than only Farhan. Karan is older than Vikas but younger than Bina. Which of the following is definitely true? beginner
  • A Bina is older than Farhan.
  • B Karan is older than Arjun.
  • C Karan is older than Farhan.
  • D Farhan is older than Bina.
Show answer
Answer: Farhan is older than Bina.
Why:

The clues fix the order Farhan > Bina > Arjun > Karan > Vikas. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q10 Among five friends, Amit, Fatima, Harish, Sameer and Usha, each has a different height. Usha is taller than Sameer but shorter than Harish. Usha is taller than Amit. Sameer is taller than Fatima. Only three persons are taller than Sameer. How many persons are taller than Amit? intermediate
  • A 2
  • B 4
  • C 3
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 2
Why:

Order: Harish > Usha > Amit > Sameer > Fatima. 2 persons are ahead of Amit.

Q11 Among five friends, Amit, Fatima, Harish, Sameer and Usha, each has a different height. Usha is taller than Sameer but shorter than Harish. Usha is taller than Amit. Sameer is taller than Fatima. Only three persons are taller than Sameer. Who is the third tallest? intermediate
  • A Sameer
  • B Amit
  • C Usha
  • D Fatima
Show answer
Answer: Amit
Why:

Order from most to least: Harish > Usha > Amit > Sameer > Fatima.

Q12 Among five friends, Amit, Fatima, Harish, Sameer and Usha, each has a different height. Usha is taller than Sameer but shorter than Harish. Usha is taller than Amit. Sameer is taller than Fatima. Only three persons are taller than Sameer. Who is the second shortest? intermediate
  • A Fatima
  • B Amit
  • C Sameer
  • D Usha
Show answer
Answer: Sameer
Why:

Order from most to least: Harish > Usha > Amit > Sameer > Fatima.

Q13 Among five friends, Bharat, Harish, Kavya, Pranav and Uday, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Kavya but lighter than Pranav. Only two persons are heavier than Bharat. Uday is heavier than Harish. Pranav is heavier than Uday. Who is the lightest? intermediate
  • A Pranav
  • B Bharat
  • C Harish
  • D Kavya
Show answer
Answer: Kavya
Why:

Order from most to least: Pranav > Uday > Bharat > Harish > Kavya.

Q14 Among five friends, Bharat, Harish, Kavya, Pranav and Uday, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Kavya but lighter than Pranav. Only two persons are heavier than Bharat. Uday is heavier than Harish. Pranav is heavier than Uday. How many persons are heavier than Harish? intermediate
  • A 3
  • B 1
  • C 4
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Order: Pranav > Uday > Bharat > Harish > Kavya. 3 persons are ahead of Harish.

Q15 Among five friends, Bharat, Harish, Kavya, Pranav and Uday, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Kavya but lighter than Pranav. Only two persons are heavier than Bharat. Uday is heavier than Harish. Pranav is heavier than Uday. Which of the following is definitely true? intermediate
  • A Harish is heavier than Bharat.
  • B Uday is heavier than Bharat.
  • C Kavya is heavier than Pranav.
  • D Uday is heavier than Pranav.
Show answer
Answer: Uday is heavier than Bharat.
Why:

The clues fix the order Pranav > Uday > Bharat > Harish > Kavya. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q16 Among five friends, Jatin, Lalit, Pooja, Tarun and Vikas, each has a different age. Pooja is older than Tarun but younger than Lalit. Tarun is older than Vikas but younger than Jatin. Pooja is older than Jatin. Who is the third oldest? intermediate
  • A Tarun
  • B Pooja
  • C Jatin
  • D Vikas
Show answer
Answer: Jatin
Why:

Order from most to least: Lalit > Pooja > Jatin > Tarun > Vikas.

Q17 Among five friends, Jatin, Lalit, Pooja, Tarun and Vikas, each has a different age. Pooja is older than Tarun but younger than Lalit. Tarun is older than Vikas but younger than Jatin. Pooja is older than Jatin. Which of the following is definitely true? intermediate
  • A Tarun is older than Jatin.
  • B Pooja is older than Lalit.
  • C Vikas is older than Jatin.
  • D Lalit is older than Jatin.
Show answer
Answer: Lalit is older than Jatin.
Why:

The clues fix the order Lalit > Pooja > Jatin > Tarun > Vikas. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q18 Among five friends, Jatin, Lalit, Pooja, Tarun and Vikas, each has a different age. Pooja is older than Tarun but younger than Lalit. Tarun is older than Vikas but younger than Jatin. Pooja is older than Jatin. How many persons are older than Pooja? intermediate
  • A 1
  • B 2
  • C 0
  • D 3
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Order: Lalit > Pooja > Jatin > Tarun > Vikas. 1 person is ahead of Pooja.

Q19 Among six friends, Esha, Harish, Imran, Mohan, Naveen and Vidya, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Imran. Harish is heavier than Vidya but lighter than Esha. Imran is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Esha. Esha is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Naveen. Mohan is heavier than Vidya. Which of the following is definitely true? intermediate
  • A Mohan is heavier than Naveen.
  • B Harish is heavier than Mohan.
  • C Vidya is heavier than Esha.
  • D Mohan is heavier than Harish.
Show answer
Answer: Harish is heavier than Mohan.
Why:

The clues fix the order Naveen > Esha > Harish > Imran > Mohan > Vidya. This statement holds in it; the other three do not.

Q20 Among six friends, Esha, Harish, Imran, Mohan, Naveen and Vidya, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Imran. Harish is heavier than Vidya but lighter than Esha. Imran is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Esha. Esha is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Naveen. Mohan is heavier than Vidya. How many persons are heavier than Mohan? intermediate
  • A 3
  • B 1
  • C 4
  • D 5
Show answer
Answer: 4
Why:

Order: Naveen > Esha > Harish > Imran > Mohan > Vidya. 4 persons are ahead of Mohan.

Q21 Among six friends, Esha, Harish, Imran, Mohan, Naveen and Vidya, each has a different weight. Harish is heavier than Imran. Harish is heavier than Vidya but lighter than Esha. Imran is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Esha. Esha is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Naveen. Mohan is heavier than Vidya. Who is the third heaviest? intermediate
  • A Imran
  • B Esha
  • C Mohan
  • D Harish
Show answer
Answer: Harish
Why:

Order from most to least: Naveen > Esha > Harish > Imran > Mohan > Vidya.

Q22 Among six friends, Anita, Jaya, Pranav, Ravi, Vikas and Yash, each has a different height. Pranav is taller than Vikas but shorter than Yash. Neither Jaya nor Yash is the tallest. Jaya is taller than Vikas. Ravi is taller than exactly three persons. Pranav is taller than Jaya but shorter than Anita. Who is the sixth tallest? intermediate
  • A Vikas
  • B Anita
  • C Pranav
  • D Jaya
Show answer
Answer: Vikas
Why:

Order from most to least: Anita > Yash > Ravi > Pranav > Jaya > Vikas.

Q23 Among six friends, Anita, Jaya, Pranav, Ravi, Vikas and Yash, each has a different height. Pranav is taller than Vikas but shorter than Yash. Neither Jaya nor Yash is the tallest. Jaya is taller than Vikas. Ravi is taller than exactly three persons. Pranav is taller than Jaya but shorter than Anita. Who is the second shortest? intermediate
  • A Vikas
  • B Jaya
  • C Pranav
  • D Yash
Show answer
Answer: Jaya
Why:

Order from most to least: Anita > Yash > Ravi > Pranav > Jaya > Vikas.

Q24 Among six friends, Anita, Jaya, Pranav, Ravi, Vikas and Yash, each has a different height. Pranav is taller than Vikas but shorter than Yash. Neither Jaya nor Yash is the tallest. Jaya is taller than Vikas. Ravi is taller than exactly three persons. Pranav is taller than Jaya but shorter than Anita. How many persons are taller than Pranav? intermediate
  • A 4
  • B 5
  • C 3
  • D 2
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Order: Anita > Yash > Ravi > Pranav > Jaya > Vikas. 3 persons are ahead of Pranav.

Q25 Among six friends, Esha, Farhan, Geeta, Tarun, Vikas and Yash, each has a different age. Tarun is older than Yash but younger than Esha. Esha is older than Yash but younger than Farhan. Yash is older than Geeta. Geeta is older than Vikas but younger than Esha. Who is the second youngest? advanced
  • A Esha
  • B Vikas
  • C Yash
  • D Geeta
Show answer
Answer: Geeta
Why:

Order from most to least: Farhan > Esha > Tarun > Yash > Geeta > Vikas.

Q26 Among six friends, Esha, Farhan, Geeta, Tarun, Vikas and Yash, each has a different age. Tarun is older than Yash but younger than Esha. Esha is older than Yash but younger than Farhan. Yash is older than Geeta. Geeta is older than Vikas but younger than Esha. Who is the sixth oldest? advanced
  • A Vikas
  • B Geeta
  • C Farhan
  • D Esha
Show answer
Answer: Vikas
Why:

Order from most to least: Farhan > Esha > Tarun > Yash > Geeta > Vikas.

Q27 Among six friends, Esha, Farhan, Geeta, Tarun, Vikas and Yash, each has a different age. Tarun is older than Yash but younger than Esha. Esha is older than Yash but younger than Farhan. Yash is older than Geeta. Geeta is older than Vikas but younger than Esha. How many persons are older than Yash? advanced
  • A 5
  • B 3
  • C 2
  • D 4
Show answer
Answer: 3
Why:

Order: Farhan > Esha > Tarun > Yash > Geeta > Vikas. 3 persons are ahead of Yash.

Q28 Among five friends, Bharat, Karan, Sameer, Tara and Zoya, each has a different height. Only one person is taller than Sameer. Karan is neither the tallest nor the shortest. Tara is taller than Sameer. Who is the fourth tallest? advanced
  • A Bharat
  • B Karan
  • C Cannot be determined
  • D Zoya
Show answer
Answer: Cannot be determined
Why:

The clues allow more than one order, for example Tara > Sameer > Bharat > Karan > Zoya and Tara > Sameer > Karan > Bharat > Zoya, and this place changes between them. So it cannot be determined.

Q29 Among five friends, Bharat, Karan, Sameer, Tara and Zoya, each has a different height. Only one person is taller than Sameer. Karan is neither the tallest nor the shortest. Tara is taller than Sameer. How many persons are taller than Tara? advanced
  • A 4
  • B 1
  • C 2
  • D 0
Show answer
Answer: 0
Why:

In every order that fits, exactly 0 persons are ahead of Tara.

Q30 Among five friends, Bharat, Karan, Sameer, Tara and Zoya, each has a different height. Only one person is taller than Sameer. Karan is neither the tallest nor the shortest. Tara is taller than Sameer. Who is the second shortest? advanced
  • A Cannot be determined
  • B Karan
  • C Zoya
  • D Bharat
Show answer
Answer: Cannot be determined
Why:

The clues allow more than one order, for example Tara > Sameer > Bharat > Karan > Zoya and Tara > Sameer > Karan > Bharat > Zoya, and this place changes between them. So it cannot be determined.

Q31 Among five friends, Dev, Imran, Kavya, Mohan and Sita, each has a different age. Dev is older than Kavya but younger than Sita. Imran is older than only one person. Dev is older than Mohan. Which of the following is definitely true? advanced
  • A Imran is older than Sita.
  • B Sita is older than Imran.
  • C Kavya is older than Dev.
  • D Dev is older than Sita.
Show answer
Answer: Sita is older than Imran.
Why:

The clues allow 2 orders, for example Sita > Dev > Mohan > Imran > Kavya. This statement holds in all of them; the other three hold in none.

Q32 Among five friends, Dev, Imran, Kavya, Mohan and Sita, each has a different age. Dev is older than Kavya but younger than Sita. Imran is older than only one person. Dev is older than Mohan. How many persons are older than Sita? advanced
  • A 2
  • B 4
  • C 0
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 0
Why:

In every order that fits, exactly 0 persons are ahead of Sita.

Q33 Among five friends, Dev, Imran, Kavya, Mohan and Sita, each has a different age. Dev is older than Kavya but younger than Sita. Imran is older than only one person. Dev is older than Mohan. Who is the second youngest? advanced
  • A Cannot be determined
  • B Kavya
  • C Mohan
  • D Imran
Show answer
Answer: Imran
Why:

More than one order fits, but in every one of them Imran is in this place.

Q34 Among six friends, Farhan, Jaya, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Vidya, each has a different weight. Lalit is heavier than Pranav but lighter than Nikhil. Nikhil is heavier than Farhan but lighter than Jaya. Vidya is heavier than Lalit but lighter than Nikhil. Who is the second heaviest? advanced
  • A Nikhil
  • B Cannot be determined
  • C Vidya
  • D Jaya
Show answer
Answer: Nikhil
Why:

More than one order fits, but in every one of them Nikhil is in this place.

Q35 Among six friends, Farhan, Jaya, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Vidya, each has a different weight. Lalit is heavier than Pranav but lighter than Nikhil. Nikhil is heavier than Farhan but lighter than Jaya. Vidya is heavier than Lalit but lighter than Nikhil. Which of the following is definitely true? advanced
  • A Pranav is heavier than Nikhil.
  • B Jaya is heavier than Lalit.
  • C Vidya is heavier than Jaya.
  • D Lalit is heavier than Nikhil.
Show answer
Answer: Jaya is heavier than Lalit.
Why:

The clues allow 4 orders, for example Jaya > Nikhil > Vidya > Farhan > Lalit > Pranav. This statement holds in all of them; the other three hold in none.

Q36 Among six friends, Farhan, Jaya, Lalit, Nikhil, Pranav and Vidya, each has a different weight. Lalit is heavier than Pranav but lighter than Nikhil. Nikhil is heavier than Farhan but lighter than Jaya. Vidya is heavier than Lalit but lighter than Nikhil. Who is the lightest? advanced
  • A Farhan
  • B Pranav
  • C Cannot be determined
  • D Lalit
Show answer
Answer: Cannot be determined
Why:

The clues allow more than one order, for example Jaya > Nikhil > Farhan > Vidya > Lalit > Pranav and Jaya > Nikhil > Vidya > Farhan > Lalit > Pranav, and this place changes between them. So it cannot be determined.

Q37 Among five friends, Chetan, Gopal, Karan, Nisha and Riya, each has a different height. Gopal is shorter than only Riya. Karan is taller than Chetan. Nisha is taller than only one person. The tallest person is 160 cm and the fifth tallest person is 147 cm. Which of these could be Gopal's height? intermediate
  • A 147 cm
  • B 162 cm
  • C 160 cm
  • D 157 cm
Show answer
Answer: 157 cm
Why:

Order: Riya > Gopal > Karan > Nisha > Chetan. Gopal is ranked between them, and all values differ, so the value lies strictly between 147 and 160 cm: only 157 cm fits.

Q38 Among five friends, Bharat, Gopal, Jaya, Lalit and Uday, each has a different height. Bharat is taller than Uday but shorter than Gopal. Lalit is taller than Jaya. Jaya is taller than Gopal. The second tallest person is 172 cm and the fourth tallest person is 161 cm. Which of these could be Gopal's height? intermediate
  • A 166 cm
  • B 172 cm
  • C 161 cm
  • D 157 cm
Show answer
Answer: 166 cm
Why:

Order: Lalit > Jaya > Gopal > Bharat > Uday. Gopal is ranked between them, and all values differ, so the value lies strictly between 161 and 172 cm: only 166 cm fits.

Q39 Among five friends, Chetan, Mohan, Pooja, Rekha and Sameer, each has a different weight. Rekha is heavier than Chetan but lighter than Pooja. Pooja is heavier than Mohan but lighter than Sameer. Mohan is heavier than Rekha but lighter than Sameer. The second heaviest person weighs 73 kg and the fifth heaviest person weighs 59 kg. Which of these could be Mohan's weight? advanced
  • A 58 kg
  • B 63 kg
  • C 76 kg
  • D 59 kg
Show answer
Answer: 63 kg
Why:

Order: Sameer > Pooja > Mohan > Rekha > Chetan. Mohan is ranked between them, and all values differ, so the value lies strictly between 59 and 73 kg: only 63 kg fits.

Q40 Among five friends, Bina, Nikhil, Sameer, Uday and Vikas, each has a different weight. Vikas is heavier than Nikhil but lighter than Sameer. Neither Nikhil nor Uday is the heaviest. Uday is heavier than Sameer. The second heaviest person weighs 66 kg and the fifth heaviest person weighs 55 kg. Which of these could be Vikas's weight? advanced
  • A 55 kg
  • B 67 kg
  • C 57 kg
  • D 53 kg
Show answer
Answer: 57 kg
Why:

Order: Bina > Uday > Sameer > Vikas > Nikhil. Vikas is ranked between them, and all values differ, so the value lies strictly between 55 and 66 kg: only 57 kg fits.

Q41 In the figure, an arrow from X to Y means X is taller than Y. Who is the third tallest? ![Arrows from taller to shorter: Harish to Pranav, Jatin to Rekha, Harish to Usha, Usha to Rekha, Pranav to Usha, Usha to Jatin.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-graph-1.svg) beginner
  • A Harish
  • B Pranav
  • C Jatin
  • D Usha
Show answer
Answer: Usha
Why:

Start from the person with no incoming arrow and follow the arrows: Harish > Pranav > Usha > Jatin > Rekha. Place 3 is Usha.

Q42 In the figure, an arrow from X to Y means X is taller than Y. Who is the fourth tallest? ![Arrows from taller to shorter: Hema to Dev, Farhan to Hema, Farhan to Dev, Vikas to Lalit, Lalit to Farhan, Vikas to Farhan.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-graph-2.svg) intermediate
  • A Hema
  • B Dev
  • C Lalit
  • D Farhan
Show answer
Answer: Hema
Why:

Start from the person with no incoming arrow and follow the arrows: Vikas > Lalit > Farhan > Hema > Dev. Place 4 is Hema.

Q43 In the figure, an arrow from X to Y means X is taller than Y. Who is the third tallest? ![Arrows from taller to shorter: Rekha to Arjun, Arjun to Imran, Naveen to Rekha, Arjun to Vidya, Rekha to Vidya, Imran to Vidya.](/syllabus/veda-skills-0-logical-reasoning-en/ch14/q-graph-3.svg) intermediate
  • A Rekha
  • B Arjun
  • C Imran
  • D Naveen
Show answer
Answer: Arjun
Why:

Start from the person with no incoming arrow and follow the arrows: Naveen > Rekha > Arjun > Imran > Vidya. Place 3 is Arjun.

Q44 "Kiran is shorter than only Om" among six friends. What is Kiran's place from the tallest? beginner
  • A Third
  • B First
  • C Second
  • D Fifth
Show answer
Answer: Second
Why:

Only Om is taller, so Om is first and Kiran second.

Q45 Among five friends, only three are heavier than Vikas. How many are lighter than Vikas? beginner
  • A 2
  • B 3
  • C 0
  • D 1
Show answer
Answer: 1
Why:

Vikas is 4th heaviest of 5, so 5 − 4 = 1 is lighter.

Q46 P > Q, R > S and Q > R (heights). Who is the second shortest? beginner
  • A R
  • B P
  • C Q
  • D S
Show answer
Answer: R
Why:

Joined: P > Q > R > S. Second from the bottom is R.

Q47 A is older than B, and C is older than D. Nothing else is known. Which is definitely true? advanced
  • A D is the youngest
  • B The youngest is B or D
  • C A is the oldest
  • D C is older than B
Show answer
Answer: The youngest is B or D
Why:

B is younger than A and D is younger than C, so neither A nor C can be youngest; it must be B or D. The other options depend on unknown links.

Q48 Assertion (A): If X > Y and Y > Z, then X > Z. Reason (R): Comparisons of height, weight and age are transitive. beginner
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Why:

Both true; transitivity is exactly why the chain can be joined.

Q49 Assertion (A): With clues A > B and C > D only, the tallest of A, B, C, D cannot be determined. Reason (R): A and C are never compared, directly or through others. intermediate
  • A Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
  • B Both A and R are true, but R is not the correct explanation of A
  • C A is true but R is false
  • D A is false but R is true
Show answer
Answer: Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A
Why:

Both true, and R explains A: either A or C could be the tallest.

Q50 Five friends: E > A > B > D > C by height. Which statements are true? 1. Exactly two friends are taller than B. 2. D is the second tallest. beginner
  • A 1 only
  • B 2 only
  • C Both 1 and 2
  • D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: 1 only
Why:

E and A are taller than B: true. D is fourth from the top: false.

Q51 All weights are different. Q weighs 52 kg, S weighs 40 kg, and R is lighter than Q but heavier than S. Which statements are true? 1. R can weigh 52 kg. 2. R can weigh 41 kg. intermediate
  • A 1 only
  • B 2 only
  • C Both 1 and 2
  • D Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: 2 only
Why:

R must be strictly between 40 and 52 kg: 52 is not allowed, 41 is.

Important short questions (3)

Rewrite "Asha is shorter than Bina but taller than Charu" as a chain.

Bina > Asha > Charu.

When should you choose "cannot be determined"?

When at least two orders satisfy every clue and they give different answers to the question asked.

In six friends, "only two are older than Ravi". Find Ravi's place from the youngest.

Ravi is 3rd oldest, so 6 + 1 − 3 = 4th from the youngest.

Long answer questions (1)

Five friends A to E have different heights. A is taller than B but shorter than E; B is taller than D; D is taller than C. Find the order. Then show which answers become uncertain if the clue "B is taller than D" is removed.

E > A > B, B > D, D > C give E > A > B > D > C.

Without B > D we have E > A > B and D > C separately; D may be anywhere above C, so the tallest, the shortest and most ranks cannot be determined. Only facts inside each chain (E > A > B, D > C) stay definite.

Flashcards (12)

"A is shorter than B" as >?
B > A
"A taller than B but shorter than C"?
C > A > B
Only 2 taller than X: X's place?
3rd tallest
"X shorter than only Y" means?
Y 1st, X 2nd
Five persons: X taller than exactly 3. X's place from the top?
2nd
When is the answer "cannot be determined"?
When two orders fit and the asked place differs
"Definitely true" means?
True in every possible order
Between 40 kg and 52 kg (all different): is 52 possible?
No
Tallest in a graph of arrows?
The one with no arrow coming in
E > A > B > D > C: how many shorter than A?
3
Second shortest in E > A > B > D > C?
D
Can you mix > and < in one chain?
No, it causes reversals

Play this topic

  • Chains

Veda Skills Logical Reasoning Unit 14 — frequently asked questions

Why should a floor puzzle be drawn with floor 1 at the bottom?

So that "above" and "below" in the clues match the drawing; it prevents counting from the wrong end.

Box K is 2nd from the top in a stack of 9. Find its position from the bottom.

9 + 1 − 2 = 8th from the bottom.

How do you handle "only two persons live between X and Y" when X is already placed?

Write Y three floors above and three floors below X, drop any floor outside the building, and keep the rest as cases.

How is a scheduling puzzle like a linear seating puzzle?

The days are slots in a straight line; "before" and "after" act as left and right, and gap clues work the same way.

List the months with 31 days.

January, March, May, July, August, October, December.

What is "room counting" and when does it end a case?

Counting the free slots each unplaced person could take. If any person has none, the case is impossible.

Rewrite "Asha is shorter than Bina but taller than Charu" as a chain.

Bina > Asha > Charu.

When should you choose "cannot be determined"?

When at least two orders satisfy every clue and they give different answers to the question asked.

In six friends, "only two are older than Ravi". Find Ravi's place from the youngest.

Ravi is 3rd oldest, so 6 + 1 − 3 = 4th from the youngest.

Part of the Veda Skills Logical Reasoning course
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All Veda Skills Logical Reasoning units

1 Number Series 2 Letter and Alphanumeric Series 3 Analogy 4 Classification (Odd One Out) 5 Coding-Decoding 6 Blood Relations 7 Direction Sense 8 Order and Ranking 9 Alphabet and Word Tests 10 Inequalities 11 Syllogism 12 Statements and Conclusions 13 Seating Arrangement 14 Puzzles You are here 15 Venn Diagrams and Data Sufficiency 16 Clock and Calendar 17 Mirror, Water Images and Paper Folding 18 Figure Series, Counting and Cubes 19 Practice Papers and Mock Tests

All Logical Reasoning units · All Skills & Exams courses

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