Question

In the last stretch of a marathon, the 5 contestants are running with Anna at the back, Yusuf in the middle, and Jim at the front. If Mary overtakes Sheila just before the finish line, in what place would Mary finish at the end of the race?

• A. 2nd
• B. 3rd
• C. 4th
• D. Cannot be determined

Answer 1

The correct option is A 2nd

The 5 contestants can be listed as:

$Anna,Yusuf,Jim,Mary,andSheila$

Jim is at the front, Yusuf at the middle, and Anna at the back of the race.

So, we can determine their positions in the race as:


We also know that Mary overtakes Sheila just before the finishing line.

Hence, Sheila must have been running ahead of Mary initially.

So, their positions in the final lap will be:


As Mary overtakes Sheila just before the finishing line, the final positions of the contestants will be:


Hence, Mary would finish 2nd in the race.