Question

On the farewell day five best friends—Vishal, Anirudh, Gaurav, Mansi and Sapna—clicked their photo, facing the photographer who is on the west. They stood subject to:
(i) Sapna stands to the right of Mansi and Gaurav.
(ii) Gaurav stands to the left of Vishal and Sapna.
(iii) Mansi stands between Vishal and Anirudh.
(iv) There are two people between Anirudh and Gaurav.
Who will be standing at the 2nd position from the right in the photograph?

• A. Vishal
• B. Mansi
• C. Gaurav
• D. Anirudh

Hint:

When people face west, flip the usual left/right: right \(\Rightarrow\) north, left \(\Rightarrow\) south. Number the spots and convert each clue into inequalities; a quick table often yields a single consistent arrangement.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Fix the left/right orientation.
They face west (towards the photographer). So a person’s right points to the north and left to the south. We index five spots from north (1) to south (5). Step 2: Translate the clues.
(i) “Sapna to the right of Mansi and Gaurav” \(\Rightarrow\) \(S\) is north of both: \(S<M\) and \(S<G\).
(ii) “Gaurav to the left of Vishal and Sapna” \(\Rightarrow\) \(G\) is south of both: \(G>V\) and \(G>S\).
(iii) “Mansi between Vishal and Anirudh” \(\Rightarrow\) \(V<M<A\) or \(A<M<V\).
(iv) “Two people between Anirudh and Gaurav” \(\Rightarrow\) \(|A-G|=3\). Step 3: Deduce the unique arrangement.
Satisfying all the above gives the only order (north \(\to\) south):
\[ \boxed{1:S,\; 2:A,\; 3:M,\; 4:V,\; 5:G} \] Step 4: Read the asked position.
“In the photograph, 2nd from the right” refers to the viewer/photographer’s right, i.e., the south side. Counting from south (right) \(\Rightarrow\) positions \(5,\,\boxed{4},\,3,\,2,\,1\). Position \(4\) is \(\boxed{\text{Vishal}}\).