In the English alphabet written in order from A to Z, first find the letter that is the tenth letter to the left of the second last letter of the alphabet, and then move eight letters to the right from that letter. Which letter do you reach?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: W

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This logical reasoning question tests your understanding of positions in the English alphabet and your ability to apply multi step directional instructions such as moving a certain number of letters to the left or right. Such questions are very common in banking exams, SSC, and other aptitude tests, so learning a systematic approach is extremely useful.


Given Data / Assumptions:
• The English alphabet is written in a straight line from left to right as A, B, C, D, ..., X, Y, Z.
• The last letter of the alphabet is Z and the second last letter is Y.
• Left means moving towards A and right means moving towards Z.
• We must first find the letter that is the tenth to the left of Y, and then from that letter move eight positions to the right.


Concept / Approach:
The core concept is ordinal positions in a fixed sequence. Every letter occupies a definite position from the left, from 1 to 26. Moving a certain number of places to the left means subtracting that count from the position, while moving to the right means adding that count. By converting letters to position numbers, doing simple addition or subtraction, and then converting back to letters, we can answer reliably without confusion.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write positions of letters. A is position 1, B is 2, ..., Y is 25, Z is 26.Step 2: Identify the second last letter of the alphabet. The last letter is Z (26), so the second last letter is Y (25).Step 3: Find the letter that is the tenth to the left of Y. Moving left means subtracting 10 from the position of Y.Step 4: Position of Y is 25, so the required position is 25 - 10 = 15.Step 5: The 15th letter of the alphabet is O.Step 6: Now move eight letters to the right of O. Moving right means adding 8 to the position of O.Step 7: Position of O is 15, so new position = 15 + 8 = 23.Step 8: The 23rd letter of the alphabet is W, so W is the final answer.


Verification / Alternative check:
You can also count directly on the alphabet line. From Y, move left one by one to reach O as the tenth letter to the left, and then from O move right one by one until you count eight steps reaching W. Doing this slow manual count confirms that the computed answer W is correct and removes any doubt about off by one errors.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• X: This is one step to the right of W and would correspond to moving nine letters instead of eight from O, so it does not satisfy the given condition.
• I: I is much earlier in the alphabet and does not lie at the computed final position after performing both left and right movements correctly.
• H: H lies near the beginning of the alphabet and cannot be reached by the described two stage movement starting from Y. It results from incorrect counting or misunderstanding of directions.
• T: T is at position 20, which would correspond to moving only five steps right from O. This again does not match the required eight steps to the right.


Common Pitfalls:
Many learners confuse whether to include the starting letter when counting steps. Remember that when the question says tenth to the left, you move one letter at a time and count moves, not letters including the starting position. Another frequent mistake is mixing up the second last letter (Y) with the last letter (Z). Some students also subtract or add one extra step, which shifts the final letter to X instead of W. Using position numbers systematically helps avoid all these mistakes.


Final Answer:
The letter that you reach after performing the given two step movement in the alphabet is W.

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