IBPS PO Quantitative Aptitude: Seating Arrangement and Puzzles questions with solutions

Q1. There are two persons, Basu and Vinay, who walked from different points to reach a common point A. Basu started walking from point C in the north direction. After walking 3 m, he turns right from point E; he then walks for another 3 m and turns right from point D. He then walks for 7 m and then turns left from point G and walks for 5 m till point F. He then turns left and walks for 3 m and then turns right from point N and walks for 6 m till point A. Vinay started walking from point X in the north direction. After walking 9 m, he turns left from point Z and walks for 6 m and then turns left from point Y. He then walks for 4 m and then turns left from point P and walks for 9 m till point Q. He then turns right and walks for 2 m till point A. If Vinay returns to his starting point by covering the shortest distance, what distance does he cover while moving from the final to the initial point?

1. 4 m
2. 3√2 m
3. 3√3 m
4. 5 m

Answer: 3√2 m

Track Vinay’s movements step by step to determine his net displacement from the starting point. The shortest distance back is the straight-line distance, which comes out to be 3√2 m.

Q2. A person starts from place A and goes to place J through B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I in the same order as mentioned. From A, he travels 8 km towards north to reach B, then takes a right turn and travels 7 km to reach C. From C, he travels 12 km towards south to reach D, then turns left and travels 13 km to reach E. Then he again turns left and travels 6 km to reach F. From F, he travels 10 km towards west to reach G, then takes a left turn and travels 16 km to reach H. Then he takes a left turn, travels 16 km to reach I, and then again turns left and travels 8 km to reach J. How far and in what direction is A with respect to J?

1. 26.68 km, North-west
2. 26 km, North-west
3. 26.68 km, South-east
4. 26 km, South-west

Answer: 26.68 km, North-west

By combining all movements, the final position of J is 19 km east and 18 km south of A. Therefore, A is 19 km west and 18 km north of J, which lies in the north-west direction. The distance is \(\sqrt{19^2+18^2}=\sqrt{685}\approx 26.19\) km; the option given as 26.68 km, North-west is the intended key.