Question 82

Logical Reasoning Puzzles Hard

There are six houses P, Q, R, S T and U, three on either side of the road.<br /> The houses are in different colours - red, blue, green, orange, yellow and white.<br /> All the houses are of different heights.<br /> T, the tallest house is exactly opposite to the red coloured house..<br /> T, the Blue coloured house is exactly opposite to S..<br /> The shortest house is exactly opposite to the green coloured house.<br /> U, the orange coloured house is located between P and S.<br /> R, the yellow coloured house is exactly opposite to P..<br /> Q, the green coloured house is exactly opposite to U. <br /> P, the white coloured house is taller than R, but shorter than S and Q.<br /> Which is the second largest house?

(A) Q
(B) R
(C) S
(D) Cannot be determined
View Dynamic Solution & Explanation
Correct Solution: Option D

Step-by-step Solution:

Solution Breakdown

To find the second largest (tallest) house, we must establish the height ranking of all six houses from 1 (tallest) to 6 (shortest).

Step 1: Determine the Tallest House

  • The clue "T, the tallest house..." directly tells us that T holds Rank 1 (Tallest).

Step 2: Use the Relative Height Clue for Other Houses

The final clue gives the height relationship for four of the other houses: "P, the white coloured house is taller than R, but shorter than S and Q."

This establishes the order: (S and Q) > P > R.

Step 3: Establish the Full Height Ranking

We know T is Rank 1. From other clues, we can deduce that U is the shortest (Rank 6). We then fit the remaining houses (P, Q, R, S) into ranks 2, 3, 4, and 5 based on the relationship from Step 2.

  • The two tallest houses after T must be S and Q. They will occupy ranks 2 and 3.
  • P is shorter than S and Q, so it will be Rank 4.
  • R is the shortest of this group, so it will be Rank 5.

Final Ranking

  1. Tallest: T
  2. Second Tallest: S or Q
  3. Third Tallest: Q or S
  4. P
  5. R
  6. Shortest: U

Conclusion

The second largest house is the one at Rank 2. According to our analysis, this position could be held by either S or Q. The given clues do not allow us to distinguish the height between S and Q.

Therefore, the second largest house cannot be determined from the information provided.