The question below is followed by three statements numbered I, II and III. Decide which of the statements are sufficient to answer the question.
Among Pooja, Priya, Pushpa, Pinki, Punam and Padma, who is the tallest?
I. Priya is taller than Pooja and Punam.
II. Padma is taller than Priya but shorter than Pinki, who is not the tallest.
III. Pooja is not the shortest.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Only I and II are sufficient
In data sufficiency, a set of statements is sufficient only if it leads to one definite answer; here we look for the smallest set that fixes the tallest girl.
Statements I and II:
II: Pinki > Padma > Priya, and Pinki is not the tallest, so someone other than Padma and Priya is taller than Pinki
I: Priya > Pooja, Punam, so Pooja and Punam are below Priya and cannot be taller than Pinki
The only girl left is Pushpa, so Pushpa is the tallest: sufficient
Other pairs:
II and III: the girl taller than Pinki could be Pooja, Punam or Pushpa: not sufficient
I and III: Padma, Pinki and Pushpa are not compared with Priya’s group: not sufficient
Statement III is not needed, so all three are not required.