Study Material — 9 PYQs (2024–2024) · Concept Notes · Shortcuts
SSC GD Constable Parallel Row Puzzle is a frequently tested subtopic — 9 previous year questions from 2024–2024 papers are included below with concept notes, key rules and shortcut tricks.
SSC GD Constable Parallel Row Puzzle — Past Exam Questions
9 questions from actual SSC GD Constable papers · all shown free · click option to reveal solution
Exam Q 12024Previous Year Pattern
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. M sits in Row 1, left seat. N sits in Row 1, right seat. O sits directly opposite M. P sits directly opposite N. Q sits in the remaining seat in Row 1. Who sits in the middle seat of Row 1?
Exam Q 22024Previous Year Pattern
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. B sits in Row 2, middle seat. A sits directly opposite B. C sits to the right of A. D sits to the left of B. E sits to the right of B. F sits in the remaining seat. Which person sits directly opposite D?
Exam Q 32024Previous Year Pattern
Four people—X, Y, Z, W—sit in two parallel rows of two seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. X sits in Row 1, left seat. Y sits directly opposite X. Z sits to the right of X. W sits in the remaining seat. If we count from left to right in each row, which person is in the 3rd position overall?
Exam Q 42024Previous Year Pattern
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 in Row 2, middle seat. C sits to the left of A. D sits to the right of B. E sits to the left of B. F sits in the remaining seat. How many people sit to the left of the person who sits directly opposite C?
Exam Q 52024Previous Year Pattern
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces South; Row 2 faces North. They face each other across a table.
Clues:
1. A sits in Row 1, leftmost seat.
2. B sits directly opposite to A (Row 2).
3. C sits to the right of A in Row 1.
4. D sits to the right of C in Row 1.
5. E sits directly opposite to C.
6. F sits in the remaining seat.
Who sits directly opposite to D?
Exam Q 62024Previous Year Pattern
Six people — A, B, C, D, E, and F — sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces South, Row 2 faces North. They face each other.
Conditions:
1. A sits in Row 1, middle seat.
2. B sits directly behind A (in Row 2).
3. C sits to the left of A in Row 1.
4. D sits to the right of B in Row 2.
5. E sits in Row 2, left seat.
6. F is not adjacent to D.
Who sits in the right seat of Row 1?
Exam Q 72024Previous Year Pattern
Six people—P, Q, R, S, T, U—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row X faces West; Row Y faces East. Seats are numbered 1-3 (left to right when viewing from outside the rows).
Clues:
1. P sits in Row X, seat 2.
2. Q sits directly opposite P.
3. R sits to the right of P in Row X.
4. S sits to the left of P in Row X.
5. T sits in Row Y, seat 1.
6. U sits directly opposite S.
If we view the arrangement from above, which person sits in Row Y, seat 3?
Exam Q 82024Previous Year Pattern
Five people—M, N, O, P, Q—sit in two parallel rows. Row A has 3 seats facing North; Row B has 2 seats facing South. Seats in Row A are numbered 1-3 (left to right). Seats in Row B are numbered 1-2 (left to right).
Clues:
1. M sits in Row A, seat 2.
2. N sits in Row B, seat 1.
3. O sits to the right of M in Row A.
4. P sits to the left of M in Row A.
5. Q sits in Row B, seat 2.
6. The person in Row A seat 1 faces the person in Row B seat 1.
7. The person in Row A seat 3 faces the person in Row B seat 2.
Who sits in Row A, seat 1?
Exam Q 92024Previous Year Pattern
Eight people sit in two parallel rows of four seats each. Row 1 faces East; Row 2 faces West. Each person in Row 1 faces someone in Row 2.
Clues:
1. P sits second from the left in Row 1.
2. Q sits directly opposite P.
3. R sits to the left of P in Row 1.
4. S sits to the right of P in Row 1.
5. T sits in the leftmost seat of Row 2.
6. U sits directly opposite R.
7. V sits directly opposite S.
8. W sits in the remaining seat.
Which of the following is true?
Concept Notes
Parallel Row Puzzle— Rules & Concept
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
2graded MCQs · easy to hard · full solution & trap analysis
Six people — Aman, Bhavna, Chitra, Deepak, Esha, and Farhan — sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. The following conditions must be satisfied:
1. Aman sits in Row 1, middle seat.
2. Bhavna sits directly opposite to Aman (Row 2, middle seat).
3. Chitra sits to the left of Aman in Row 1.
4. Deepak sits to the right of Bhavna in Row 2.
5. Esha does not sit adjacent to Aman.
6. Farhan sits in Row 1.
Who sits in the right seat of Row 2?
Practice 2medium
Six people—A, B, C, D, E, F—sit in two parallel rows of three seats each. Row 1 faces Row 2. The seating follows these rules: (1) A sits in Row 1, middle seat. (2) B sits directly opposite to A. (3) C sits to the left of A in Row 1. (4) D sits to the right of B in Row 2. (5) E and F occupy the remaining seats. (6) E is not adjacent to C. Who sits in the right seat of Row 2?
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