In which of the following communication networks each member of the group can communicate only with his nearest member?

The correct answer is C) Chain network. In a chain, members sit in a line and each one passes messages only to the immediate neighbour on either side. A message from one end has to travel link by link to reach the other end, so communication is strictly with the nearest member.

Why the others are wrong:

• Wheel network (A): one central person is linked to all the others, and everyone must route through him. Communication is centralised, not limited to neighbours.
• Y network (B): a branched structure in which one member sits at the junction of three links. That junction member talks to several people, so it is not a simple nearest-neighbour arrangement.
• Circle network (D): each member does have two neighbours, but the loop is decentralised and each person can pass messages in both directions around the ring. The question's wording of a single nearest member points to the chain.

This comes from the small-group communication experiments of Leavitt and Bavelas, which compare how network shape affects speed, accuracy, leadership and morale. For Mains, the chain is a useful model for bureaucratic information flow where each office passes files only to the adjacent level, and the delays that result.

Trap: candidates pick the circle because it is the most 'neighbourly' shape, forgetting that in a circle each member has two neighbours, while the question limits communication to the nearest member in a line.