Question

Six racehorses - K, L, M, N, O, and P - will be assigned to six positions arranged in a straight line and numbered consecutively 1 through 6. The horses are assigned to the positions, one horse per position, according to the following conditions:

Conditions:

K is neither first nor last.
P is ahead of L and M but behind O.
N is ahead of M.
Which horse occupies the third position?
a) K
b) L
c) M
d) N

Answer 1

According to the following conditions, the answer could be N or K.

Step-by-step explanation:

("()" = somewhere where K could be) following the order you will end up with O()P()N()M()L where ML could also be LM and KN could also be NK. If the question is referring to directly behind and in front of, then the answer would be O()P()L()N()M with the answer being either K or L. there is no single answer, and another condition would be needed.

Answer 2

By following the given conditions and using logical deduction, it is determined that horse M occupies the third position due to its placement behind N, but ahead of L, with P being ahead of M but behind O, and K not being able to be first or last.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking us to determine which horse occupies the third position based on a set of given conditions. By following these conditions, we can deduce the possible order of the horses. The conditions state:

• K is neither first nor last.
• P is ahead of L and M but behind O.
• N is ahead of M.

These conditions help us establish a partial order. Since P is ahead of L and M, but behind O, and N is ahead of M, the order so far can be deduced as O, P, N, (K/L/M), (K/L/M), (K/L/M). K cannot be first or last, so K cannot occupy the 6th position. With O, P, and N occupying none of the third positions, and with K not being the first or the last horse, we can determine that K must be in the second or fourth position.

We know M is behind N and cannot be second, so M must occupy the third or fifth position. Based on this logical deduction, we find out that M is the horse occupying the third position.