Directions for the following 6 (six) items: Read the information given below and answer the six items that follow.
A, B, C and D are students. They are studying in four different cities, viz., P, Q, R and S (not necessarily in that order). They are studying in Science college, Arts college, Commerce college and Engineering college (not necessarily in that order), which are situated in four different States, viz., Gujarat, Rajasthan, Assam and Kerala (not necessarily in that order). Further, it is given that—
- i.D is studying in Assam
- ii.Arts college is located in city S which is in Rajasthan
- iii.A is studying in Commerce college
- iv.B is studying in city Q
- v.Science college is located in Kerala
Which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) D is not studying in city S.
City S holds the Arts college, which is C's, so D — in the Engineering college in Assam — cannot be in city S. The other statements contradict the solved grid: A is in Commerce in Gujarat, and Engineering is in Assam.
- Science is in Kerala and Arts in Rajasthan (city S), so Commerce and Engineering are in Gujarat and Assam.
- D is in Assam, so D studies Commerce or Engineering; Commerce is A's, so D is in Engineering — in Assam — and A's Commerce college is in Gujarat.
- B and C share Science and Arts. B is in city Q, but Arts is in city S, so B is in Science (Kerala, city Q) and C in Arts (Rajasthan, city S).
- A and D are in cities P and R, in an order the data do not fix.
- Result: A — Commerce, Gujarat; B — Science, Kerala, city Q; C — Arts, Rajasthan, city S; D — Engineering, Assam.
- (a) is true because city S is C's; (b) and (c) fail since A is in Commerce in Gujarat; (d) fails since Engineering is in Assam.
Remember · In grid puzzles, place the fixed pairs first (college with State), then use the 'who is where' clues to settle the two-way choices.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2018, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·