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CAT DILRmediumLinear Arrangement

Six Friends in a Row

Updated 22 October 2026

Six friends — A, B, C, D, E and F — sit in a row of six seats numbered 1 to 6 from left to right. All of them face the same direction.

Clues

  1. C sits at one of the two ends of the row.
  2. D sits to the right of A, with exactly two people between them.
  3. F sits immediately to the left of B.
  4. B sits somewhere to the right of E.
  5. E does not sit next to C.
Question 1 · Multiple choice (+3 / −1)

Who sits exactly midway between F and D?

Show the solution

Answer: B. B

  1. From clue 2, (A, D) occupy seats (1, 4), (2, 5) or (3, 6). From clue 3, F and B form an adjacent pair “F B”.
  2. Case C = 6: (A, D) is (1, 4) or (2, 5). With A1 D4, seats 2, 3, 5 remain — F B must take 2–3, leaving E in 5, but B must be right of E. ✗
  3. With A2 D5, seats 1, 3, 4 remain — F B take 3–4 and E takes 1. E is not next to C, and B is right of E. ✓
  4. Case C = 1: (A, D) is (2, 5) or (3, 6). A2 D5 puts E in 6, not left of B. ✗ A3 D6 puts E in 2, next to C. ✗
  5. The only arrangement is E A F B D C. F is in seat 3 and D in seat 5, so B (seat 4) sits midway between them.
Question 2 · Multiple choice (+3 / −1)

Who sits at the left end of the row?

Show the solution

Answer: C. E

  1. The arrangement is E A F B D C.
  2. Seat 1, the left end, belongs to E.
Question 3 · Multiple choice (+3 / −1)

How many people sit between E and D?

Show the solution

Answer: C. Three

  1. E is in seat 1 and D in seat 5.
  2. A, F and B (seats 2, 3 and 4) sit between them: three people.
Question 4 · Multiple choice (+3 / −1)

Who sits immediately to the right of A?

Show the solution

Answer: D. F

  1. A is in seat 2, so the person immediately to A's right is in seat 3.
  2. Seat 3 belongs to F.
Question 5 · Multiple choice (+3 / −1)

Which of the following pairs sit next to each other?

Show the solution

Answer: B. B and D

  1. A (2) and B (4) have F between them.
  2. B (4) and D (5) are neighbours. ✓
  3. E (1) and F (3) have A between them.
  4. B (4) and C (6) have D between them.

Full worked solution

  1. D is three seats to the right of A, so (A, D) is in seats (1, 4), (2, 5) or (3, 6). F and B form an adjacent pair “F B”. C is in seat 1 or seat 6; take each end in turn.
  2. Try C in seat 1. A cannot then be in seat 1, so try A in 2 and D in 5. Seats 3, 4 and 6 are left: F B must take 3–4, putting E in seat 6. But B must sit to the right of E.
  3. Still with C in seat 1, try A in 3 and D in 6. Seats 2, 4 and 5 are left: F B take 4–5 and E takes seat 2 — right next to C.
  4. So C is in seat 6, which rules out A in 3 and D in 6. Try A in 1 and D in 4: seats 2, 3 and 5 are left, so F B take 2–3 and E takes seat 5. Again B is not to the right of E.
  5. That leaves A in 2 and D in 5. Seats 1, 3 and 4 are free: F B take 3–4 and E takes seat 1. B is to the right of E, and E is far from C. The arrangement is E A F B D C.