Consider the following statements:
- 1.A is older than B.
- 2.C and D are of the same age.
- 3.E is the youngest.
- 4.F is younger than D.
- 5.F is older than A.
How many statements given above are required to determine the oldest person/persons?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) All five
Chaining the statements gives C = D > F > A > B, with E the youngest, so C and D are the oldest. Every statement is needed: drop any one and some person could be older than D, or C could not be placed.
- From 4, 5 and 1: D > F > A > B. From 2: C = D. From 3: E is the youngest.
- So C and D are the oldest.
- Without 1, B is not linked to anyone and might be older than D; without 3, E might be older than D.
- Without 5, A and B are cut off from D; without 4, F, A and B are cut off from D; without 2, C's age is unknown.
- So all five statements are required.
Remember · To fix 'the oldest', every person must be linked below the candidate; test by dropping one statement at a time.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·