Circular Seating Arrangement Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Correct answer: Company Secretary

All eight face the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Place the Managing Director; A sits three to his right, and H three the other way, since only two people separate them. The Manager, two seats to E’s left, must have the Group Leader and the Financial Advisor on either side - and of the three seats that allows, only one leaves room for B three seats to the Financial Advisor’s left. That fixes H as the Manager and E beside the Managing Director. The Vice President may sit next to neither the Managing Director nor A or H, which leaves a single seat, and the Company Secretary must be beside him. A is not the Chairman, so A is President and E the Chairman - and C then takes the seat on the Chairman’s right, with F kept clear of A and G clear of the Manager.

Clockwise the table reads C (Managing Director) → E (Chairman) → F (Group Leader) → H (Manager) → D (Financial Advisor) → A (President) → G (Vice President) → B (Company Secretary).

The Vice President’s only possible seat is G’s, and the Company Secretary must be beside him. Of the two seats next to G, one holds A - who is barred from the post - so the Company Secretary is B.

Answer: E

Correct answer: E and the Group Leader

All eight face the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Place the Managing Director; A sits three to his right, and H three the other way, since only two people separate them. The Manager, two seats to E’s left, must have the Group Leader and the Financial Advisor on either side - and of the three seats that allows, only one leaves room for B three seats to the Financial Advisor’s left. That fixes H as the Manager and E beside the Managing Director. The Vice President may sit next to neither the Managing Director nor A or H, which leaves a single seat, and the Company Secretary must be beside him. A is not the Chairman, so A is President and E the Chairman - and C then takes the seat on the Chairman’s right, with F kept clear of A and G clear of the Manager.

Clockwise the table reads C (Managing Director) → E (Chairman) → F (Group Leader) → H (Manager) → D (Financial Advisor) → A (President) → G (Vice President) → B (Company Secretary).

The Managing Director is C, and H sits three seats away with exactly two people between them: E, the Chairman, and F, the Group Leader.

Answer: B

Correct answer: F

All eight face the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Place the Managing Director; A sits three to his right, and H three the other way, since only two people separate them. The Manager, two seats to E’s left, must have the Group Leader and the Financial Advisor on either side - and of the three seats that allows, only one leaves room for B three seats to the Financial Advisor’s left. That fixes H as the Manager and E beside the Managing Director. The Vice President may sit next to neither the Managing Director nor A or H, which leaves a single seat, and the Company Secretary must be beside him. A is not the Chairman, so A is President and E the Chairman - and C then takes the seat on the Chairman’s right, with F kept clear of A and G clear of the Manager.

Clockwise the table reads C (Managing Director) → E (Chairman) → F (Group Leader) → H (Manager) → D (Financial Advisor) → A (President) → G (Vice President) → B (Company Secretary).

The Group Leader sits beside the Manager, H, on the side away from the Financial Advisor - and that seat belongs to F.

Answer: C

Correct answer: G

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

E faces outward, so her right is the next seat clockwise. Two seats that way gives B and then G.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Two

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

H faces outward, so her left is anticlockwise. Going that way from H we pass F and A before reaching C - two people in between.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The one who is second to the right of H is a female.

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

H faces outward, so her right is clockwise: two seats that way gives D and then E, who is female - so that statement is true. The others fail: H faces outward, not the centre; H is female, not male; and her neighbours F and D both face the centre.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Third to the right

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

G faces the centre, so her right is anticlockwise. Three seats that way gives B, E and then D.

Answer: C

Correct answer: G A

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

In BE, CG, DH and AF the two named sit side by side. G and A have C between them, so that pair does not belong.

Answer: D

Correct answer: A

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

B, F, G and D all face the centre. A is one of the three facing outward, so he is the odd one out.

Answer: D

Correct answer: One

Five face the centre and three face outward, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: for someone facing the centre the left is clockwise, for someone facing outward it is anticlockwise.

C faces the centre, which fixes E three seats away; F three to E’s left only works if E faces outward, and B is then four seats from F, opposite. Since E’s neighbours face the centre and D’s face outward, D can only sit where one of his neighbours is E - and A three to D’s right then falls into a single seat. The sex constraints do the rest: B’s neighbours are female, E’s are male, and G may have no female beside him.

Clockwise the table reads C (m, centre) → A (m, outward) → F (f, centre) → H (f, outward) → D (m, centre) → E (f, outward) → B (m, centre) → G (f, centre) - four of each sex, and A, H and E the three facing outward.

Keeping A in his seat and running the alphabet anticlockwise puts B, C, D, E, F, G, H in the seats behind him. Comparing with the original table, only E lands where she already sits, so exactly one position is unchanged.