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IBPS Clerk Parallel Row Puzzle

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This page covers IBPS Clerk Parallel Row Puzzle with complete concept notes, 15 graded practice MCQs, key points and exam-specific tips. Free to study.

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Concept Notes

Parallel Row Puzzle— Rules & Concept

1.Core Concept

Read this first — the foundation of the topic

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.

2.Exam Patterns

What 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.

3.Shortcuts

Use 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.

4.Worked Example

Solve 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.

5.Exam Traps

Common 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

15graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis

All MCQs →
Practice 1easy

Four people sit in Row 1 and four in Row 2, facing each other. Row 1: J, K, L, M (left to right). Row 2: N, O, P, Q (left to right). J is opposite N. K is opposite O. L is opposite P. M is opposite Q. Which person is to the immediate right of the person opposite to K?

Practice 2easy

Six people—A, B, C, D, E, 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 to B. D sits to the immediate left of C. E sits in Row 2, left end. F sits in Row 1, left end. Who sits directly opposite to A?

Practice 3easy

Eight people sit in two parallel rows of four seats each, facing each other. Row 1 (North): P, Q, R, S from left to right. Row 2 (South): T, U, V, W from left to right. T is directly opposite P. U is directly opposite Q. V is directly opposite R. W is directly opposite S. If we consider 'left' from the perspective of each row independently, who is to the left of V in Row 2?

Practice 4easy

In a parallel row arrangement, Row A has 5 people: M, N, O, P, Q sitting left to right. Row B (facing Row A) has 5 people: V, W, X, Y, Z sitting left to right. M is opposite V. N is opposite W. O is opposite X. P is opposite Y. Q is opposite Z. If X moves two seats to the right, who becomes the new opposite of O?

Practice 5easy

Two rows of 4 people each sit facing each other. Row 1 (top): A, B, C, D from left to right. Row 2 (bottom): E, F, G, H from left to right. A is opposite E. B is opposite F. C is opposite G. D is opposite H. Additionally, B is to the right of A, and F is to the right of E. If we remove C from Row 1, who is now directly opposite to the person who was originally opposite to C?

Practice 6medium

Seven people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 has 4 seats; Row 2 has 3 seats. Rows face each other. Clues: 1. A sits at position 1 in Row 1. 2. B sits at position 4 in Row 1. 3. C sits at position 2 in Row 1. 4. D sits directly opposite A. 5. E sits directly opposite B. 6. F sits directly opposite C. 7. G is the remaining person. Which row does G sit in, and at which position?

Practice 7medium

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 in Row 1, leftmost seat. 2. B sits directly opposite to A in Row 2. 3. C sits to the right of A in Row 1. 4. D sits in the middle seat of Row 2. 5. E sits to the right of D in Row 2. 6. F is the only person left. Who sits in the middle seat of Row 1?

Practice 8medium

Eight people sit in two parallel rows of four seats each. Row 1 (top) faces Row 2 (bottom). Positions are numbered 1–4 from left to right in each row. Clues: 1. P sits at position 1 in Row 1. 2. Q sits directly opposite P. 3. R sits at position 3 in Row 1. 4. S sits directly opposite R. 5. T sits at position 2 in Row 2. 6. U sits at position 4 in Row 2. 7. V and W occupy the remaining seats. Which of the following is definitely true?

Practice 9medium

Six friends—M, N, O, P, Q, R—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row A (north) faces Row B (south). Seats in each row are numbered 1 (left) to 3 (right). Conditions: 1. M sits at seat 1 in Row A. 2. N sits at seat 3 in Row A. 3. O sits directly opposite M. 4. P sits directly opposite N. 5. Q sits at seat 2 in Row B. 6. R is the remaining person. If someone asks, 'Who sits to the immediate right of the person opposite to M?', what is the answer?

Practice 10medium

Five people—X, Y, Z, W, V—sit in two parallel rows. Row I (top) has 3 seats; Row II (bottom) has 2 seats. Rows face each other. Clues: 1. X sits at position 1 in Row I. 2. Y sits at position 3 in Row I. 3. Z sits directly opposite X. 4. W sits directly opposite Y. 5. V is the remaining person. Which of the following statements is true?

Practice 11hard

Eight people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H—sit in two parallel rows of 4 each, facing North. Row 1 is in front; Row 2 is behind. Positions are numbered 1–4 from left to right in each row. Clues: 1. A sits in Row 1, Position 2. 2. B sits directly behind A (Row 2, Position 2). 3. C sits to the right of A in Row 1. 4. D sits in Row 2, Position 1. 5. E sits in Row 1, Position 4. 6. F sits directly behind E. 7. G sits in Row 2, Position 3. 8. H is the only person left. Who sits in Row 1, Position 1?

Practice 12hard

Six people—P, Q, R, S, T, U—sit in two parallel rows of 3 each, facing East. Row A is North; Row B is South. Positions are numbered 1–3 from West to East in each row. Clues: 1. P sits in Row A, Position 2. 2. Q sits in Row B, Position 1. 3. R sits directly north of Q. 4. S sits in Row A, Position 3. 5. T sits in Row B, Position 3. 6. U is the only person left. Which position is U in, and which row?

Practice 13hard

Seven people—M, N, O, P, Q, R, S—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 (front) has 4 seats; Row 2 (back) has 3 seats. All face North. Positions in each row are numbered 1–4 (Row 1) and 1–3 (Row 2) from left to right. Clues: 1. M sits in Row 1, Position 3. 2. N sits in Row 2, Position 2. 3. O sits directly behind M. 4. P sits in Row 1, Position 1. 5. Q sits in Row 1, Position 4. 6. R sits in Row 2, Position 1. 7. S is the only person left. Which of the following is true?

Practice 14hard

Eight people—A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H—sit in two parallel rows of 4 each, facing North. Row 1 is in front; Row 2 is behind. Positions are numbered 1–4 from left to right in each row. Clues: 1. A sits in Row 1, Position 2. 2. B sits directly behind A. 3. C sits to the immediate right of A in Row 1. 4. D sits in Row 2, Position 1. 5. E sits in Row 1, Position 4. 6. F sits directly behind E. 7. G sits to the immediate left of D in Row 2 (i.e., Row 2, Position 0)—INVALID. Revise: G sits in Row 2, Position 3. 8. H is the only person left. Who sits directly in front of G?

Practice 15hard

Nine people—P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X—sit in two parallel rows. Row 1 (front) has 5 seats; Row 2 (back) has 4 seats. All face North. Positions in Row 1 are numbered 1–5 from left to right; positions in Row 2 are numbered 1–4 from left to right. Clues: 1. P sits in Row 1, Position 3. 2. Q sits in Row 2, Position 2. 3. R sits directly behind P. 4. S sits in Row 1, Position 1. 5. T sits in Row 1, Position 5. 6. U sits directly behind T. 7. V sits in Row 2, Position 1. 8. W sits in Row 2, Position 4. 9. X is the only person left. Which row and position does X occupy?

60-Second Revision — Parallel Row Puzzle

  • Remember: Draw two lines with direction arrows first
  • Formula: Opposite positions have same numbers across rows
  • Trap: Left-right confusion when people face each other
  • Key: Establish total positions in each row before solving
  • Trick: Use position numbers 1,2,3,4 instead of left-right terms
  • Pattern: SSC asks who sits opposite, at ends, and neighbors
  • Speed tip: Mark known positions first, then use given relationships
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