Jatin is ninth from the front in a column of boys. There were thrice as many behind him as there were in front. How many boys are there between Jatin and the fifth boy from the end of the column?

19

The correct answer is Option (4) → 19

Step 1: Find total number of boys

• Jatin is 9th from the front → boys in front of him = 8
• Boys behind him are thrice the number in front:

$\text{Behind} = 3 \times 8 = 24$

Total boys:

$8 (\text{front}) + 1 (\text{Jatin}) + 24 (\text{behind}) = 33$

Step 2: Position of the 5th boy from the end

• 5th from the end = 33 - 5 + 1 = 29th from the front

Step 3: Number of boys between Jatin and the 5th from the end

• Jatin’s position = 9th
• Other boy’s position = 29th

$\text{Between} = 29 - 9 - 1 = 19$