Core ConceptRead this first — the foundation of the topic
Core Concept
In parallel row puzzles, you arrange people in two rows based on given conditions. The key challenge is tracking who sits where and their facing directions. Most commonly, people in Row 1 face south and people in Row 2 face north, so they look at each other
Key Rules
Always establish the facing direction first. If Row 1 faces south and Row 2 faces north, then left-right positions are opposite when viewed from each person's perspective. When someone in Row 1 looks at Row 2, their left corresponds to the right side of people in Row 2. Distance relationships work normally - adjacent means next to each other, and counting positions follows the established direction.
Exam PatternsWhat examiners ask — read before attempting PYQs
SSC CGL typically asks 3-5 questions from one parallel row puzzle. Questions focus on who sits opposite to whom, who sits at ends, counting positions from left or right, and identifying neighbors. The puzzle usually involves 6-10 people with 3-4 people in each row.
ShortcutsUse these to save 30–60 seconds per question
1
Draw two horizontal lines and mark positions as 1,2,3,4 in Row 1 and 1,2,3,4 in Row
2
When Row 1 faces Row 2, position 1 of Row 1 faces position 1 of Row 2 directly. Use arrows to show facing directions. This visual method prevents confusion about left-right orientations.
Worked ExampleSolve this step-by-step before moving on
1
Step 1
Draw two rows. Row 1 faces north, Row 2 faces south (given A faces north in Row 1).
2
Step 2
D sits at left end of Row 1, so D is at position 1.
3
Step 3
A sits second from left in Row 1, so A is at position 2.
4
Step 4
B sits opposite to A, so B is at position 2 in Row 2.
5
Step 5
C sits immediate right of B. Since Row 2 faces south, C's right means position 1 in Row 2.
6
Step 6
Who sits opposite to C? C is at position 1 in Row 2, so the person opposite is at position 1 in Row 1, which is D.
Answer: D sits opposite to C.
Exam TrapsCommon mistakes students make — avoid these
Students confuse left-right directions when people face different directions. Always remember that when two people face each other, their left-right sides are opposite. Draw diagrams with clear direction arrows to avoid this confusion.
Another mistake is not establishing the total number of positions in each row before placing people.
Key Points to Remember
Two parallel rows with people facing each other or same direction
Row 1 typically faces south, Row 2 faces north in standard setup
Left-right positions are opposite when people face each other
Always draw diagram with direction arrows to avoid confusion
Opposite positions have same number in both rows
Adjacent means immediately next to each other in same row
Distance counting follows the established facing direction
End positions are leftmost and rightmost in each row
Exam-Specific Tips
Standard setup has Row 1 facing south and Row 2 facing north
Parallel row puzzles typically contain 6-10 people total
Each row usually has 3-5 positions maximum
Opposite positions share the same numerical position across rows
Left end means position 1, right end means last position
Immediate neighbor means adjacent position with no gap
Second from left means position 2 in the row
Third from right means third position counting from rightmost end
Practice MCQs
Parallel Row Puzzle — Practice Questions
22graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis · showing 20 of 22
Four persons — W, X, Y, and Z — sit in two parallel rows of two persons each. Row 1 persons face North and Row 2 persons face South (so each person faces exactly one person in the other row). W and X are in Row 1. Y and Z are in Row 2. X sits to the right of W (from X's perspective, facing North). Z faces W. Which of the following pairs sit in the same row and are immediate neighbours?
Practice 2easy
Five people—X, Y, Z, W, V—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has three seats; Row 2 has two seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. X, Y, Z sit in Row 1 from left to right. W, V sit in Row 2 from left to right. Y sits in the middle of Row 1. W sits directly opposite Y. V sits to the right of W. Which person in Row 1 does NOT have anyone sitting directly opposite them?
Practice 3easy
Seven people sit in two parallel rows: Row X (5 seats, facing South) and Row Y (5 seats, facing North). Some seats may be empty.
Clues:
1. Vikram sits at Position 2 in Row X.
2. Priya sits directly opposite Vikram in Row Y.
3. Aditya sits two positions to the right of Vikram in Row X (at Position 4).
4. Neha sits directly opposite Aditya in Row Y.
5. Rohan sits at Position 1 in Row X.
6. Simran sits immediately to the right of Rohan in Row X.
7. Kavya sits directly opposite Rohan in Row Y.
How many empty seats are there in total across both rows?
Practice 4easy
Four people—M, N, O, P—sit in two parallel rows of two seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. M sits in Row 1, left seat. N sits in Row 1, right seat. O sits in Row 2, left seat. P sits in Row 2, right seat. If we consider the person sitting to the left of N in Row 1, who sits directly opposite that person?
Practice 5easy
Five people—V, W, X, Y, Z—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each. Row I faces Row II. V sits in Row I, Position 1. W sits in Row I, Position 2. X sits in Row I, Position 3. Y sits directly opposite W in Row II, Position 2. Z sits directly opposite V in Row II, Position 1. Who sits in Row II, Position 3?
Practice 6easy
Four people—M, N, O, P—sit in two parallel rows of 2 seats each. Row X faces Row Y. M sits in Row X, Position 1. N sits directly opposite M in Row Y, Position 1. O sits in Row X, Position 2. P sits directly opposite O in Row Y, Position 2. If we consider the perspective of someone sitting in Row Y facing Row X, who sits to the right of N?
Practice 7easy
Seven people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—sit in two parallel rows of 4 seats each (Row 1 and Row 2). Row 1 faces Row 2. A sits in Row 1, Position 2. B sits directly opposite A in Row 2, Position 2. C sits immediately to the right of A in Row 1, Position 3. D sits immediately to the left of A in Row 1, Position 1. E sits directly opposite C in Row 2, Position 3. F sits directly opposite D in Row 2, Position 1. G sits in Row 2, Position 4. How many people sit between D and C in Row 1?
Practice 8easy
Six people—P, Q, R, S, T, U—sit in two parallel rows of 3 seats each. Row A faces Row B. P sits in Row A, Position 1. Q sits directly opposite P in Row B, Position 1. R sits in Row A, Position 3. S sits directly opposite R in Row B, Position 3. T sits in Row A, Position 2. U sits in Row B, Position 2. If we consider 'left' from the perspective of someone sitting in Row A facing Row B, who sits to the left of T?
Practice 9easy
Six people—P, Q, R, S, T, U—sit in two parallel rows (Row A and Row B) with 6 seats each, facing each other. Row A faces East; Row B faces West.
Clues:
1. P sits at Position 4 in Row A.
2. Q sits directly opposite P.
3. R sits two positions to the right of P in Row A.
4. S sits directly opposite R.
5. T sits at Position 1 in Row B.
6. U sits immediately to the right of T in Row B.
Who sits at Position 3 in Row A?
Practice 10easy
Eight people sit in two parallel rows of four seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. P, Q, R, S sit in Row 1 from left to right. T, U, V, W sit in Row 2 from left to right. Q sits second from the left in Row 1. U sits directly opposite to Q. V sits to the immediate right of U. Who sits directly opposite to R?
Practice 11easy
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, and F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. A sits in Row 1, middle seat. B sits to the immediate right of A. C sits in Row 2, directly opposite B. D sits in Row 2, left seat. E sits in Row 1, left seat. F sits in Row 2, right seat. Who sits directly opposite E?
Practice 12easy
Four couples sit in two parallel rows facing each other. Row 1 faces North; Row 2 faces South. Each row has 4 seats. The couples are: (Arun, Anjali), (Bhavesh, Bhavna), (Charan, Chitra), (Dhruv, Diya).
Clues:
1. Arun sits at Position 1 in Row 1; Anjali sits directly opposite him in Row 2.
2. Bhavesh sits immediately to the right of Arun in Row 1.
3. Bhavna sits immediately to the left of Anjali in Row 2.
4. Charan sits at Position 4 in Row 1.
5. Chitra sits directly opposite Charan.
Who sits at Position 3 in Row 2?
Practice 13easy
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. A, B, C sit in Row 1 from left to right. D, E, F sit in Row 2 from left to right. B sits between A and C. E sits directly opposite B. D sits to the left of E. F sits to the right of E. How many people sit to the right of the person who is directly opposite A?
Practice 14easy
Five friends—Aman, Bhavna, Chetan, Deepa, and Esha—sit in two parallel rows of 5 seats each, facing each other. Row 1 faces South; Row 2 faces North. Each person in Row 1 has exactly one person directly opposite in Row 2.
Clues:
1. Aman sits in Row 1, Position 3.
2. Bhavna sits directly opposite Aman.
3. Chetan sits to the immediate left of Aman in Row 1.
4. Deepa sits in Row 2, Position 1.
5. Esha sits to the immediate right of Deepa in Row 2.
Who sits directly opposite Chetan?
Practice 15easy
Four people — W, X, Y, and Z — are sitting in two rows of 2 each. Row 1 faces North and Row 2 faces South. W and X sit in Row 1. Y sits directly opposite W. Z sits directly opposite X. W sits to the left of X. Which of the following pairs sit opposite each other?
Practice 16medium
Five people—M, N, O, P, Q—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has three seats; Row 2 has two seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. M sits in position 2 of Row 1.
2. N sits directly in front of O.
3. P sits to the immediate left of Q in Row 1.
4. O is not in position 1 of Row 2.
Who sits in position 1 of Row 2?
Practice 17medium
Five friends—Anil, Bina, Chetan, Deepa, and Esha—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has 3 seats, Row 2 has 2 seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions hold: (1) Anil sits in Row 1, left seat. (2) Bina sits directly opposite Anil. (3) Chetan sits in Row 1, middle seat. (4) Deepa sits to the right of Chetan in Row 1. (5) Esha sits in Row 2, and is not opposite to Chetan. Who sits opposite to Deepa?
Practice 18medium
Six people—1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row X faces Row Y. Constraints: (1) Person 1 sits in Row X, seat 1. (2) Person 2 sits directly opposite Person 1. (3) Person 3 sits in Row X, seat 3. (4) Person 4 sits directly opposite Person 3. (5) Person 5 sits in Row X, seat 2. (6) Person 6 sits in Row Y, seat 2. Who sits in Row Y, seat 1?
Practice 19medium
Seven people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has four seats; Row 2 has three seats. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. B sits in position 2 of Row 1.
2. A sits directly in front of C.
3. D sits to the immediate right of B in Row 1.
4. E sits in position 1 of Row 2.
5. F sits to the immediate left of G in Row 2.
6. G is not directly behind B.
Who sits in position 3 of Row 1?
Practice 20medium
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions apply:
1. A sits directly in front of D.
2. B sits to the immediate left of C in Row 1.
3. E sits to the immediate right of F in Row 2.
4. C does not sit directly in front of E.
5. F is not at either end of Row 2.
Who sits directly in front of F?
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