A question is followed by two statements numbered (I) and (II). You have to decide whether the data provided in the statements are sufficient to answer the question. Read both the statements carefully and decide the appropriate answer.
Six people, A, B, C, D, E and F, are sitting in a straight line facing north.
How many people sit to the right of D?
I: No one sits to the right of F. Only two people sit between F and B.
II: D sits to the immediate left of F. E sits to the immediate left of B.
Correct Answer :
Data in both statements I and II together (and not statement I alone or statement II alone) are sufficient to answer the question
Solution :
The correct option is: Data in both statements I and II together (and not statement I alone or statement II alone) are sufficient to answer the question.
Let us analyze the problem step-by-step to understand why both statements together are required and sufficient to find the number of people sitting to the right of D.
We have six people: A, B, C, D, E, and F sitting in a straight line facing north. Let the positions from left to right be represented as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, where position 6 is the rightmost position.
Step 1: Analyzing Statement I alone
Statement I states: "No one sits to the right of F. Only two people sit between F and B."
Since no one sits to the right of F, F must occupy the rightmost position (position 6).
Position layout based on F: _ , _ , _ , _ , _ , F
Since only two people sit between F and B, B must be placed at position 3 (leaving positions 4 and 5 empty between F and B).
So, the arrangement becomes: _ , _ , B , _ , _ , F
From Statement I alone, we do not have any information about D's position. Therefore, Statement I alone is not sufficient to determine how many people sit to the right of D.
Step 2: Analyzing Statement II alone
Statement II states: "D sits to the immediate left of F. E sits to the immediate left of B."
Without knowing the absolute positions of F or B, we can only form localized pairs:
- DF (D is immediately to the left of F)
- EB (E is immediately to the left of B)
We do not know where these pairs are placed in the line of six seats. Thus, Statement II alone is not sufficient to find the number of people sitting to the right of D.
Step 3: Combining Statements I and II
Let us combine the information from both statements:
From Statement I, we already fixed the positions of F and B:
Positions: 1: _ , 2: _ , 3: B , 4: _ , 5: _ , 6: F
Now, applying the information from Statement II to this layout:
1. "D sits to the immediate left of F": Since F is at position 6, D must sit at position 5.
2. "E sits to the immediate left of B": Since B is at position 3, E must sit at position 2.
Putting this all together, the layout is:
Positions: 1: _ , 2: E , 3: B , 4: _ , 5: D , 6: F
With D fixed at position 5, the person sitting to the right of D is F at position 6. Therefore, exactly 1 person sits to the right of D.
Since we can uniquely determine the number of people sitting to the right of D only when we use both statements together, the data in both statements I and II together are sufficient to answer the question, but neither statement alone is sufficient.
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