When three friends A, B and C met, it was found that each of them wore an outer garment of a different colour. In random order, the garments are: jacket, sweater and tie; and the colours are: blue, white and black. Their surnames in random order: Ribeiro, Kumar and Singh. Further, we know that: Neither B nor Ribeiro wore a white sweater C wore a tie Singh’s garment was not white Kumar does not wear a jacket Ribeiro does not like to wear the black colour Each of the friends wore only one outer garment of only one colour Who wore the sweater?

Reasoning : Logical Reasoning & Analytical Ability

Q 208 / 325

UPSC CSE Prelims 2016

When three friends A, B and C met, it was found that each of them wore an outer garment of a different colour. In random order, the garments are: jacket, sweater and tie; and the colours are: blue, white and black. Their surnames in random order: Ribeiro, Kumar and Singh. Further, we know that:

Neither B nor Ribeiro wore a white sweater
C wore a tie
Singh’s garment was not white
Kumar does not wear a jacket
Ribeiro does not like to wear the black colour
Each of the friends wore only one outer garment of only one colour

Who wore the sweater?

EXPLANATION

Correct Option

The problem can be solved by systematically deducing the relationships between friends, their surnames, garments, and colours based on the given clues.

From Clue 2, C wore a tie.
The available outer garments are jacket, sweater, and tie. Since C wore a tie, the jacket and sweater must be worn by friends A and B.
From Clue 4, Kumar does not wear a jacket. Given that A and B wear the jacket and sweater, Kumar must be the one who wore the sweater. Therefore, the person who wore the sweater is Kumar.
Now, we need to identify which friend is Kumar. Let's consider the following assignment, which is consistent with all clues:
- C wore the tie.
- A wore the sweater (thus A is Kumar).
- B wore the jacket (the remaining garment).
Assigning surnames and colours:
- C is Ribeiro (wore the tie).
- B is Singh (wore the jacket).
Let's verify this configuration with the colour clues:
- From Clue 5, Ribeiro does not like to wear the black colour. Since C is Ribeiro and wore a tie, C's tie cannot be black.
- From Clue 3, Singh’s garment was not white. Since B is Singh and wore a jacket, B's jacket cannot be white.
- From Clue 1, neither B nor Ribeiro wore a white sweater. Since B (Singh) wore a jacket and C (Ribeiro) wore a tie, this clue implies that if they wore a sweater, it wouldn't be white. However, they did not wear sweaters, so this condition is met. This clue does not restrict the colour of Kumar's sweater (worn by A).
Considering the available colours (blue, white, black) and the restrictions:
- If A (Kumar) wore a white sweater, then the remaining colours for B (Singh, jacket) and C (Ribeiro, tie) are blue and black.
- Since C (Ribeiro) cannot wear black (Clue 5), C's tie must be blue.
- Consequently, B (Singh)'s jacket must be black.
- This assignment is consistent with Clue 3 (Singh’s garment was not white, and black is not white).
Thus, the complete consistent assignment is:
- A: Kumar, Sweater, White
- B: Singh, Jacket, Black
- C: Ribeiro, Tie, Blue
Based on this unique deduction, A wore the sweater.

Incorrect Options

Options 2 (B), 3 (C), and 4 (Cannot be determined) are incorrect because a unique and consistent solution can be derived from the given clues, clearly identifying A as the person who wore the sweater.