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Difficulty: MediumAnalytical Puzzles and Grouping

Five inspectors—Karan, Latika, Manish, Neha, and Om—are to be deployed to two inspection zones: North Zone and South Zone. Exactly three inspectors must be assigned to the North Zone, and exactly two inspectors to the South Zone, adhering to the following conditions:
1. Karan and Latika must be assigned to the same zone.
2. Manish and Neha cannot be assigned to the same zone.
3. Om is assigned to the South Zone.
4. If Neha is assigned to the North Zone, then Latika must be assigned to the South Zone.

Which of the following inspectors is assigned to the South Zone along with Om?

  1. NehaAnswer
  2. B
    Manish
  3. C
    Karan
  4. D
    Latika

Answer

Neha is assigned to the South Zone along with Om.
Since Om is in the South Zone (capacity 2), placing Karan and Latika together in the South Zone would exceed capacity, so Karan and Latika must be in the North Zone. Since Latika is in the North Zone, the conditional statement dictates that Neha cannot be in the North Zone (by contrapositive). Thus, Neha is assigned to the South Zone with Om.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze zone capacities and Om's placement
Om is in the South Zone. The South Zone requires 2 inspectors (1 spot remaining), and the North Zone requires 3 inspectors.
Om's assignment is explicitly given in condition 3.
2
Determine the placement of Karan and Latika
Karan and Latika must be assigned to the North Zone.
Condition 1 states they must be in the same zone. Placing both in the South Zone alongside Om would result in 3 inspectors in the South Zone, violating the capacity limit of 2.
3
Evaluate Neha's placement using conditional logic
Neha must be assigned to the South Zone.
Condition 4 states: 'If Neha is in North Zone, then Latika must be in South Zone'. Since Latika is in the North Zone (consequent is false), contrapositive reasoning implies Neha cannot be in the North Zone (antecedent must be false).
4
Assign the remaining inspector, Manish
Manish is assigned to the North Zone.
Condition 2 states Manish and Neha cannot be in the same zone, and the North Zone requires one more inspector to complete its quota of 3.

Key Concept

Analytical Grouping and Logical Deduction
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Topics

Analytical Puzzles and Grouping

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