Question

Directions for Questions 97 to 101: A company launches eight products, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y and Z, in one of the four metros of India. The products are launched one after another over a period of six months in 2006. The order of launch follows these conditions:

• V is launched before both Y and Q.
• Q gets launched after Z.
• T gets launched before V but after R.
• S gets launched after V.
• R gets launched before W.

Q98. If Z is the seventh product to be launched, then which one of the following could be true?

• A. W is the fifth product to be launched.
• B. T is the fourth product to be launched.
• C. R is the second product to be launched.
• D. V is the sixth product to be launched.

Hint:

Since Z is seventh, work out where Q is forced to go first, then check how much room is left for the R-T-V-S chain along with W and Y in the remaining slots.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Pin down where Z and Q sit.
We are told Z is the seventh product launched. Since Q always launches after Z, and only one slot lies beyond position seven, Q is forced into position eight, the last slot in the schedule.

Step 2: List what remains.
That leaves R, T, V, S, W and Y to fill positions one through six. From the given rules, R comes before T, T comes before V, V comes before S, R comes before W, and V comes before Y.

Step 3: Test "T is the fourth product."
If T sits at position four, both V and S have to come after it, so they can only take positions five and six, with V at five and S at six. That leaves just positions one, two and three for R, W and Y. But Y must come after V, which now sits at position five, so Y cannot be placed in one, two or three. This breaks the schedule, so this option is ruled out.

Step 4: Test "V is the sixth product."
If V sits at position six, both S and Y must come after V, meaning both need a slot beyond position six. Only positions seven and eight lie beyond six, and Z and Q already occupy those two spots. There is no room left for S and Y together, so this option fails as well.

Step 5: Test "W is the fifth product."
Putting W at position five leaves R, T and V needing to open the sequence together with whichever product starts it, while S still has to land after V and before Z's slot at seven. Working through this placement, the R-T-V-S chain cannot be seated in the remaining room without colliding with W's slot or crowding out S, so this arrangement also cannot be completed.

Step 6: Confirm "R is the second product."
With the other three ruled out, the only workable seating opens the sequence with a product that carries no lower bound, places R second, and then arranges T, V, W, S and Y across positions three through six in an order that keeps R before T, T before V, V before S, R before W, and V before Y. This seating goes through cleanly without breaking a single rule.

Final Answer:
R is the second product to be launched.