Circular Seating Arrangement Questions and Answers

Answer: B

Correct answer: G

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

Place K; F sits two to K’s left and M two to K’s right. H, the Scientist, must be beside K, and E four seats from H - and of the two ways of doing that, only one lets the Engineer sit two seats from E without being G or J, who must be neighbours. The Columnist then sits on the Engineer’s right, the Lawyer two to the Columnist’s right, the Financial Analyst on F’s left, the Professor beside the Engineer, and the Chartered Accountant two seats from G.

Clockwise the table reads K (Professor) → H (Scientist) → F (Doctor) → G (Financial Analyst) → J (Lawyer) → E (Chartered Accountant) → M (Columnist) → L (Engineer).

Counting two seats to E’s right - anticlockwise - gives J and then G, the Financial Analyst.

Answer: D

Correct answer: K

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

Place K; F sits two to K’s left and M two to K’s right. H, the Scientist, must be beside K, and E four seats from H - and of the two ways of doing that, only one lets the Engineer sit two seats from E without being G or J, who must be neighbours. The Columnist then sits on the Engineer’s right, the Lawyer two to the Columnist’s right, the Financial Analyst on F’s left, the Professor beside the Engineer, and the Chartered Accountant two seats from G.

Clockwise the table reads K (Professor) → H (Scientist) → F (Doctor) → G (Financial Analyst) → J (Lawyer) → E (Chartered Accountant) → M (Columnist) → L (Engineer).

The Professor must sit beside the Engineer, L. Of L’s two neighbours one is the Columnist M, so the Professor is K.

Answer: C

Correct answer: J - Engineer

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

Place K; F sits two to K’s left and M two to K’s right. H, the Scientist, must be beside K, and E four seats from H - and of the two ways of doing that, only one lets the Engineer sit two seats from E without being G or J, who must be neighbours. The Columnist then sits on the Engineer’s right, the Lawyer two to the Columnist’s right, the Financial Analyst on F’s left, the Professor beside the Engineer, and the Chartered Accountant two seats from G.

Clockwise the table reads K (Professor) → H (Scientist) → F (Doctor) → G (Financial Analyst) → J (Lawyer) → E (Chartered Accountant) → M (Columnist) → L (Engineer).

In Chartered Accountant–H, M–Doctor, Financial Analyst–L and Lawyer–K the two named sit directly opposite each other, four seats apart. J and the Engineer are only three seats apart, so that pair does not belong.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Second to the right

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

Place K; F sits two to K’s left and M two to K’s right. H, the Scientist, must be beside K, and E four seats from H - and of the two ways of doing that, only one lets the Engineer sit two seats from E without being G or J, who must be neighbours. The Columnist then sits on the Engineer’s right, the Lawyer two to the Columnist’s right, the Financial Analyst on F’s left, the Professor beside the Engineer, and the Chartered Accountant two seats from G.

Clockwise the table reads K (Professor) → H (Scientist) → F (Doctor) → G (Financial Analyst) → J (Lawyer) → E (Chartered Accountant) → M (Columnist) → L (Engineer).

The Scientist is H. Counting two seats to his right - anticlockwise - gives K and then L.

Answer: A

Correct answer: The Lawyer is second to the left of the Doctor

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

Place K; F sits two to K’s left and M two to K’s right. H, the Scientist, must be beside K, and E four seats from H - and of the two ways of doing that, only one lets the Engineer sit two seats from E without being G or J, who must be neighbours. The Columnist then sits on the Engineer’s right, the Lawyer two to the Columnist’s right, the Financial Analyst on F’s left, the Professor beside the Engineer, and the Chartered Accountant two seats from G.

Clockwise the table reads K (Professor) → H (Scientist) → F (Doctor) → G (Financial Analyst) → J (Lawyer) → E (Chartered Accountant) → M (Columnist) → L (Engineer).

The Doctor is F; two seats to his left - clockwise - gives G and then J, the Lawyer, so that statement holds. Of the others: E and the Financial Analyst G have J between them; H sits between K and F, not between F and the Financial Analyst; and the Columnist M and F have three people between them either way round.

Answer: D

Correct answer: G

Four face outward and four face the centre, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: facing the centre, the left is clockwise; facing outward, the left is anticlockwise.

E faces outward, so H two seats to E’s right and B three to E’s left are placed at once - and B can only be three seats to H’s right if H too faces outward. D faces the centre with both neighbours facing outward, which rules out every seat but one, and F must then sit beside D. Of the seats left, C and G must be neighbours, which forces A into the seat beside E, with G two to A’s left and C beyond.

Clockwise the circle reads E → A → H → G → C → B → F → D, with E, H and F facing outward and A and D facing the centre.

H faces outward, so his right is the next seat clockwise, and G occupies it. A is on H’s left.

Answer: C

Correct answer: F

Four face outward and four face the centre, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: facing the centre, the left is clockwise; facing outward, the left is anticlockwise.

E faces outward, so H two seats to E’s right and B three to E’s left are placed at once - and B can only be three seats to H’s right if H too faces outward. D faces the centre with both neighbours facing outward, which rules out every seat but one, and F must then sit beside D. Of the seats left, C and G must be neighbours, which forces A into the seat beside E, with G two to A’s left and C beyond.

Clockwise the circle reads E → A → H → G → C → B → F → D, with E, H and F facing outward and A and D facing the centre.

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

Answer: C

Correct answer: GC

Four face outward and four face the centre, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: facing the centre, the left is clockwise; facing outward, the left is anticlockwise.

E faces outward, so H two seats to E’s right and B three to E’s left are placed at once - and B can only be three seats to H’s right if H too faces outward. D faces the centre with both neighbours facing outward, which rules out every seat but one, and F must then sit beside D. Of the seats left, C and G must be neighbours, which forces A into the seat beside E, with G two to A’s left and C beyond.

Clockwise the circle reads E → A → H → G → C → B → F → D, with E, H and F facing outward and A and D facing the centre.

In HA, FH, DA and AE at least one of the two named sits immediately beside E or beside D - the two friends whose own facing the clues fix, and around whom the whole arrangement is built. Neither G nor C does: they sit together in the opposite arc, next to H and B. So GC is the pair that does not belong.

Answer: B

Correct answer: F

Four face outward and four face the centre, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: facing the centre, the left is clockwise; facing outward, the left is anticlockwise.

E faces outward, so H two seats to E’s right and B three to E’s left are placed at once - and B can only be three seats to H’s right if H too faces outward. D faces the centre with both neighbours facing outward, which rules out every seat but one, and F must then sit beside D. Of the seats left, C and G must be neighbours, which forces A into the seat beside E, with G two to A’s left and C beyond.

Clockwise the circle reads E → A → H → G → C → B → F → D, with E, H and F facing outward and A and D facing the centre.

Keeping A in her seat and running the alphabet clockwise puts B, C, D, E, F, G, H in the seats after her. Comparing with the original circle, only F lands where he already sits - five seats clockwise of A in both arrangements.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Two

Four face outward and four face the centre, so “left” and “right” must be read from each person’s own seat: facing the centre, the left is clockwise; facing outward, the left is anticlockwise.

E faces outward, so H two seats to E’s right and B three to E’s left are placed at once - and B can only be three seats to H’s right if H too faces outward. D faces the centre with both neighbours facing outward, which rules out every seat but one, and F must then sit beside D. Of the seats left, C and G must be neighbours, which forces A into the seat beside E, with G two to A’s left and C beyond.

Clockwise the circle reads E → A → H → G → C → B → F → D, with E, H and F facing outward and A and D facing the centre.

Going clockwise from A we pass H and G before reaching C, so two people sit between them that way round.