Seating Arrangements — BSSC General Intelligence And Reasoning

50 Questions • 40 Minutes • General Intelligence And Reasoning Mock Test in Hindi and English

Sample Questions from this Test

Question 1:

In a row of students facing North, Rahul is 18th from the left end and Amit is 28th from the right end. If they interchange their positions, Rahul becomes 25th from the left. What is the total number of students in the row?
A.45
B.46
C.52
D.53

Explanation:

• Step 1: When positions are interchanged, Rahul takes Amit's original position.

• Step 2: This new position is given as 25th from the left.

• Step 3: We already know Amit's original position is 28th from the right.

• Step 4: Total = (Position from Left + Position from Right) - 1

• Total = (25 + 28) - 1 = 53 - 1 = 52.

Short Trick:

Add the new position of the person who moved (Rahul = 25) to the original position of the other person (Amit = 28) and subtract 1.

Question 2:

Five friends A, B, C, D, and E are sitting in a row facing North. C is to the immediate right of B. D is at the extreme right end. E is to the immediate left of A. A is to the immediate left of B. Who is sitting exactly in the middle of the row?
A.A
B.B
C.C
D.E

Explanation:

• Step 1: D is at the extreme right end. Sequence ends with D. (_ _ _ _ D)

• Step 2: C is to the immediate right of B. (B C)

• Step 3: A is to the immediate left of B. (A B C)

• Step 4: E is to the immediate left of A. (E A B C)

• Step 5: Combining them all, the final sequence is E, A, B, C, D.

• The person exactly in the middle is B.

Exam Trick:

Place the fixed position first (D at the right end), then link the immediate neighbors together to quickly form the chain.

Question 3:

Six people P, Q, R, S, T, and U are sitting around a circular table facing the center. P is second to the right of Q. R is immediate left of Q. S is sitting opposite to P. T is sitting between P and S. Who is sitting opposite to R?
A.Q
B.T
C.U
D.P

Explanation:

• Step 1: Draw a circle with 6 positions. Fix Q at the bottom (6 o'clock).

• Step 2: P is second to the right of Q. Since they face the center, right is anti-clockwise. So, P is at 4 o'clock.

• Step 3: R is immediate left of Q (clockwise), so R is at 8 o'clock.

• Step 4: S is opposite to P. Opposite of 4 o'clock is 10 o'clock. So, S is at 10 o'clock.

• Step 5: T is between P (4 o'clock) and S (10 o'clock) on the right side, which means T is at 2 o'clock.

• Step 6: The only remaining position is 12 o'clock, which must be U.

• Therefore, opposite to R (8 o'clock) is T (2 o'clock).

Exam Trick:

In a 6-person circle, 'opposite' means there are exactly 2 people between them on either side. Drawing lines connecting opposite nodes prevents positioning errors.

Question 4:

In a class, Raj is 15th from the top and 35th from the bottom. Shruti is exactly between Raj and the person who is 5th from the top. What is Shruti's position from the top?
A.9th
B.10th
C.11th
D.12th

Explanation:

• Step 1: The position of the other person is 5th from the top.

• Step 2: Raj's position is 15th from the top.

• Step 3: Shruti is sitting exactly between the 5th and 15th positions.

• Step 4: To find the exact middle, calculate the average of the two positions: (5 + 15) / 2 = 20 / 2 = 10.

• Therefore, Shruti is 10th from the top.

Exam Trick:

The exact middle of two positions from the same end is always their arithmetic mean. You don't even need to use Raj's bottom rank to answer this question.

Question 5:

Eight people are sitting in two parallel rows containing four people each. In row 1: A, B, C, and D are seated and all of them are facing south. In row 2: P, Q, R, and S are seated and all of them are facing north. C sits second to the left of A. P sits exactly opposite to C. S is an immediate neighbor of P. D is not sitting at any extreme end. Who is sitting opposite to B?
A.P
B.Q or R
C.S
D.Cannot be determined

Explanation:

• Step 1: A, B, C, D face South (Right to Left logic). P, Q, R, S face North (Left to Right logic).

• Step 2: C sits second to the left of A. Since they face South, A must be on the right side of C from our perspective. Possible arrangements for Row 1: (_ A _ C) or (A _ C _).

• Step 3: D is not at an extreme end. If the arrangement is (A _ C _), D must be between A and C (A D C B). If it's (_ A _ C), D is between A and C (B A D C).

• Step 4: P sits exactly opposite to C. S is an immediate neighbor of P.

• Step 5: B is at an extreme end in either case. However, we do not have enough information to fix the exact positions of Q and R in row 2. They can be anywhere in the remaining two seats.

• Therefore, whoever sits opposite to B could be either Q or R.

Exam Trick:

In parallel rows, when information about two entities (Q and R) is completely missing, look for options like 'Either/Or' or 'Cannot be determined'. Here, Q or R is the precise answer.

Question 6:

In a row of 40 students, Rahul is 18th from the left end and Amit is 28th from the right end. How many students are sitting exactly between them?
A.4
B.6
C.8
D.Cannot be determined

Explanation:

• Step 1: Find the sum of positions from both ends. L + R = 18 + 28 = 46.

• Step 2: Compare the sum with the total number of students. Here, 46 > 40. This means it is an overlapping case.

• Step 3: Use the formula for finding students between two people in an overlapping case: (Sum of positions) - Total - 2.

• Step 4: Number of students between them = 46 - 40 - 2 = 4.

Short Trick:

When the given total is less than the sum of Left and Right positions, always subtract the given total from the sum, and then strictly subtract 2 (because the two persons are counted twice) to get the final answer.

Question 7:

In a row of boys, if Rohan shifts 4 places to his right, he becomes 12th from the left end. What was his original position from the left end?
A.8th
B.16th
C.7th
D.15th

Explanation:

• Step 1: Note the new position of Rohan, which is 12th from the left.

• Step 2: He arrived at this position by shifting 4 places to his right.

• Step 3: This implies his original position was to the left of his current position.

• Step 4: Original position from left = Current position from left - shifted places = 12 - 4 = 8.

• Therefore, his original position was 8th from the left.

Question 8:

Six friends A, B, C, D, E, and F are sitting around a circular table facing OUTSIDE the center. B is to the immediate left of F. A is to the immediate right of F. D is sitting exactly between A and C. Who is sitting second to the left of B?
A.C
B.A
C.E
D.D

Explanation:

• Step 1: Draw a circle with 6 positions. Remember, facing OUTSIDE means Left is Anti-Clockwise and Right is Clockwise.

• Step 2: Fix F at a position (e.g., bottom). B is to the immediate left of F (Anti-clockwise), so B sits to the right side of F from our view.

• Step 3: A is to the immediate right of F (Clockwise), so A sits to the left side of F from our view. Sequence so far: A - F - B.

• Step 4: D is exactly between A and C. So the sequence continues A - D - C.

• Step 5: The combined sequence around the table (Clockwise) is A, D, C, E, B, F. (E takes the remaining spot).

• Step 6: We need to find who is second to the left of B. Left is Anti-clockwise. The sequence ACW from B is E, then C.

• Therefore, C is second to the left of B.

Exam Trick:

When people face OUTSIDE the center, flip your usual left/right logic. Imagine yourself standing at their position looking outward.

Question 9:

P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W are sitting around a square table facing the center. Four sit at the corners and four at the middle of the sides. P sits at a corner. Q sits second to the right of P. R sits exactly between P and Q. S sits opposite to R. T sits to the immediate right of S. V sits opposite to Q. W sits exactly between V and P. Who sits opposite to U (the only remaining person)?
A.P
B.R
C.T
D.S

Explanation:

• Step 1: Draw a square. Since they face the center, Right = Anti-Clockwise and Left = Clockwise.

• Step 2: Let P be at the Top-Left corner. Q is 2nd to the right (Anti-Clockwise), so Q is at the Top-Right corner.

• Step 3: R sits between P and Q. So R is at the Top-Middle edge.

• Step 4: S sits opposite to R. So S is at the Bottom-Middle edge.

• Step 5: T sits immediate right of S. Right of S (facing North) is East. So T is at the Right-Middle edge.

• Step 6: V sits opposite to Q. Q is at Top-Right, so V is at the Bottom-Left corner.

• Step 7: W sits between V and P. V is Bottom-Left, P is Top-Left, so W is at the Left-Middle edge.

• Step 8: The only empty spot is the Bottom-Right corner, which must be taken by U.

• U sits at the Bottom-Right corner. The person opposite to the Bottom-Right corner is at the Top-Left corner, which is P.

Exam Trick:

In a square table layout, "second to the right/left" of a corner will always land on another corner, and "second to the right/left" of a middle side will always land on another middle side.

Question 10:

Five students J, K, L, M, and N are sitting in a row facing North. L is at the extreme right end. N is second to the left of L. K is sitting exactly between N and L. M is to the immediate left of J. Who sits exactly in the middle of the row?
A.J
B.K
C.M
D.N

Explanation:

• Step 1: L is at the extreme right end. Sequence ends with L: (_ _ _ _ L).

• Step 2: N is second to the left of L. Sequence becomes: (_ _ N _ L).

• Step 3: K is exactly between N and L. Sequence becomes: (_ _ N K L).

• Step 4: M is to the immediate left of J. They must take the remaining two adjacent empty seats on the left. Sequence becomes: (M J N K L).

• Step 5: The person exactly in the middle of the five students is N.

Exam Trick:

Start with the person placed at an extreme end (L). This grounds your arrangement immediately and prevents guessing.

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