Halfway through a race, five runners were in this order from the front: Hiten, Isha, Jeet, Kamal and Lina. After that, Jeet overtook Isha, then Lina overtook Kamal, and then Lina overtook Isha. Each time, a runner passed only the runner just in front of him or her, and there was no other overtaking. Who finished third?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Lina
Write the order from the front and change it one overtaking at a time; each overtaking swaps two neighbours.
Halfway: Hiten, Isha, Jeet, Kamal, Lina
Jeet overtakes Isha: Hiten, Jeet, Isha, Kamal, Lina
Lina overtakes Kamal: Hiten, Jeet, Isha, Lina, Kamal
Lina overtakes Isha: Hiten, Jeet, Lina, Isha, Kamal
The third runner at the finish is Lina
