Seven people, I, J, K, L, O, P and Q are sitting in a row, facing north. Only five people sit between L and Q. P sits to the immediate left of Q. Only one person sits between P and I. O sits at some place to the left of K but at some place to the right of J. Who sits third from the left end of the line?

APEDIA

NTPC Graduate Tier 1

2025 • 05 Jun, 2025 • Shift-3

Seven people, I, J, K, L, O, P and Q are sitting in a row, facing north. Only five people sit between L and Q. P sits to the immediate left of Q. Only one person sits between P and I. O sits at some place to the left of K but at some place to the right of J. Who sits third from the left end of the line?

Correct Answer

[Boundary Establishment]: Given a linear row of exactly seven individuals, the clue 'five people sit between L and Q' implies they are separated by 5 seats. Thi......

💡 Analysis & Explanation

[Boundary Establishment] ▼

Given a linear row of exactly seven individuals, the clue 'five people sit between L and Q' implies they are separated by 5 seats. This naturally forces L and Q to occupy the absolute extreme ends of the row.

[Pinpointing Extremes] ▼

The secondary clue states 'P sits to the immediate left of Q'. If Q were at the left end, P couldn't exist to its left. Thus, Q anchors the rightmost seat, and L anchors the leftmost seat. The structural frame becomes: L _ _ _ _ P Q.

[Interior Anchoring] ▼

The puzzle details that 'Only one person sits between P and I'. Looking leftwards from P, we place I, changing the layout to: L _ _ I _ P Q.

[Positional Mapping] ▼

Finally, 'O sits to the left of K but right of J'. The three vacant slots on the left must accommodate J, O, and K in that precise chronological order. The complete linear arrangement finalizes as: L - J - O - I - K - P - Q.

Conclusion ▼

Scanning from the left extremity, the occupant occupying the third position is definitively O.

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