Circular Seating Arrangement Questions and Answers

Answer: A

Correct answer: Third to the left

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; T sits two to P’s left, V three beyond T, W on T’s right and S two beyond W. Q three seats to U’s right then fits the remaining three seats in only one way. Clockwise the circle reads P → W → T → Q → R → V → U → S.

Counting three seats to W’s left - clockwise - gives T, Q and then R. Three seats to W’s right would reach V instead.

Answer: B

Correct answer: P

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; T sits two to P’s left, V three beyond T, W on T’s right and S two beyond W. Q three seats to U’s right then fits the remaining three seats in only one way. Clockwise the circle reads P → W → T → Q → R → V → U → S.

Counting four seats to R’s left - clockwise - gives V, U, S and then P.

Answer: E

Correct answer: VRT

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; R sits three to P’s right, T two to R’s right, S two to P’s left and Q four to S’s left. Of the two ways of placing V with Z three seats to V’s left, only one keeps V off P’s shoulder, and W takes the seat left over. Clockwise the circle reads P → Z → S → T → V → R → Q → W.

In VRT the first person named, V, sits directly between the other two, with T on one side and R on the other. In the remaining groups the first person is not between the two that follow.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Z

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; R sits three to P’s right, T two to R’s right, S two to P’s left and Q four to S’s left. Of the two ways of placing V with Z three seats to V’s left, only one keeps V off P’s shoulder, and W takes the seat left over. Clockwise the circle reads P → Z → S → T → V → R → Q → W.

Counting two seats to T’s right - anticlockwise - gives S and then Z.

Answer: D

Correct answer: Sixth to the left

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; R sits three to P’s right, T two to R’s right, S two to P’s left and Q four to S’s left. Of the two ways of placing V with Z three seats to V’s left, only one keeps V off P’s shoulder, and W takes the seat left over. Clockwise the circle reads P → Z → S → T → V → R → Q → W.

Counting six seats to S’s left - clockwise - gives T, V, R, Q, W and then P. The same seat is reached in two steps to S’s right, but of the descriptions offered only sixth to the left fits.

Answer: C

Correct answer: S

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; R sits three to P’s right, T two to R’s right, S two to P’s left and Q four to S’s left. Of the two ways of placing V with Z three seats to V’s left, only one keeps V off P’s shoulder, and W takes the seat left over. Clockwise the circle reads P → Z → S → T → V → R → Q → W.

Z’s left is the next seat clockwise, and S occupies it. P is on Z’s right.

Answer: A

Correct answer: R

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix P; R sits three to P’s right, T two to R’s right, S two to P’s left and Q four to S’s left. Of the two ways of placing V with Z three seats to V’s left, only one keeps V off P’s shoulder, and W takes the seat left over. Clockwise the circle reads P → Z → S → T → V → R → Q → W.

Counting two seats to W’s right - anticlockwise - gives Q and then R.

Answer: D

Correct answer: ABE

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix B; D sits two to B’s left, F three beyond D, A two to F’s left and C two to A’s left - a single chain filling five seats. G three to E’s right then fits the remaining three in only one way. Clockwise the circle reads B → C → D → G → H → F → E → A.

In ABE the first person named, A, sits directly between the other two, with B on one side and E on the other. In the other groups the first person is not between the two that follow.

Answer: C

Correct answer: C

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix B; D sits two to B’s left, F three beyond D, A two to F’s left and C two to A’s left - a single chain filling five seats. G three to E’s right then fits the remaining three in only one way. Clockwise the circle reads B → C → D → G → H → F → E → A.

Counting three seats to H’s right - anticlockwise - gives G, D and then C.

Answer: B

Correct answer: E

Facing the centre, each person’s left is the next seat clockwise and their right the next seat anticlockwise. Fix B; D sits two to B’s left, F three beyond D, A two to F’s left and C two to A’s left - a single chain filling five seats. G three to E’s right then fits the remaining three in only one way. Clockwise the circle reads B → C → D → G → H → F → E → A.

A’s right is the next seat anticlockwise, and E occupies it. B is on A’s left.