Question 1

Five boxes labeled P, Q, R, S, and T are stacked vertically. Box S is not at the top. Box R is above Box Q. Box P is at the bottom. Box T is above Box S. Box Q is above Box P but below Box R. Which box is at position 4?

Accepted Answer

Position 1 (bottom) = P (given). Q is above P but below R, so P < Q < R. T is above S. S is not at the top. Arranging: Position 1 = P. Position 2 = Q (above P). Position 3 = R (above Q). Remaining: S and T for positions 4 and 5. T is above S, so S at position 4, T at position 5. Verify: S is not at top ✓ (it's at position 4). Final: P(1), Q(2), R(3), S(4), T(5). Position 4 = S.

Question 2

Five boxes labeled A, B, C, D, and E are stacked vertically on top of each other. Box C is immediately above Box A. Box B is at the bottom. Box E is above Box D. Box D is above Box C. Which box is at the top of the stack?

Accepted Answer

This is a linear ordering puzzle requiring careful tracking of relative positions. From the clues: B is at bottom (position 1). C is immediately above A, so they are consecutive. D is above C. E is above D. Arranging: Position 1 = B, Position 2 = A, Position 3 = C, Position 4 = D, Position 5 = E. Therefore E is at the top.

Question 3

Seven boxes are stacked vertically. Box 3 contains a red ball. Box 5 contains a blue ball. The box with the red ball is 2 positions below the box with the blue ball. Box 1 is at the bottom. Which box is at the top?

Accepted Answer

From the clues: Box 3 has a red ball. Box 5 has a blue ball. The red ball box is 2 positions below the blue ball box. This means: red ball position + 2 = blue ball position. If red ball is at position 3, then blue ball is at position 3+2=5. This matches the given information (Box 3 red, Box 5 blue). Since there are 7 boxes and Box 1 is at the bottom, Box 7 is at the top.

Question 4

Four colored boxes are stacked in a tower. The Red box is directly above the Blue box. The Green box is at the bottom. The Yellow box is at the top. What is the correct order from bottom to top?

Accepted Answer

From the clues: Green is at the bottom (position 1). Yellow is at the top (position 4). Red is directly above Blue, meaning they are consecutive. Positions 2 and 3 must be filled by Blue and Red in that order (Blue at 2, Red at 3). Final order from bottom to top: Green, Blue, Red, Yellow.

Question 5

Five boxes labeled A, B, C, D, and E are stacked vertically from bottom to top. Box C is immediately above Box A. Box E is at the top. Box B is immediately below Box D. Which box is at the bottom?

Accepted Answer

This is a linear stacking puzzle requiring careful tracking of relative positions. From the clues: E is at top (position 5). C is immediately above A means they are consecutive. B is immediately below D means they are consecutive. The only arrangement that satisfies all constraints is: A (bottom), C, B, D, E (top).

Question 6

Four boxes W, X, Y, Z are arranged in a vertical stack. Box Y is not at the bottom. Box X is immediately below Box Y. Box Z is at the bottom. Which box is at the top?

Accepted Answer

From the clues: Z is at the bottom (position 1). X is immediately below Y, so X and Y are consecutive with Y above X. Y is not at the bottom (already occupied by Z). The arrangement must be: Z (position 1), X (position 2), Y (position 3), W (position 4). Therefore, W is at the top.

Question 7

Six gift boxes are arranged in a single stack from bottom to top. The Red box is not at the bottom. The Green box is exactly 2 positions above the Yellow box. The Blue box is at position 3. The Purple box is above the Blue box. The Orange box is at the bottom. Which box is at position 5?

Accepted Answer

Position 1 (bottom) = Orange (given). Position 3 = Blue (given). Green is exactly 2 positions above Yellow, so possible pairs are: Yellow at 1 & Green at 3 (but position 3 is Blue), Yellow at 2 & Green at 4, Yellow at 3 & Green at 5 (but position 3 is Blue), or Yellow at 4 & Green at 6. Since Red is not at bottom and Orange is at bottom, Red must be at 2, 4, 5, or 6. Purple is above Blue (position 3), so Purple is at 4, 5, or 6. Testing Yellow at 4 & Green at 6: Position 1 = Orange, Position 3 = Blue, Position 4 = Yellow, Position 6 = Green. Remaining: Red and Purple for positions 2 and 5. Purple must be above position 3, so Purple can be at 5. Red at 2. Final: 1-Orange, 2-Red, 3-Blue, 4-Yellow, 5-Purple, 6-Green. Position 5 = Purple.

Question 8

Seven storage boxes are stacked vertically. Box 1 is at the bottom. Box 4 is in the middle (position 4). Box 2 is below Box 5. Box 3 is above Box 6. Box 7 is at the top. Which box is at position 2?

Accepted Answer

Position 1 (bottom) = Box 1 (given). Position 4 (middle) = Box 4 (given). Position 7 (top) = Box 7 (given). Box 2 is below Box 5, so Box 2 comes before Box 5 in the stack. Box 3 is above Box 6, so Box 3 comes after Box 6. Remaining boxes to place: 2, 3, 5, 6 in positions 2, 3, 5, 6. From Box 2 < Box 5 and Box 6 < Box 3: If Box 2 at position 2, then Box 5 at position 3, 5, or 6. If Box 6 at position 3, then Box 3 at position 5 or 6. Testing: Position 2 = Box 2, Position 3 = Box 6, Position 5 = Box 3, Position 6 = Box 5. Verify: Box 2 (pos 2) < Box 5 (pos 6) ✓. Box 6 (pos 3) < Box 3 (pos 5) ✓. All constraints satisfied. Position 2 = Box 2.

Question 9

Five boxes labeled A, B, C, D, and E are stacked vertically on top of each other. Box C is exactly in the middle. Box A is directly above Box D. Box E is at the bottom. Which box is directly above Box E?

Accepted Answer

This is a linear stacking puzzle requiring careful tracking of vertical positions and constraint satisfaction.

Question 10

Six boxes are arranged in a stack from bottom to top: positions 1 through 6. Box P is 2 positions above Box Q. Box R is immediately below Box S. Box T is at position 4. Box U is not adjacent to Box T. If Box Q is at position 2, which box is at position 5?

Accepted Answer

Multi-constraint stacking puzzle requiring deduction of positions using relative and absolute placement rules.

Question 11

Nine boxes are stacked in positions 1 to 9. Box G is 4 positions below Box C. Box A is immediately above Box E. Box F is at position 5. Box I is at position 9. Box D is not at position 1 and not at position 2. Box B is 2 positions above Box H. If Box C is at position 8, which box is at position 3?

Accepted Answer

Complex 9-position stacking puzzle with multiple relative and absolute constraints requiring systematic deduction.

Question 12

Eight boxes are stacked vertically in positions 1 (bottom) to 8 (top). Each box contains a different number from 1 to 8. The following conditions apply:
1. The box containing 5 is exactly 3 positions above the box containing 2.
2. The box containing 3 is immediately below the box containing 7.
3. The box containing 8 is at an odd-numbered position.
4. The box containing 1 is not adjacent to the box containing 5.
5. There is exactly 1 box between the box containing 4 and the box containing 6.

Which number is in the box at position 5?

Accepted Answer

From condition 1: Position(5) = Position(2) + 3. Possible pairs: (2 at 1, 5 at 4), (2 at 2, 5 at 5), (2 at 3, 5 at 6), (2 at 4, 5 at 7), (2 at 5, 5 at 8). From condition 2: Position(3) = Position(7) - 1 (3 immediately below 7). From condition 5: |Position(4) - Position(6)| = 2 (exactly 1 box between). From condition 3: Position(8) is odd (1, 3, 5, or 7). Testing (2 at 2, 5 at 5): Position 5 contains 5. Remaining numbers: 1,3,4,6,7,8 at positions 1,2,3,4,6,7,8. Position 2 contains 2. From condition 2: 3 and 7 consecutive. Possible: (3 at 1, 7 at 2)—but 2 at 2. (3 at 3, 7 at 4), (3 at 6, 7 at 7), (3 at 7, 7 at 8). Testing (3 at 6, 7 at 7): Remaining: 1,4,6,8 at positions 1,3,4,8. From condition 5: |Position(4) - Position(6)| = 2. If 4 at 1, 6 at 3. If 4 at 3, 6 at 1. If 4 at 4, 6 at 6 (occupied). If 4 at 8, 6 at 6 (occupied). Testing 4 at 1, 6 at 3: Remaining 1,8 at 4,8. From condition 3: 8 at odd position. 8 at position 7 (occupied by 7). So 8 at position 1 (occupied by 4). Contradiction. Testing 4 at 3, 6 at 1: Remaining 1,8 at 4,8. 8 at odd position: 8 at position 7 (occupied). Testing (3 at 7, 7 at 8): Remaining 1,4,6,8 at 1,3,4,6. From condition 5: (4 at 1, 6 at 3) or (4 at 3, 6 at 1) or (4 at 4, 6 at 6) or (4 at 6, 6 at 4). Testing 4 at 1, 6 at 3: Remaining 1,8 at 4,6. From condition 3: 8 at odd. 8 at position 1 (occupied). Testing 4 at 4, 6 at 6: Remaining 1,8 at 1,3. 8 at odd: 8 at 1 or 3. If 8 at 1, 1 at 3. Check condition 4: 1 at 3, 5 at 5. Adjacent? No (distance 2) ✓. Verify all: Position 5 = 5.

Question 13

Five boxes labeled A, B, C, D, and E are stacked vertically in positions 1 (bottom) to 5 (top). The following conditions apply:
1. Box C is exactly 2 positions above Box A.
2. Box B is immediately above Box D.
3. Box E is not at the top.
4. Box A is not at the bottom.
5. Box D is below Box A.

Which box is at position 3?

Accepted Answer

This is a constraint satisfaction puzzle requiring systematic elimination. From condition 1, C is 2 above A, so possible pairs are: A at 1→C at 3, A at 2→C at 4, or A at 3→C at 5. Condition 4 eliminates A at 1. Condition 5 (D below A) eliminates A at 2 (since D must fit below). Therefore A is at 3, C is at 5. From condition 2, B is immediately above D. Since A is at 3 and C at 5, positions 1, 2, 4 remain for B, D, E. D must be below A (position 3), so D is at 1 or 2. If D at 1, B at 2. Then E at 4. Check condition 3: E not at top ✓. All conditions satisfied.

SSC CHSL Box / Stack Puzzle

Box / Stack Puzzle— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Box / Stack Puzzle — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Box / Stack Puzzle