The puzzle
Karan, Gauri, Bhavna, Isha sit in a single row, all facing north. Seat 1 is the far-left end and seat 4 is the far-right end. Using the clues below, work out the order from left to right.
- Isha sits immediately to the left of Gauri.
- Exactly 2 people sit between Gauri and Bhavna.
- Bhavna sits somewhere to the left of Karan.
Question: What is the seating order from far-left to far-right?
Reveal the answer
Answer: Bhavna, Karan, Isha, Gauri (left to right).
Seat 1BhavnaSeat 2KaranSeat 3IshaSeat 4Gauri
- Start: 24 possible left-to-right orders of 4 people.
- Clue 1 — "Isha sits immediately to the left of Gauri." leaves 6 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Gauri and Bhavna." leaves 1 possibility.
- Clue 3 — "Bhavna sits somewhere to the left of Karan." leaves 1 possibility.
- Exactly one order survives every clue — that is the answer.