Read the given information carefully and answer the question that follows.

Eight professionals hold different positions, namely Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operating Officer (COO), Vice President (VP), Senior Director (SD), Director (Dir), Senior Manager (SM), Manager (Mgr), and Officer (Off) in an organization. The hierarchy of their seniority is in the same sequence as listed, where CEO represents the highest rank and Officer represents the lowest rank.

Exactly two ranks separate A and B, where B holds a position junior to Director. C is immediately junior to E and immediately senior to D. The number of individuals ranking senior to E is equal to the number of individuals ranking junior to F. G ranks junior to H, and H does not hold the rank of CEO.

Which of the following is the position of the professional who is immediately junior to G?

The correct answer is Manager.

Step-by-step Explanation:

1. Understand the Hierarchy:

The positions in decreasing order of seniority (1 = highest, 8 = lowest) are as follows:

1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
2. Chief Operating Officer (COO)
3. Vice President (VP)
4. Senior Director (SD)
5. Director (Dir)
6. Senior Manager (SM)
7. Manager (Mgr)
8. Officer (Off)

2. Analyze the Given Clues:

• Clue 1: B holds a position junior to Director. Therefore, B can be at position 6 (SM), 7 (Mgr), or 8 (Off).

• Clue 2: Exactly two ranks separate A and B.

• Clue 3: C is immediately junior to E and immediately senior to D. This means E, C, and D form a continuous block of three consecutive positions in the order: E, C, D.

• Clue 4: The number of individuals senior to E equals the number of individuals junior to F. Thus, the rank position of E and F must be symmetric from top and bottom. That is: Position of F = 9 - Position of E.

• Clue 5: G ranks junior to H (H is senior to G), and H is not CEO (H ≠ 1).

3. Determine the Positions:

Let's test the possible positions for B and A:

Case 1: If B is at position 6 (SM), then A must be at position 3 (VP) [since 2 ranks separate them: positions 4 and 5].
The available contiguous block for E-C-D must be 3 consecutive empty slots. With positions 3 and 6 occupied, the remaining positions are {1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8}. The only available 3 consecutive empty slots would be none, because max contiguous available slots are {1,2} and {4,5} and {7,8}. None has 3 slots. So B cannot be at 6.

Case 2: If B is at position 8 (Off), then A must be at position 5 (Dir).
The remaining positions are {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7}.
Here, {1, 2, 3, 4} has 4 contiguous slots, so E-C-D could occupy positions (1, 2, 3) or (2, 3, 4).

Sub-case 2a: If E = 1, C = 2, D = 3.
Since E is at position 1 (0 senior to E), F must be at position 8 (0 junior to F). But position 8 is already occupied by B. So this sub-case is invalid.

Sub-case 2b: If E = 2, C = 3, D = 4.
Since E is at position 2 (1 person senior to E), F must be at position 7 (1 person junior to F, i.e., 8-7=1).
Now we have:
1: ?
2: E
3: C
4: D
5: A
6: ?
7: F
8: B
The remaining unfilled positions are 1 and 6 for H and G. Since H ranks senior to G (H > G in rank) and H cannot be CEO (position 1), H cannot be at 1. Hence, this sub-case is invalid.

Case 3: If B is at position 7 (Mgr), then A must be at position 4 (SD).
The remaining positions are {1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8}.
The only set of 3 contiguous empty positions for E-C-D is {1, 2, 3}.
So, E = 1 (CEO), C = 2 (COO), D = 3 (VP).
Since E is at position 1 (0 people senior to E), F must be at position 8 (Off) (0 people junior to F).
Now, the remaining empty positions are 5 and 6.
Since G ranks junior to H, H must be at position 5 (Dir) and G must be at position 6 (SM).

4. Final Arrangement:

1. CEO: E
2. COO: C
3. VP: D
4. SD: A
5. Dir: H
6. SM: G
7. Mgr: B
8. Off: F

5. Answer to the Question:

G holds the position of Senior Manager (position 6). The position immediately junior to G is position 7, which is Manager.