Five friends Amrita, Nikita, Nishu, Pooja and Riya are standing in a line according to their heights. Nishu is taller than Riya but shorter than Pooja. Amrita is the shortest. Riya is shorter than Nishu but taller than Nikita. Who is the second tallest among these five friends?

Introduction / Context:

This ranking question requires building a height order from multiple comparative statements. The friends are compared pairwise, and students must combine the information to derive a unique sequence from tallest to shortest. The goal is to identify the second tallest person, which is a very common type of reasoning task in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Friends: Amrita, Nikita, Nishu, Pooja and Riya.
• Nishu is taller than Riya but shorter than Pooja.
• Amrita is the shortest among all five.
• Riya is shorter than Nishu but taller than Nikita.
• All comparisons are consistent and refer to the same group of five people.

Concept / Approach:

We convert the verbal statements into inequalities describing heights: “taller than” and “shorter than”. By chaining these inequalities, we place each person in the correct relative position. Once we get the complete order, it is easy to identify the second tallest friend.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Check each original condition against the final order. Nishu is indeed shorter than Pooja and taller than Riya. Riya is taller than Nikita but shorter than Nishu. Amrita is last, so she is the shortest. All conditions match the derived order, confirming its correctness.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Pooja is the tallest, not the second tallest.

Riya appears in the middle of the order, so she is neither tallest nor second tallest.

Amrita is explicitly said to be the shortest, so she cannot be second tallest.

Common Pitfalls:

Some students may forget that “shortest” fixes Amrita at the bottom, or they might mistakenly swap Riya and Nikita. Sketching a simple vertical line and placing names step by step in the correct order helps to avoid such confusion in ranking questions.

Final Answer:

The second tallest friend in the group is Nishu.