Circular Seating Arrangement Questions and Answers

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: D

Correct answer: Financial Advisor

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).

Counting three seats to E’s left - clockwise - gives F, H and then D, the Financial Advisor.

Answer: E

Correct answer: B-Managing Director

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).

In F–Chairman, G–President, D–Manager and A–Financial Advisor, each person is paired with the post held by the colleague on their immediate right. B–Managing Director breaks the pattern: C, the Managing Director, sits on B’s left.

Answer: A

Correct answer: A

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).

A cannot be Vice President, Company Secretary or Chairman, and the other posts are taken by the time his seat is reached, so A is the President.

Answer: D

Correct answer: The Chairman of the company sits to the immediate left of the Managing Director.

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 the Chairman is E, who sits in the next seat clockwise - C’s immediate left - so that statement holds. Of the others: the Group Leader F and the Vice President G are four seats apart; G sits second to the left of D, not the right; the Group Leader and the Company Secretary are not neighbours; and two seats to D’s left is the Vice President, not the Group Leader.

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.