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Difficulty: MediumSeating Arrangement

Six project managers (Arthur, Vera, Winston, Xavier, Yara, and Zane) are seated around a triangular table facing the center. Three of them sit at the corners of the table and three sit at the middle of each side.

1. Arthur sits at one of the corners.
2. Yara sits second to the left of Arthur.
3. Winston sits to the immediate right of Yara.
4. Vera sits at the middle of one of the sides, but she is not an immediate neighbor of Arthur.
5. Zane sits second to the left of Vera.

Based on this arrangement, who sits to the immediate left of Zane?

  1. ArthurAnswer
  2. B
    Xavier
  3. C
    Vera
  4. D
    Winston

Answer

Arthur sits to the immediate left of Zane.
Based on the clues, Arthur is at a corner, Yara is at the next clockwise corner, and Winston is at the middle seat between them. Vera must take the middle seat furthest from Arthur. Zane sits second to the left of Vera, placing him at the middle seat next to Arthur. Xavier takes the last remaining corner. Since everyone faces the center, moving to the 'immediate left' means moving one seat clockwise. The seat immediately clockwise from Zane is occupied by Arthur.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Establish the seating directions for a triangular table where everyone faces the center.
Facing the center means 'left' corresponds to moving clockwise around the perimeter, and 'right' corresponds to moving counter-clockwise.
This is a crucial first step to correctly interpret all directional clues and avoid misplacing individuals.
2
Place Arthur, Yara, and Winston based on the first three clues.
Place Arthur at any corner. Yara sits second to the left (clockwise), placing her at the next consecutive corner. Winston sits to the immediate right (counter-clockwise) of Yara, placing him at the middle seat exactly between Arthur and Yara.
These three clues form a direct, deterministic chain of adjacent positions.
3
Determine Vera's position based on the fourth clue.
Vera sits at a middle seat. The middle seat between Arthur and Yara is already occupied by Winston. The middle seat on Arthur's other side makes her an immediate neighbor of Arthur, which is forbidden. Thus, Vera must sit at the third remaining middle seat.
Process of elimination based on seat types (middle) and negative constraints (not next to Arthur).
4
Place Zane and Xavier based on the final clue.
Zane sits second to the left (clockwise) of Vera. This places Zane at the middle seat adjacent to Arthur. The only remaining seat is the third corner, which must go to Xavier.
This fulfills the final directional clue and successfully assigns the last person to the last empty seat.
5
Find the person sitting to the immediate left of Zane.
Zane is at a middle seat. Moving immediately to the left (clockwise) points directly to Arthur's corner seat.
This directly answers the specific question asked in the stem.

Key Concept

Circular and Polygonal Seating Arrangement with Inward Orientation
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Topics

Seating Arrangement

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