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Difficulty: MediumSeating Arrangement

Five executives—Ford, Greta, Harry, Ian, and Julia—are seated in a single straight row facing South during a board meeting.

Based on the following conditions, arrange the executives in the exact order they are seated from West to East (i.e., from the viewer's left to right):

1. Ford sits at the extreme left end of the row.
2. Julia sits immediately to the right of Ford.
3. Greta sits second to the right of Ian.
4. Harry sits adjacent to Ian, but does not sit next to Julia.

  1. 1Greta
  2. 2Harry
  3. 3Ian
  4. 4Julia
  5. 5Ford

Answer

The correct seating order from West to East (viewer's left to right) is Greta, Harry, Ian, Julia, and Ford.
By accounting for the South-facing orientation, we reverse the standard left and right. Ford at the 'extreme left' places him on the viewer's far right (East). Following the relative positioning places Julia beside him, Ian in the middle, Harry at position 2, and Greta at position 1 (West).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the layout based on the facing direction.
Create five seats from West (viewer's left) to East (viewer's right). Since they face South, an executive's 'left' corresponds to East and their 'right' corresponds to West.
Crucial for correctly interpreting spatial clues without reversing the arrangement.
2
Place Ford and Julia using clues 1 and 2.
Ford is placed at position 5 (East/extreme left). Julia is placed at position 4 (immediate right of Ford).
Ford is at the extreme left (which is East when facing South). Julia is to his immediate right (which is West).
3
Place Ian and Greta using clue 3.
Ian is placed at position 3 and Greta is placed at position 1.
Greta is second to the right of Ian. The only remaining spaces with a gap of one seat are positions 1 and 3 (right = West).
4
Place Harry using clue 4.
Harry is placed at position 2.
Harry must be adjacent to Ian (position 3), which means he must be at position 2 or 4. Position 4 is occupied by Julia, so Harry takes position 2. This perfectly satisfies the condition that he is not next to Julia.

Key Concept

Linear Seating Arrangement with South-Facing Orientation
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Topics

Seating Arrangement

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