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GATE 2026 EC – Question 7

General Aptitude · Analytical Aptitude: Logical Reasoning and Deduction · 2 marks · Multiple choice

Three children P, Q, R and two grown-ups X, Y play a badminton doubles tournament. X and Y are parents to two of the children playing. The child of X is not the same as the child of Y. Exactly one of the children does not have a parent playing in the tournament. Rules: (i) A parent and his/her child cannot be on the same team. (ii) A match can feature at most one parent and his/her child, that is, a maximum of one parent-child pair can play in a match. Matches: Match 1: Team 1 = P and X, Team 2 = Q and R. Match 2: Team 1 = P and R, Team 2 = X and Y. Match 3: Team 1 = R and X, Team 2 = Q and Y. Which one of the following options is correct?

  1. P does not have any parent playing
  2. Q does not have any parent playing
  3. R does not have any parent playing
  4. X does not have a child playing

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Correct answer: (C) R does not have any parent playing

Explanation

P and R are teammates of X in matches 1 and 3, so neither is X's child; X's child is Q. Q played with Y in match 3, so Q is not Y's child either. If R were Y's child, match 3 (X–Q and Y–R on opposite teams) would have two parent-child pairs, violating rule (ii). So Y's child is P and R has no parent playing.