Floor Arrangement Reasoning Puzzle for IBPS PO — Sanjay, Tarun, Gauri, Zoya
The puzzle
Sanjay, Tarun, Gauri, Zoya — live on different floors — floor 1 is the lowest, floor 4 is the topmost. Using the clues below, work out the arrangement.
- Gauri lives on the floor immediately above Zoya.
- There are exactly 2 floors between Tarun and Zoya.
- Sanjay lives on the floor immediately above Gauri.
Question: Determine the arrangement.
Reveal the answer
Answer: Floor 4: Tarun (top) down to Floor 1: Zoya (lowest).
- Start: 24 possible arrangements of 4 people.
- Clue 1 — "Gauri lives on the floor immediately above Zoya." narrows it to 6 possibilities.
- Clue 3 — "Sanjay lives on the floor immediately above Gauri." narrows it to 2 possibilities.
- Clue 2 — "There are exactly 2 floors between Tarun and Zoya." ⇒ Sanjay → floor 3, Tarun → floor 4, Gauri → floor 2, Zoya → floor 1 (1 possibility left).
- Exactly one arrangement survives every clue — that is the answer.
How to crack floor arrangement puzzles faster
- Floor puzzles are vertical rows — treat floor 1 as "leftmost" and floor N as "rightmost" in your mental model.
- "Lives above" means a higher floor number. "Immediately above" means exactly one floor apart.
- "Exactly k floors between" gives a fixed vertical gap — try it at each valid pair of floors.
- Write the floor numbers 1 to N on paper and fill names as you lock positions — the visual stack prevents errors.
FAQ
Who lives on the top floor?
Tarun lives on the top floor. The full arrangement from top to bottom: Tarun, Sanjay, Gauri, Zoya.
How do you solve floor arrangement puzzles for bank exams?
Treat floors as a vertical stack: lock the topmost and lowest first, then place intermediate floors using 'above/below' clues. Transfer the stack to paper numbered 1 to N and fill names as each clue eliminates possibilities.
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