Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: YBD
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to recognise patterns in the positions of letters of the English alphabet. The pair "EHJ : KNP" shows a specific shift from one group of letters to another. You must detect that rule and apply it to the group "SVX" to find the correctly related set of letters from the options. Letter analogy questions like this are very common in competitive exams and require careful observation of alphabet positions.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The first pair given is EHJ and KNP.
- The second pair to be completed is SVX and ?.
- We consider A as the 1st letter, B as the 2nd, and so on up to Z as the 26th letter.
- The answer must follow the same pattern of positional shifts that transforms EHJ into KNP.
Concept / Approach:
The usual approach is to convert each letter into its alphabet position, find the numeric pattern, and then apply the same transformation. By comparing corresponding letters in EHJ and KNP, we can determine how many steps forward in the alphabet each letter has moved. Once we find this constant shift, we apply it to S, V and X to generate the correct answer. Finally, we compare our result with the options to identify the exact matching triplet.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify the wrap around logic for letters beyond Z. After Z (26), we cycle back to A (1), B (2), C (3) and so on. Hence, adding 6 to V (22) gives 28, which is correctly interpreted as 2 (B). Similarly, adding 6 to X (24) produces 30, which wraps around to 4 (D). Now we compare YBD to the options. Option B exactly matches YBD, while all other options differ in at least one letter. This confirms that YBD is the correctly related group for SVX.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
XZZ does not follow the uniform +6 shift from SVX and introduces repeated Zs, which are not consistent with the pattern.
BDF arises from very small shifts and does not align with the +6 movement observed between EHJ and KNP.
ZBD partly resembles the wrapping pattern but would require a different shift from S and V than the one used to get from EHJ to KNP, so it breaks the analogy.
WAC also fails to maintain the consistent +6 shift for all three letters and therefore cannot be accepted as a valid analogy.
Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to miscount alphabet positions or forget to wrap around after Z. Another common mistake is to focus only on approximate patterns, such as any forward shift, instead of insisting on an exact and consistent numerical shift for each letter. Aspirants might also incorrectly assume different shifts for different letters, but a standard letter analogy in this format almost always uses the same shift for all positions.
Final Answer:
Using a uniform shift of six letters forward in the alphabet, SVX becomes YBD.
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