In a queue of 50 persons, Amrita is 10th from the front and Mukul is 25th from the back. Mamta is standing exactly in the middle of these two positions. What position does Mamta occupy from the front of the queue?

Introduction / Context:
This ranking question is about positions in a single queue. Such problems often appear in reasoning tests to check comfort with counting from the front, from the back, and finding a person who stands between two known positions. Understanding how to convert positions from the back into positions from the front is the key skill that is being tested here.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• There are exactly 50 persons standing in a single queue.
• Amrita is 10th from the front.
• Mukul is 25th from the back.
• Mamta is standing exactly in the middle of the two positions of Amrita and Mukul.
• Everybody is standing in one straight line facing the same direction.

Concept / Approach:
To solve ranking questions of this type, we usually convert all positions to a common reference, either from the front or from the back. Once both positions are expressed from the same end, the middle position can be found by taking the average. Position from the back can be converted to position from the front by using the formula: position from front = total persons - position from back + 1.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Let positions be counted from the front as 1, 2, 3, ..., 50. Step 2: Amrita is already given as 10th from the front, so her position is 10. Step 3: Mukul is 25th from the back. Convert this to position from the front: position of Mukul from front = 50 - 25 + 1 = 26. Step 4: Now Amrita is at position 10 and Mukul is at position 26 from the front. Step 5: Mamta is exactly in the middle of these two positions, so her position is the average of 10 and 26. Step 6: Average = (10 + 26) / 2 = 36 / 2 = 18. Step 7: Therefore, Mamta occupies the 18th position from the front.

Verification / Alternative check:
The distance between position 10 and position 26 is 26 - 10 = 16 places. The middle point must be 8 steps from each end, because 16 / 2 = 8. Counting 8 places forward from 10 gives 10 + 8 = 18. Counting 8 places backward from 26 gives 26 - 8 = 18. Both checks confirm that Mamta is in the 18th position from the front.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 14th is too close to Amrita and not exactly midway. Option 16th is not equally distant from positions 10 and 26. Option 20th is closer to Mukul and does not give equal distance on both sides.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes forget to convert the position from the back to a position from the front using the correct formula. Others may miscalculate the average and instead count the number of persons between the two without adjusting correctly. Always convert all ranks to the same side and then use the idea of midpoint to avoid mistakes.

Final Answer:
Mamta occupies the 18th position from the front of the queue.