Question

Ram is taller than Shyam and Jay is shorter than Vikram. Who is the shortest among them?
(I) Ram is the tallest.
(II) Shyam is taller than Vikram.

• A. Answer (1) if data in Statement I alone is sufficient to answer the question but the data in Statement II alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
• B. Answer (2) if data in Statement II alone is sufficient to answer the question but the data in Statement I alone is not sufficient to answer the question.
• C. Answer (3) if data in Statement I and II together are necessary to answer the question.
• D. Answer (4) if data in Statement I and II together are not sufficient to answer the question.

Hint:

The stem gives two separate chains, Ram-Shyam and Vikram-Jay; look for the statement that links them into one order.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Draw the relationships as a chain and see how much of the chain each statement completes.

The question stem gives two separate links: $Ram > Shyam$ and $Vikram > Jay$. These are two disconnected chains of length two; nothing yet connects the Ram-Shyam pair to the Vikram-Jay pair, so the overall order among all four people is still unknown.

Testing Statement I ($Ram$ is tallest): this only confirms $Ram$ sits above everyone, which is already consistent with $Ram > Shyam$, but it adds no link between the Shyam side and the Vikram-Jay side. The two chains stay disconnected, so several different orderings of Shyam, Jay and Vikram remain possible, and the shortest person cannot be pinned down. Statement I alone fails.

Testing Statement II ($Shyam > Vikram$): this statement is exactly the missing bridge between the two disconnected chains. Combining it with the stem:

\[Ram > Shyam, \quad Shyam > Vikram, \quad Vikram > Jay\]

chains into a single unbroken order:

\[Ram > Shyam > Vikram > Jay\]

With all four people now placed in one strict line, the last name in the chain, Jay, is unambiguously the shortest. Statement II alone bridges the gap and fully answers the question, so the correct choice is option (2): Jay is the shortest, found from \(\boxed{\text{Statement II alone}}\).