In the letter analogy "GLOW : FJNU :: PTEL : ____", which option shows the same pattern of shifting letters?

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: ORDJ

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This analogy tests your ability to recognise a consistent letter shifting pattern. The word GLOW is transformed into FJNU to form the first pair. You must detect the rule that maps each letter of GLOW to FJNU and then apply the same rule to the word PTEL to find the missing term. This requires comfort with alphabet positions and simple plus or minus operations.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • First pair of words: GLOW and FJNU.
  • Second word: PTEL, which must transform to one of the options.
  • Alphabet positions: A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26.
  • The same shifting rule is used at each corresponding letter position.


Concept / Approach:
Convert letters to numerical positions and compare. G is 7, L is 12, O is 15, and W is 23. F is 6, J is 10, N is 14, and U is 21. From G to F, the shift is minus 1. From L to J, the shift is minus 2. From O to N, the shift is minus 1 again. From W to U, the shift is minus 2 again. So the pattern is: first letter minus 1, second letter minus 2, third letter minus 1, and fourth letter minus 2. Apply the same pattern to PTEL.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Write positions for GLOW. G = 7, L = 12, O = 15, W = 23. Step 2: Write positions for FJNU. F = 6, J = 10, N = 14, U = 21. Step 3: Calculate shifts. 7 minus 1 = 6, 12 minus 2 = 10, 15 minus 1 = 14, 23 minus 2 = 21. So the pattern is minus 1, minus 2, minus 1, minus 2. Step 4: Write positions for PTEL. P = 16, T = 20, E = 5, L = 12. Step 5: Apply the pattern. First letter: 16 minus 1 = 15, which is O. Second letter: 20 minus 2 = 18, which is R. Step 6: Continue the pattern. Third letter: 5 minus 1 = 4, which is D. Fourth letter: 12 minus 2 = 10, which is J. Step 7: Combine these letters to obtain ORDJ.


Verification / Alternative check:
Compare ORDJ with the options. Option B is ORDJ, which matches our result exactly. The other options have at least one letter different and therefore do not follow the fixed minus 1 and minus 2 pattern for each position. Since the pattern is clear and deterministic, ORDJ is the only valid answer.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
ORFN, ORJD, OPNF, and OSDJ do not satisfy the position by position shift rule discovered from GLOW : FJNU. For example, any letter that would require a minus 3 or plus 1 shift instead of the required minus 1 or minus 2 breaks the logical consistency of the analogy. Analogy questions insist that every position follow the same pattern as in the original pair.


Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes try to treat the whole word as a single unit and look for patterns like reversal or alternating letters rather than examining each position separately. Another common error is to detect only the first shift and assume that all letters shift by the same amount, which is not the case here. Carefully comparing each corresponding letter avoids these mistakes.


Final Answer:
Applying the minus 1, minus 2, minus 1, minus 2 pattern to PTEL gives ORDJ, so the analogy is "GLOW : FJNU :: PTEL : ORDJ".

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