On which day of the last week did Satish meet Kapil at the residence of Kapil? Consider the following statements: I. Kapil was out of town from Monday to Wednesday and returned on Thursday morning. II. On Friday night, Satish telephoned his friend to inform that only yesterday he had received approval from Kapil after personally explaining all the details.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: The data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question, but the data in statement I alone are not sufficient.

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This data sufficiency question is about determining on which day of the week Satish met Kapil at Kapil residence. One statement gives information about when Kapil was out of town, and the other gives information about a phone call made by Satish on Friday night. The challenge is to decide which statements are sufficient to determine the exact day of the meeting.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Statement I: Kapil was out of town from Monday to Wednesday and returned on Thursday morning.
  • Statement II: On Friday night, Satish informed his friend by phone that only yesterday he had obtained Kapil approval after personally explaining all details.
  • The phrase only yesterday refers to the day immediately before Friday, that is, Thursday.
  • Satish meeting with Kapil for approval is taken to have occurred at Kapil residence as per the main question.


Concept / Approach:
The core idea is to interpret temporal phrases like only yesterday correctly and connect them to named days such as Friday. If statement II alone gives a direct reference to the day of the meeting, it may be sufficient by itself. Statement I may only indicate availability of Kapil and may not be strictly necessary if the day is already fixed by the second statement.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Interpret statement II. On Friday night, Satish told his friend that only yesterday he had received approval from Kapil after explaining all the details. The expression only yesterday refers to the day before Friday, which is Thursday. Step 2: Since the approval from Kapil came after Satish personally explained the details, we infer that the personal meeting between Satish and Kapil took place on Thursday. Step 3: The question is about the day on which Satish met Kapil at Kapil residence. Statement II clearly identifies Thursday as the day of the meeting by tying the approval to the phrase only yesterday used on Friday night. Step 4: Therefore, statement II alone is sufficient to answer the question. Step 5: Now examine statement I alone. It tells us that Kapil was out of town from Monday through Wednesday and returned on Thursday morning. This shows that any meeting at Kapil residence must have taken place on or after Thursday, but it does not say which day Satish actually met him. The meeting could have happened on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Hence statement I alone is not sufficient. Step 6: When the two statements are combined, the information remains consistent. Statement I confirms that Kapil was available in town from Thursday onwards, and statement II gives the exact day of the meeting as Thursday. Since statement II already fixes the answer, statement I is not necessary for sufficiency.


Verification / Alternative check:
To check the reasoning, imagine any other possible interpretation of only yesterday that does not refer to Thursday when spoken on Friday night. Within a standard seven day week, yesterday on Friday must be Thursday. There is no alternative. Furthermore, if Kapil had still been out of town on Thursday, statement II would contradict statement I, but instead they fit together, since statement I explicitly says Kapil returned on Thursday morning. This confirms that the meeting day must have been Thursday and that statement II alone is sufficient.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A is incorrect because statement I alone does not narrow the meeting to a single day. Option C, which suggests that either statement alone is sufficient, is wrong since I on its own leaves multiple days possible. Option D, claiming that both statements are necessary, is not correct because statement II alone already gives the answer. Option E, stating that even both together are not sufficient, clashes with the clear interpretation of the temporal phrase used in statement II.


Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes underuse context in interpreting phrases like only yesterday and may assume that another day could be intended. Another common mistake is to overemphasise the travel schedule in statement I and forget that the second statement directly references the meeting timing. Keeping careful track of which statement actually pins down the required information is vital in data sufficiency questions.


Final Answer:
The data in statement II alone are sufficient to answer the question, while statement I alone is not sufficient, so the correct option is B.

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