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 matches is correct?

The correct option/answer is Manager - B.

Step-by-Step Logic and Derivation:

Let us list the eight positions in descending order of seniority from rank 1 (highest) to rank 8 (lowest):

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)

Analyzing the Given Conditions:

1. B holds a position junior to Director (Dir, rank 5). Therefore, B can be at rank 6 (SM), 7 (Mgr), or 8 (Off).
2. Exactly two ranks separate A and B.
3. C is immediately junior to E and immediately senior to D. This means E, C, and D occupy three consecutive ranks in the order: E → C → D.
4. The number of people senior to E equals the number of people junior to F.
5. H is senior to G, and H cannot be the CEO (rank 1).

Determining the Positions:

Let us test the case where B holds the rank of Manager (rank 7):

• If B is at rank 7 (Mgr), then exactly two ranks separate A and B, which places A at rank 4 (SD).
• The consecutive block E → C → D must occupy ranks 1, 2, and 3 respectively (E = 1, C = 2, D = 3).
• Since E is at rank 1, there are 0 people senior to E. Thus, there must be 0 people junior to F, placing F at rank 8 (Off).
• The remaining empty ranks are 5 (Dir) and 6 (SM). Since H is senior to G and H ≠ CEO, H takes rank 5 (Dir) and G takes rank 6 (SM).

Final Hierarchy:

1. CEO: E
2. COO: C
3. VP: D
4. Senior Director: A
5. Director: H
6. Senior Manager: G
7. Manager: B
8. Officer: F

Comparing the final arrangement with the options, B holds the rank of Manager, which matches the option Manager - B.