The puzzle
Esha, Karan, Bhavna, Harsh 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.
- Exactly 2 people sit between Esha and Bhavna.
- Esha sits somewhere to the left of Bhavna.
- Harsh sits immediately to the left of Karan.
Question: What is the seating order from far-left to far-right?
Reveal the answer
Answer: Esha, Harsh, Karan, Bhavna (left to right).
Seat 1EshaSeat 2HarshSeat 3KaranSeat 4Bhavna
- Start: 24 possible left-to-right orders of 4 people.
- Clue 1 — "Exactly 2 people sit between Esha and Bhavna." leaves 4 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "Esha sits somewhere to the left of Bhavna." leaves 2 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Harsh sits immediately to the left of Karan." leaves 1 possibility.
- Exactly one order survives every clue — that is the answer.