Circular Seating Arrangement Questions and Answers

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.

Answer: A

Correct answer: A

Everyone faces the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Put G in place. The politician sits three to G’s right, and C beside G; of C’s two possible seats, only one leaves room for an architect two seats to C’s right without clashing with the politician. B three to H’s right, with H barred from both the politician’s and the architect’s seat, then leaves one workable placing, and A and F must be neighbours with neither of them the politician - which forces E into the politician’s seat and settles A and F. The banker two to A’s left and the doctor two to A’s right complete the picture.

Clockwise the table reads G (pilot) → C (engineer) → H (doctor) → F (teacher) → A (businessman) → E (politician) → D (banker) → B (architect). The teacher is two seats from C as required, the engineer three from D, and the pilot G is clear of the politician.

The professions fall out as shown, and the businessman is A.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Second to the right

Everyone faces the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Put G in place. The politician sits three to G’s right, and C beside G; of C’s two possible seats, only one leaves room for an architect two seats to C’s right without clashing with the politician. B three to H’s right, with H barred from both the politician’s and the architect’s seat, then leaves one workable placing, and A and F must be neighbours with neither of them the politician - which forces E into the politician’s seat and settles A and F. The banker two to A’s left and the doctor two to A’s right complete the picture.

Clockwise the table reads G (pilot) → C (engineer) → H (doctor) → F (teacher) → A (businessman) → E (politician) → D (banker) → B (architect). The teacher is two seats from C as required, the engineer three from D, and the pilot G is clear of the politician.

E is the politician. Counting two seats to E’s right - anticlockwise - gives A and then F.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Only the doctor

Everyone faces the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Put G in place. The politician sits three to G’s right, and C beside G; of C’s two possible seats, only one leaves room for an architect two seats to C’s right without clashing with the politician. B three to H’s right, with H barred from both the politician’s and the architect’s seat, then leaves one workable placing, and A and F must be neighbours with neither of them the politician - which forces E into the politician’s seat and settles A and F. The banker two to A’s left and the doctor two to A’s right complete the picture.

Clockwise the table reads G (pilot) → C (engineer) → H (doctor) → F (teacher) → A (businessman) → E (politician) → D (banker) → B (architect). The teacher is two seats from C as required, the engineer three from D, and the pilot G is clear of the politician.

The teacher is F and the engineer is C, and they have exactly one seat between them - H’s, and H is the doctor.

Answer: E

Correct answer: The doctor sits second to the right of the businessman.

Everyone faces the centre, so each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise.

Put G in place. The politician sits three to G’s right, and C beside G; of C’s two possible seats, only one leaves room for an architect two seats to C’s right without clashing with the politician. B three to H’s right, with H barred from both the politician’s and the architect’s seat, then leaves one workable placing, and A and F must be neighbours with neither of them the politician - which forces E into the politician’s seat and settles A and F. The banker two to A’s left and the doctor two to A’s right complete the picture.

Clockwise the table reads G (pilot) → C (engineer) → H (doctor) → F (teacher) → A (businessman) → E (politician) → D (banker) → B (architect). The teacher is two seats from C as required, the engineer three from D, and the pilot G is clear of the politician.

The businessman is A; two seats to his right - anticlockwise - gives F and then H, the doctor, so that statement holds. Of the others: D is not beside G, G is the pilot rather than the banker, the banker D and the teacher F are three seats apart, and the pilot G sits between the architect B and the engineer C rather than the businessman.