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"The post has been edited. I am adding the answer in a few moment(references to which you are going to find in the doubts section)"

Doubt:

I have found out the 'initial' arrangement as given in the answer. However, I can't solve the 'rearrangement'.

I have started with A: Block no. 5 remains at original place. Thus, A stays at original place.

Then I go to B: Swap positions with block no. 5. So A and B swap positions.

Then I come to C: Swap positions with block 7 places above. If not possible, swap positions with block two places below.

But there are no blocks either 7 places above C, nor 2 places below C.

Source: SBI PO Mains Examination Question

Question:

Directions [Set of 2 questions]: Anupam was playing with blocks. He had 14 blocks out of which only 6 had alphabets and numbers written on them. Rest of the blocks were blank, and nothing was printed on them. The alphabets were A, B. C. D. E and F. The numbers were 1. 2, 3, 4. 5 and 6 not necessarily in the same order. Any block had only 1 alphabet and only 1 number written on it. Anupam arranged all the blocks in a stack and then rearranged the blocks as per some rules related to the number on them. He rearranged the blocks in alphabetical order i.e. block A was moved first, followed by B and so on.

• F's position from the top of the stack was equal to D's position from the bottom of the stack. F was somewhere above D

• C was above D with a gap of 6 blocks in between them

• The block with value 2 was below F with a gap of 8 blocks in between them

• The number on E was thrice as that of the number on B

• The block kept 6th from the top initially, had the least value

• B was above E with a gap of 2 blocks in between them

• Number of blocks below B was equal to the number of blocks above A

• Block A had a value 2 more than that on block F

• A and C were kept at a gap of 1 block. The rules related to the rearrangement are as follows:

• The block with number 1: Swap positions with the block 7 positions above, if not possible, swap positions with the block kept 2 positions below

• The block with number 2: Swap positions with the block having number 5

• The block with number 3: Swap positions with the block 6 places above, if not possible; block remains at the original place

• The block with number 4: Swap positions with the block with number 1 on it • The block with number 5: Remains at the original place

• The block with number 6: Swap positions with the block kept one place above, if not possible, Swap positions with the block kept 1 place down

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  • $\begingroup$ It would help if you could type out the scanned page so that we don't have to peer at our screens or type it out ourselves for reference. $\endgroup$ – feelinferrety Nov 19 '18 at 23:07
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I remember I solved this and was going to post the solution; however, the answer is unique and it coincides with yours. And that doesn't seem like what you needed.

Anyway, to answer your question:

The task says exactly that there are 14 blocks, though only 6 of them are labeled with numbers & letters. You, however, are trying to "Swap positions with block 7 places above. If not possible, swap positions with block two places below". It does not matter if there are no labeled blocks at those places (in the proper solution this is the case). You can simply swap the block labeled 1 with an unlabeled block. There will definitely be an unlabeled block in at least one of those places (if the 1 is high enough that there is not block 7 places above it, then there will definitely be a block two places below it).

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  • $\begingroup$ "Block 7 places above" means the block 7 places above the 6 block. Not the block labelled 7. $\endgroup$ – Dr Xorile Feb 11 at 21:09
  • $\begingroup$ @DrXorile How is this relevant to my answer? $\endgroup$ – Thomas Blue Feb 11 at 21:13
  • $\begingroup$ Maybe I've misunderstood the question. It's not very clear. But the instruction in the question says (to my understanding) that the block with the number 1 on it should be swapped with the one 7 above it or (if not possible) 2 below it. So your answer does not seem to answer the question. Because the block with the label 1 on it has a label on it, while you say "there are no labeled blocks at those places". Also, OP was asking about the original position, which your answer doesn't answer anyway. $\endgroup$ – Dr Xorile Feb 11 at 22:58
  • $\begingroup$ @DrXorile >> I have found out the 'initial' arrangement as given in the answer, - as stated by OP. After that he starts the swapping. When he was swapping block B, the target block was A, that's why he assumed that you only swap labeled blocks with labeled blocks. That's why he is confused by the next step - both a block 7 places above and 2 places below were unlabeled, so he thought he had made some mistake in his solution. $\endgroup$ – Thomas Blue Feb 12 at 9:23
  • $\begingroup$ Okay, thanks. I see what you are saying now. I tweaked your wording a bit and changed my vote. Feel free to edit it of course. I see that the OP edited his question too, which made it especially confusing. Good chat ;-) $\endgroup$ – Dr Xorile Feb 12 at 16:15

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