Order and Ranking: Reasoning Questions with Answers

Q. 1 Five friends, Priya, Raj, Simran, Tina, and Uday, are standing in a line. If they were arranged in descending order of their height, who would be in the middle?

Raj is the tallest.
Tina is taller than Priya but shorter than Simran.
Uday is shorter than Priya.

(a) Priya

(b) Tina

(d) Uday

Answer: (b) Tina

Explanation: Let’s represent the height comparisons using ‘>’ (taller than).

From the first clue, Raj is the tallest: Raj> everyone else.
From the second clue: Simran>Tina>Priya.
From the third clue: Priya>Uday. Combining these statements, we get the complete descending order of height: Raj>Simran>Tina>Priya>Uday. The five friends in order are Raj, Simran, Tina, Priya, and Uday. The person in the middle is Tina.

Q. 2 Six mobile phones A, B, C, D, E, and F were launched in different months of the same year, from January to June. Based on the following clues, how many phones were launched between A and E?

Phone E was launched immediately before C.
Phone F was launched in March, just after D.
Phone B was launched in the last month.
Phone A was launched before F.

(a) One

(b) Two

(d) None

Answer: (b) Two

Explanation: Let’s map the months to positions 1 through 6 (Jan to Jun).

B was launched in the last month (June, position 6). Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, B
F was launched in March (3), just after D. This means D was launched in February (2). Jan, D, F, Apr, May, B
A was launched before F (March). The only available slot before March is January (1). A, D, F, Apr, May, B
E was launched immediately before C. The only two consecutive empty slots are April and May. So, E was launched in April (4) and C in May (5). A, D, F, E, C, B The final order is: A (Jan), D (Feb), F (Mar), E (Apr), C (May), B (Jun). The phones launched between A and E are D and F. Therefore, two phones were launched between them.

Q.3 In a class of seven students—M, N, O, P, Q, R, and S—each obtained a different score. Who scored the third-lowest?

O scored the highest.
N scored more than only two other students.
P scored more than Q, who scored more than S, who in turn scored more than R.
M did not score the lowest.

(a) M

(b) S

(d) N

Answer: (d) N

Explanation: Let’s set up the ranking from highest (1) to lowest (7): 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6 > 7.

O scored the highest: O is at rank 1.
N scored more than only two others. This means N is the third-lowest scorer, placing N at rank 5. O, _, _, _, N, _, _
We have a chain of scores: P>Q>S>R.
The remaining students are P, Q, S, R, and M. The remaining ranks are 2, 3, 4, 6, and 7.
The block P>Q>S must fit into ranks 2, 3, and 4. O, P, Q, S, N, _, _
The remaining students, M and R, must fit into ranks 6 and 7.
We know S>R, so R must have a lower rank than S (rank 4). This condition is met if R is at 6 or 7.
However, M did not score the lowest (rank 7). So, M must be at rank 6, which leaves rank 7 for R. The final ranking is: O>P>Q>S>N>M>R. The scores from lowest to highest are: R, M, N, S, Q, P, O. The third-lowest scorer is N.

Q. 4 Five boxes—Red, Blue, Green, Yellow, and Black—are stacked one above another from bottom (1) to top (5). Which box is at the bottom?

The Black box is at the top.
The Red box is placed above the Blue box, with two boxes between them.
The Green box is just below the Yellow box.

(a) Red

(b) Green

(d) Yellow

Answer: (c) Blue

Explanation: Let’s determine the position of each box in the stack (5=Top, 1=Bottom).

The Black box is at the top: 5: Black.
The Red box is above the Blue box with two boxes between them (Red,_,_,Blue). This arrangement occupies 4 positions. Given that position 5 is taken by Black, the only way this fits is if the Red box is at position 4 and the Blue box is at position 1. 5: Black, 4: Red, 3: _, 2: _, 1: Blue
The Green box is just below the Yellow box. This forms a Yellow-Green block. The only two empty adjacent slots are 3 and 2. So, the Yellow box must be at position 3 and the Green box at position 2. The final stack is: 5: Black 4: Red 3: Yellow 2: Green 1: Blue The box at the bottom (position 1) is the Blue box.

Q. 5 In a 400m race, six athletes—A, B, C, D, E, and F—participated and finished at different times. Who finished in the third position?

B finished immediately before A.
Exactly two athletes finished after F.
A finished before E, who finished before C, who finished before D.

(a) A

(b) C

(d) B

Answer: (c) E

Explanation: Let’s determine the finishing order from 1st to 6th.

Exactly two athletes finished after F, which means F finished in 4th place. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, F, 5th, 6th
We have a sequence from the last clue: A>E>C>D (where ‘>’ means ‘finished before’).
We also know B finished immediately before A, forming a B-A block.
Combining these, we get the sequence: B−A>E>C>D.
Now, let’s place this entire sequence into the ranking.
- Since F is 4th, the sequence B−A>E>C>D must be placed around it.
- The B-A block must come before E. Let’s place B at 1st and A at 2nd.
- B, A, 3rd, F, 5th, 6th
- Now, place E, C, and D according to the sequence A>E>C>D. A is 2nd, so E must come after A. The first available spot is 3rd. So, E is 3rd.
- B, A, E, F, 5th, 6th
- The remaining athletes C and D must be placed in 5th and 6th, respecting the E>C>D order. So, C is 5th and D is 6th. The final finishing order is: B, A, E, F, C, D. The athlete who finished in the third position is E.

Q. 6 Seven lectures—L1 to L7—are scheduled on seven different days of a week, from Monday to Sunday. Which lecture is scheduled for Saturday?

L3 is scheduled for Thursday.
There are two days between the lectures of L3 and L4.
L5 is scheduled immediately after L1.
L2 and L6 have a gap of one day between their lectures.
L7 is scheduled after L6, but not on Tuesday.

(a) L1

(b) L2

(d) L7

Answer: (d) L7

Explanation: Let’s lay out the week: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun.

L3 is on Thursday. _, _, _, L3, _, _, _
There are two days between L3 (Thu) and L4. This means L4 is either on Monday or Sunday.
Case 1: L4 is on Monday.
- The schedule is: L4, Tue, Wed, L3, Fri, Sat, Sun.
- L2 and L6 have one day between them (L_X_L). The only available slots for this pattern are Friday and Sunday (with Saturday between them).
- L5 is immediately after L1 (L1-L5 block). The only available adjacent slots are Tuesday and Wednesday. So, L1 is on Tuesday and L5 is on Wednesday.
- The schedule is now: L4, L1, L5, L3, (L2/L6), Sat, (L6/L2).
- The only remaining lecture is L7, so it must be on Saturday.
- Final clue: L7 is after L6. For L7 (Sat) to be after L6, L6 must be on Friday. This makes L2 on Sunday.
- This gives a valid schedule: L4(Mon), L1(Tue), L5(Wed), L3(Thu), L6(Fri), L7(Sat), L2(Sun).
Case 2: L4 is on Sunday.
- The schedule is: Mon, Tue, Wed, L3, Fri, Sat, L4.
- This case would lead to L7 being scheduled on Tuesday, which is forbidden by the last clue. Therefore, only Case 1 is possible. The lecture scheduled for Saturday is L7.

Q. 7 Among six boxes, P, Q, R, S, T, and U, each has a different weight. Who is the third lightest?

R is lighter than only two boxes.
S is heavier than T, which is heavier than P, which is heavier than Q.
U is heavier than P.
S is not the lightest box.

(a) P

(b) T

(d) Q

Answer: (b) T

Explanation: Let’s rank the boxes from heaviest (1) to lightest (6): 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6.

R is lighter than only two boxes, meaning R is the 3rd heaviest. _, _, R, _, _, _
We have a chain of weights: S>T>P>Q. This is a sequence of four boxes.
Let’s try to fit this chain into our ranking. The only way to place the sub-chain T>P>Q is in positions 4, 5, and 6. _, _, R, T, P, Q
Now we must place S and U.
We know S>T. Since T is 4th, S must be in position 1 or 2. This also satisfies the condition that S is not the lightest.
We know U>P. Since P is 5th, U can be in positions 1, 2, or 4. Since T is in 4, U must be in position 1 or 2.
So, S and U occupy the top two positions. The final ranking from heaviest to lightest is: (S/U), (U/S), R, T, P, Q. The ranking from lightest to heaviest is: Q (lightest), P (second lightest), T (third lightest), R, S/U. Thus, T is the third lightest box.

Q. 8 Five friends, Ankit, Ben, Chris, David, and Elon, are sitting in a straight line facing north. Who is sitting in the middle?

Chris is sitting at one of the extreme ends.
There are two people sitting between Chris and Ankit.
Ben is sitting to the immediate right of Ankit.
Elon sits to the left of David.

(a) Ankit

(b) Ben

(d) Elon

Answer: (b) Ben

Explanation: Let’s map the five positions. _ _ _ _ _

Chris is at an extreme end. Let’s test the right end first. _ _ _ _ C
There are two people between Chris and Ankit. _ A _ _ C
Ben is to the immediate right of Ankit. _ A B _ C
The remaining people are Elon and David, and the remaining seats are the 1st and 4th. The clue says Elon sits to the left of David (E…D). This means Elon must take the 1st seat and David the 4th. E A B D C This arrangement satisfies all conditions. (If we had started with Chris on the left end, we would have found a contradiction). The final arrangement from left to right is: Elon, Ankit, Ben, David, Chris. The person sitting in the middle (3rd position) is Ben.

Q. 9 Eight people P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W live on different floors of an 8-story building (ground floor is 1). Who lives on the 7th floor?

S lives on floor 3.
Q lives on an even-numbered floor above floor 4.
There are two people living between Q and V.
T lives on a floor immediately above R.
One person lives between V and P.
W lives above U, but not on the top floor.

(a) W

(b) V

(d) T

Answer: (c) P

Explanation: Let’s list the floors from 8 (top) to 1.

S is on floor 3. 8:_, 7:_, 6:_, 5:_, 4:_, 3:S, 2:_, 1:_
Q is on an even floor above floor 4, so Q is on floor 6 or 8.
Let’s test Q on floor 6. Two floors between Q (6) and V would place V on floor 3. But S is on floor 3. This is a conflict. So, Q cannot be on floor 6.
Therefore, Q must be on floor 8. 8:Q, ..., 3:S, ...
Two people live between Q (8) and V, so V must live on floor 5. 8:Q, 7:_, 6:_, 5:V, 4:_, 3:S, 2:_, 1:_
One person lives between V (5) and P. P could be on floor 7 or 3. Floor 3 is taken by S, so P must be on floor 7. 8:Q, 7:P, 6:_, 5:V, 4:_, 3:S, 2:_, 1:_
T lives immediately above R (T-R block). Looking at the empty floors, the only adjacent pair available is 2 and 1. So T is on floor 2 and R is on floor 1. 8:Q, 7:P, 6:_, 5:V, 4:_, 3:S, 2:T, 1:R
The remaining people are W and U for floors 6 and 4. W lives above U, so W is on 6 and U is on 4. This also satisfies the condition that W is not on the top floor. The final arrangement is: 8:Q, 7:P, 6:W, 5:V, 4:U, 3:S, 2:T, 1:R. The person living on the 7th floor is P.

Q. 10 Among six employees J, K, L, M, N, and O each has a different salary. Who earns the second-highest salary?

Only two people earn less than L.
M earns more than L but less than J.
K earns less than N, who in turn earns less than O.
J does not earn the highest salary.

(a) O (b) M (c) J (d) N

Answer: (c) J

Explanation: Let’s rank the salaries from highest (1) to lowest (6). 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 5 > 6.

Only two people earn less than L, so L’s salary is 4th highest. _, _, _, L, _, _
M earns more than L but less than J (J>M>L). Since L is 4th, M must be 3rd. J must be higher than M, so J is in position 1 or 2. _, _, M, L, _, _
We have a chain of salaries: O>N>K.
The remaining people (O, N, K) must fit into the remaining slots (1/2, 5, 6).
Given their fixed order, O, N, and K must take the slots in a descending manner. N must be 5th and K must be 6th. _, _, M, L, N, K
The remaining people are J and O, and the remaining slots are 1 and 2. So, J and O are the top two earners.
The final clue states that J does not earn the highest salary (is not rank 1). Therefore, J must be rank 2, and O must be rank 1. The final ranking is: O>J>M>L>N>K. The employee with the second-highest salary is J.