Question

Seven boxes P, Q, R, S, T, U and V are kept one over the other but not necessarily in the same order. S is kept third from the bottom. Only V is kept between P and S. Only three boxes are kept between T and V. T is kept immediately below U. Q is kept immediately above S. R is kept third from the top. How many boxes are kept between U and S?

• A. Three
• B. One
• C. Two
• D. Four

Answer 1

Answer:

A. Three

There are three boxes kept between U and S.

Let's number the positions from 7 (topmost) down to 1 (lowermost):

1. S is kept third from the bottom: This places S at position 3.

2. Q is kept immediately above S: This places Q at position 4.

3. R is kept third from the top: Out of 7 boxes, the third from the top is position 5 (R).

4. Only V is kept between P and S: Since S is at position 3, V must be next to it. Position 4 is already occupied by Q, so V must go below S at position 2. Consequently, P goes below V at position 1 (making V exactly between P and S).

5. Only three boxes are kept between T and V: V is at position 2. Counting three spaces up (positions 3, 4, and 5), T must be at position 6.

6. T is kept immediately below U: Since T is at position 6, U must be at position 7.

Final Box Stack Order:

• 7: U

• 6: T

• 5: R

• 4: Q

• 3: S

• 2: V

• 1: P

Counting the boxes between U (7) and S (3), we find boxes T, R, and Q. Thus, there are exactly 3 boxes between them.