Tips and tricks and shortcuts to solve arrangement questions

June 23, 2019

Arrangement questions can be asked in a variety of forms. So they have been divided into three different categories which are mentioned below namely:

1.)Linear Arrangement questions:

They can be in the type of single row arrangement or double row arrangement or direction based questions (North, South, West, and East). It is illustrated with the help of an example below:
•Single row arrangement:
Under this type, we are asked to arrange a group of people in a single line or a row.

Example 1:

Monika, Rachel, Mike, Ross, and Phoebe are five friends sitting on a bench in a garden.0020
Monika is sitting beside Rachel.
Mike is sitting beside Ross, But Ross is not sitting next to Phoebe, who is seated at the extreme corner which is the left-hand side of the bench.
Mike is sitting in the second position from the right of the bench.
Monika is towards the right-hand side of Rachel and Phoebe.
Monika and Mike are sitting together.
In which position is Monika sitting?

Options:
A.)Between Rachel and Ross
B.)Between Rachel and Mike
C.)Between Phoebe and Ross
D.)Between Mike and Phoebe


Solution:

Phoebe Rachel Monika Mike Ross
As per the above diagram, Monika is sitting in the middle of the bench, between Mike and Rachel.
Therefore option B is the correct one.

Similarly, we shall be asked to arrange a group of people either in a double row or on the basis of directions.

Correct Option: B

 

Quick Tip for solving the double row or direction based question:

While extracting the information and making the arrangement, we shall always focus on the direction towards which the person is facing.

If it is mentioned that they are facing towards the south then their arrangement would be like :

Similarly, if they are facing towards the North then their arrangement would be like:

If it is a double row arrangement, then both groups will be facing each other. Ie. One group will be facing towards the north, and the other one towards the south, and accordingly the directions will be considered as per the above diagram.

2.)Circular arrangement:

Here we will be asked to arrange the group of people in a circular form by following the conditions that are mentioned in the question.

For example 1:

H, I, J, K, L, M, N, and O are eight friends sitting on a round table such that
H is sitting at the second place towards the right of L who is seated between J and N.
K is not the neighbor of H.
N is sitting next to M
I is not sitting between K and O and o is not sitting between M and K.

Question. 1


Who among the following are the neighbors?
Options:
A.)H, J
B.)I. K
C.)M, L
D.)K, L

Solution:

As per the above diagram it is clear that H and J are immediate neighbors. Therefore option A is the correct one.

Correct Option: A

 

3.)Rectangular/Square/Hexagonal arrangement:


The Rectangular/Square/Hexagonal arrangements are almost similar to the circular method, the only difference being here we have to organize the group into either square/rectangular/hexagonal form by considering and following some specific terms and conditions that are mentioned in the question.

For example:
Lu, Sac, Mac, Tag, Yan, Tom, Sam, and Elon are eight friends sitting on a rectangular table with two people on each side.
There are three women in the group, and all of them are not sitting together.
Tom is sitting between Elon and Sac
Mac is sitting between Yan And Sac
Tag who is a woman is seated second to the left of Tom.
Sac (Man) is sitting opposite to Lu who is a woman.
A woman is sitting between Sac and Yan.

Questions 1.

Find the persons who are sitting on the left-hand side of Sac?
Options:
A.)Lu
B.)Mac
C.)Tom
D.)Sam

Solution:

It is clear from the diagram mentioned above that Tom is sitting on the left of Sac. Therefore option C is the correct one.

Here also we have to always keep in mind the direction in which the people are facing (that is towards the table or away from the table)
In case if they are looking away from the table then their sitting posture and their respective left and right side would be:

Correct Option: C