Six students A, B, C, D, E and F appeared in several tests. Either C or F scores the highest. Whenever C scores the highest, then E scores the least. Whenever F scores the highest, B scores the least. In all the tests they got different marks; D scores higher than A, but they are close competitors; A scores higher than B; C scores higher than A. 48. If F stands second in the ranking, then the position of B is

The problem requires us to deduce the ranking of six students based on a set of conditions and a specific scenario. Let's list the given information: Students: A, B, C, D, E, F They all got different marks. Conditions: 1. Either C or F scores the highest (1st position). 2. If C is 1st, then E is 6th (least). 3. If F is 1st, then B is 6th (least). 4. D > A (D scores higher than A). 5. D and A are close competitors (implies they are likely adjacent or very close in rank). 6. A > B (A scores higher than B). 7. C > A (C scores higher than A). Scenario for the question: F stands second in the ranking (F = 2nd). Step-by-step deduction: 1. Given F = 2nd. 2. From condition 1 ("Either C or F scores the highest"), since F is 2nd and not 1st, C MUST be 1st. So, C = 1st. 3. From condition 2 ("Whenever C scores the highest, then E scores the least"), since C is 1st, E MUST be 6th. So, E = 6th. At this point, we have: 1. C 2. F ... ... ... 6. E The remaining students are A, B, D. The remaining positions are 3rd, 4th, 5th. Now let's use the remaining conditions involving A, B, D: 4. D > A 6. A > B 7. C > A (This is consistent with C being 1st and A being lower). Combining D > A and A > B, we get the order D > A > B. We need to place D, A, B into positions 3, 4, 5 in this specific order. The only way to do this is: D = 3rd A = 4th B = 5th This also satisfies condition 5 (D and A are close competitors) as they are 3rd and 4th. So the complete ranking is: 1. C 2. F 3. D 4. A 5. B 6. E The question asks for the position of B. Based on our deduction, B is 5th. Final Answer Check: All conditions are met: - C is 1st, F is 2nd (C is highest, consistent with cond 1). - C is 1st, E is 6th (consistent with cond 2). - F is 2nd, so cond 3 (F highest implies B least) is not applicable. - D (3rd) > A (4th) (consistent with cond 4). - D and A are close (3rd and 4th, consistent with cond 5). - A (4th) > B (5th) (consistent with cond 6). - C (1st) > A (4th) (consistent with cond 7). The position of B is 5th. The final answer is C