Question

Directions for Questions 97 to 101: A company launches eight products, Q, R, S, T, V, W, Y and Z, in one of the four metros of India. The products are launched one after another over a period of six months in 2006. The order of launch follows these conditions:

• V is launched before both Y and Q.
• Q gets launched after Z.
• T gets launched before V but after R.
• S gets launched after V.
• R gets launched before W.

Q99. If Q is the fifth product to be launched, then each of the following could be true EXCEPT:

• A. Z is the first product to be launched.
• B. T is the second product to be launched.
• C. V is the third product to be launched.
• D. W is the fourth product to be launched.

Hint:

Count exactly how many products must launch before Q; that count equals the number of open slots before it.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Q is fixed at the fifth launch slot, and the question wants the one outcome that is impossible. Rather than building full sequences for every choice, count how many products are forced to sit ahead of Q.

1. Z is the first product: Z only needs to launch before Q, with no other restriction, so placing it right at position 1 breaks no rule. A full sequence like Z, R, T, V, Q, S, W, Y checks out.
2. T is the second product: R must still come before T, so R takes position 1 and T takes position 2. V then needs a slot after T but before Q(5), for example position 3. This is consistent, for example R, T, V, Z, Q, S, W, Y.
3. V is the third product: The same sequence R, T, V, Z, Q, S, W, Y places V third and still satisfies every rule.
4. W is the fourth product: Four products, R, T, V and Z, are each individually required to launch before Q (R and T and V through the chain R before T before V before Q, and Z directly through Z before Q). With Q sitting at position 5, only four slots (1 to 4) exist before it, and those four products already need all four slots. There is no room left in positions 1 to 4 for W, so W cannot be fourth. This is the option that breaks down.
5. Y is the sixth product: Y only needs to follow V. Placing R, T, V, Z, Q, Y, S, W keeps V (position 3) before Y (position 6) and breaks no other rule.

Four named products (R, T, V, Z) have a hard requirement to sit before Q, and Q leaves exactly four open slots before it. That slot count is exactly used up, so nothing else, including W, can fit there.

Let's summarize:

• R, T, V and Z must all launch before Q; that is a fixed group of four for four slots.
• W has no rule tying it to Q, so it is pushed to the back three slots along with S and Y.

The product that can never be fourth when Q is fifth is W, so the correct choice is option 4, "W is the fourth product to be launched."