Ranking test – integrate overall rank with gender-wise ranks: There are 35 students in a class. Suman ranks third among the girls in the class. Amit ranks fifth among the boys. Suman is one rank below Amit in the overall class ranking (no ties). What is Amit’s overall rank in the class?

Introduction / Context:
This problem combines category ranks (within boys/girls) with overall ranks. The key idea is to account for how many boys and girls appear ahead before a given student and to relate two consecutive overall ranks.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Total students = 35 (exact total is not directly needed).
• Amit is 5th among boys ⇒ exactly 4 boys are ahead of Amit.
• Suman is 3rd among girls ⇒ exactly 2 girls are ahead of Suman.
• Suman’s overall rank is one position below Amit’s overall rank (consecutive), and there are no ties.

Concept / Approach:
Let Amit’s overall rank be k. Then Suman’s overall rank is k + 1. Among the k people ahead of Suman, there must be (i) the 4 boys ahead of Amit, (ii) Amit himself (a boy), and (iii) the 2 girls ahead of Suman. That totals 7 people.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Then Suman is 8th overall, which is consistent with being just below Amit. The composition (boys/girls) ahead fits the category ranks precisely.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
5th or 8th contradict the category counts and the “just below” constraint; “Cannot be determined” is incorrect because the data uniquely fix k.

Common Pitfalls:
Forgetting to include Amit in the count of people ahead of Suman; or mixing up category ranks with overall ranks.

Final Answer:
7th