UPSC CSE Prelims 2021
Consider two Statements and a Question:
- Statement-I: Priya is 4 ranks below Seema and is 31st from the bottom.
- Statement-II: Ena is 2 ranks above Seema and is 37th from the bottom.
Question: What is Seema’s rank from the top in the class of 40 students?
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the statements and the Question?
EXPLANATION
Correct Option (C)
The total number of students in the class is 40.
Analysis of Statement-I:
- Priya is ranked 31st from the bottom.
- To find Priya's rank from the top, the formula is: Total students - Rank from bottom + 1.
- Priya's rank from the top = 40 - 31 + 1 = 10th.
- Statement-I states Priya is 4 ranks below Seema. This implies Seema's rank is 4 positions higher (better) than Priya's.
- Seema's rank from the top = Priya's rank from top - 4 = 10 - 4 = 6th.
Thus, Statement-I alone is sufficient to determine Seema's rank from the top.
Analysis of Statement-II:
- Ena is ranked 37th from the bottom.
- To find Ena's rank from the top, the formula is: Total students - Rank from bottom + 1.
- Ena's rank from the top = 40 - 37 + 1 = 4th.
- Statement-II states Ena is 2 ranks above Seema. This implies Seema's rank is 2 positions lower (worse) than Ena's.
- Seema's rank from the top = Ena's rank from top + 2 = 4 + 2 = 6th.
Thus, Statement-II alone is sufficient to determine Seema's rank from the top.
Since both Statement-I alone and Statement-II alone are sufficient to answer the question, the correct option is (C).
Incorrect Options:
Options (A), (B), and (D) are incorrect because the question can be answered using either Statement-I independently or Statement-II independently. It is not necessary to use both statements, nor is either statement alone insufficient to provide the answer.
