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kevincan
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 25 Mar 2026, 10:44
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D
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65% (hard)

Question Stats:

50% (02:13) correct 50% (01:54) wrong based on 44 sessions

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In a supply chain class of more than 21 students ranked from highest to lowest, there are 5 students between Ana and Borja, 12 students between Ana and Carlos, and more than 10 students between Borja and Carlos. How many students are between the highest-ranked and lowest-ranked of the three?

A. 12
B. 13
C. 17
D. 18
E. 19
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D
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suscipitlabore
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 27 Mar 2026, 01:19
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Should I solve this by placing Anna at position 0 and then B and C on either sides? kevincan
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kevincan
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 27 Mar 2026, 02:47
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Putting Ana zero is a wonderful idea!
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SM15
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 30 Mar 2026, 17:41
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Total will be 17 right. Did you count ana too ? for total to be 18 ?
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Should I solve this by placing Anna at position 0 and then B and C on either sides? kevincan
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Aman2487
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 30 Mar 2026, 21:27
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Arrangement is highest to lowest so according to the data given ana seems to be the highest.
But according to solution carlos seems to be the highest.
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egmat
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In a supply chain class of more than 30 students ranked from 01 Apr 2026, 02:29
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Hi Aman2487,

Great question! The problem never tells us who is ranked highest. When it says 'there are 5 students between Ana and Borja,' it doesn't mean Ana is above Borja — it just means the gap between them is 5, regardless of order. Same for the other statements.

Let's test the case where Ana IS the highest:

If Ana > Borja > Carlos: The gap between Ana and Borja is 5, and Ana and Carlos is 12. That means Borja and Carlos have only 12 - 5 - 1 = 6 students between them. But the problem says MORE than 10 between Borja and Carlos. So this fails.

If Ana > Carlos > Borja: Ana-Carlos gap is 12 and Ana-Borja gap is 5. Since Carlos is between Ana and Borja, Carlos would need to be closer to Ana than Borja is — but 12 > 5 means Carlos is farther away. Contradiction. This fails too.

Now try Ana IN THE MIDDLE:

If Borja > Ana > Carlos (or Carlos > Ana > Borja): The 5-gap and 12-gap ADD UP instead of overlapping. Borja-to-Carlos gap = 5 + 1 + 12 = 18 students between them. Check: is 18 more than 10? Yes! This works.

So Ana is actually the MIDDLE-ranked student, and the answer is 18.

Key principle: When a problem says 'between X and Y,' never assume who's higher — you must test all arrangements and let the constraints tell you the correct order.

Answer: D
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