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:

There are 8 positions in decreasing order of seniority (1 being the highest/senior-most and 8 being the lowest/junior-most):

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

2. Analyze the Given Clues:

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

- Clue 2: Exactly two ranks separate A and B. So there are 2 persons between 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: E → C → D.

- Clue 4: The number of individuals ranking senior to E is equal to the number of individuals ranking junior to F.

- Clue 5: G ranks junior to H (H is senior to G), and H is not the CEO (Rank 1).

3. Placing B and A:

- Case 1: If B is at rank 6 (SM), then A must be at rank 3 (VP) because 2 ranks separate them (ranks 4 and 5).

- Case 2: If B is at rank 7 (Mgr), then A must be at rank 4 (SD) because 2 ranks separate them (ranks 5 and 6).

- Case 3: If B is at rank 8 (Off), then A must be at rank 5 (Dir) because 2 ranks separate them (ranks 6 and 7).

Let's test the consecutive block E, C, D in available slots for each case:

Testing Case 1 (A = VP/3, B = SM/6):
Occupied: 3 (A), 6 (B).
Available positions: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8.
Possible 3 consecutive empty slots for (E, C, D) are missing because only (4, 5) and (7, 8) are continuous. No 3 continuous slots available. So Case 1 is invalid.

Testing Case 2 (A = SD/4, B = Mgr/7):
Occupied: 4 (A), 7 (B).
Available positions: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8.
Continuous slots available for E, C, D are (1, 2, 3) or None. If E=1, C=2, D=3:
Senior to E (rank 1) = 0 people.
Then junior to F must also be 0 people, which means F must be at rank 8 (Off).
Remaining positions to place H and G: 5 (Dir) and 6 (SM).
Since G ranks junior to H, H must be rank 5 (Dir) and G must be rank 6 (SM).
Let's check if H is CEO: H is at rank 5 (Dir), which satisfies "H does not hold the rank of CEO".
All conditions are satisfied!

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 the Question:

G is at position Senior Manager (SM, rank 6).
The person immediately junior to G is B, who holds the rank of Manager (rank 7).