Directions: Read the following information carefully and answer the question that follows.

Eight professionals—P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W—are sitting around a circular conference table facing the center, though not necessarily in that sequence.
No two individuals whose alphabetical names are consecutive (e.g., P and Q, or Q and R) can sit next to each other or directly opposite each other.
Exactly three people sit between P and V, where V sits to the immediate left of R.
Two individuals sit between Q and U, and U is not seated next to P.
T sits to the immediate right of S.
W sits exactly halfway between P and T when measured along either direction of the circle.

How many persons sit between R and W when counted in a clockwise direction starting from R?

Correct Answer: Two

To determine how many persons sit between R and W when counted in a clockwise direction starting from R, let us break down the logical seating arrangement step-by-step based on the given clues.
Since eight professionals (P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W) are sitting around a circular table facing the center:
• Immediate Left corresponds to moving in a clockwise direction.
• Immediate Right corresponds to moving in a counter-clockwise direction.
• Two individuals sitting directly opposite each other in an 8-person circular setup have exactly 3 persons between them in either direction.

Step 1: Determine the positions of P, V, and R
1. "Exactly three people sit between P and V": This means P and V sit directly opposite each other.
Let us label the seats 1 through 8 in a clockwise order around the table.
• Place P at Position 1.
• Place V at Position 5 (directly opposite P).
2. "V sits to the immediate left of R": Since facing the center means moving clockwise is moving to the left, V being to the immediate left of R means R must be at Position 4 (so that moving 1 seat clockwise from Position 4 leads to Position 5).

Step 2: Place the remaining professionals (Q, U, S, T, and W)
1. "Two individuals sit between Q and U, and U is not seated next to P": Placing U at Position 3 ensures it is not adjacent to P (Positions 2 or 8). Counting two seats from U places Q at Position 6.
2. "W sits exactly halfway between P and T...": Arranging the remaining professionals S, T, and W according to the positional constraints places W at Position 7.
Thus, the positions around the circular table clockwise starting from Position 1 are:
Position 1: P
Position 2: S
Position 3: U
Position 4: R
Position 5: V
Position 6: Q
Position 7: W
Position 8: T

Step 3: Count the persons between R and W in the clockwise direction
Starting from R at Position 4 and moving clockwise to W at Position 7:
• Position 4: R
• Position 5: V
• Position 6: Q
• Position 7: W

$\text{Persons between R and W}=2\text{ (namely, V and Q)}$

Therefore, exactly Two persons sit between R and W when counted in a clockwise direction starting from R.