Study the following information carefully and answer the questions given below.
Eight persons – P, Q, R, S, T, U, V and W sit around a circular table facing the centre, but not necessarily in the same order.
Q sits two places away from S. Two persons sit between S and P who does not sit adjacent to Q. W sits second to the right of P. T and the one who sits opposite to W are immediate neighbours. As many persons sit between Q and W as between T and V. R sits third to the left of V.
Who among the following persons sits opposite to R?
Correct Answer :
Q
Solution :
To determine who sits opposite to R, let us step-by-step analyze the positions of all eight persons sitting around a circular table facing the centre.
Step 1: Determine the positions of S, Q, and P
There are 8 positions around the circular table (numbered 1 through 8 clockwise for clarity).
Let us place S at position 1.
Q sits two places away from S. This means Q can sit either two places clockwise or two places counter-clockwise from S (i.e., at position 3 or position 7).
Two persons sit between S and P. In an 8-person circle, two persons between S and P means P sits 3 places away from S (i.e., at position 4 or position 6).
We are given that P does not sit adjacent to Q.
Case A: Suppose Q is at position 3.
If P is at position 4, P would be adjacent to Q (position 3), which contradicts the condition. So P must be at position 6.
Case B: Suppose Q is at position 7.
If P is at position 6, P would be adjacent to Q (position 7), which contradicts the condition. So P must be at position 4.
Due to symmetry of the circle, both cases are mirror images. Let us proceed with Case A (S at 1, Q at 3, P at 6).
Step 2: Place W, T, and V
W sits second to the right of P.
Since everyone faces the centre, moving to the right of position 6 in a counter-clockwise direction brings us to position 8. Thus, W sits at position 8.
The person sitting opposite to W (position 8) is at position 4.
T and the one who sits opposite to W (position 4) are immediate neighbours. So T can sit at position 3 or position 5. Since Q is already at position 3, T must sit at position 5.
As many persons sit between Q and W as between T and V.
Between Q (position 3) and W (position 8), there are 4 persons going one way and 2 persons going the other way (positions 1, 2). Thus, there are 2 persons between Q and W along the shorter path.
So there must be 2 persons between T (position 5) and V. Moving 3 places from position 5 (leaving 2 persons in between), V can be at position 2 or position 8. Since W is at position 8, V must be at position 2.
Step 3: Place R and U
R sits third to the left of V (position 2).
Facing the centre, left of position 2 in a clockwise direction gives: 1st left is position 1, 2nd left is position 8, 3rd left is position 7. Thus, R sits at position 7.
The only remaining vacant position is position 4, which is occupied by U.
Final Seating Arrangement (Clockwise from position 1 to 8):
Position 1: S
Position 2: V
Position 3: Q
Position 4: U
Position 5: T
Position 6: P
Position 7: R
Position 8: W
Conclusion:
In an 8-person circular table, opposite positions are separated by 4 places (Position is opposite to Position ).
The person sitting opposite to R (position 7) is at position 3, which is Q.
The correct answer is Q.
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