Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: QEOKTWG
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to apply a specific substitution rule to letters in a word. Vowels and consonants are treated differently, and you must move ahead in the alphabet by a fixed number of positions for each category. Such coding and decoding questions are common in reasoning sections and require accurate identification of vowels versus consonants as well as careful counting along the alphabet without skipping or miscounting letters.
Given Data / Assumptions:
1) The original word is OBLIQUE.2) For every vowel, you must move two letters forward in the alphabet.3) For every consonant, you must move three letters forward in the alphabet.4) The English alphabet is assumed to be A to Z in order, and wrapping around beyond Z is not required in this specific example because the letters are not near the end.5) The transformed letters, when combined in order, form the new coded word to be matched with the options.
Concept / Approach:
The approach is to process each letter of OBLIQUE one by one, classify it as vowel or consonant and then move forward by the appropriate number of steps in the alphabet. For vowels A, E, I, O, U you move two places ahead, while for consonants you move three places ahead. After finding the new letter for each position, write them together to obtain the final coded word. Accuracy in counting is crucial, so it helps to mentally or physically write a short alphabet sequence for reference.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1) Write the word OBLIQUE and label its letters: O, B, L, I, Q, U, E.2) Identify vowels and consonants: O, I, U and E are vowels; B, L and Q are consonants.3) For O (vowel), move two letters forward: O → P → Q, so O becomes Q.4) For B (consonant), move three letters forward: B → C → D → E, so B becomes E.5) For L (consonant), move three letters forward: L → M → N → O, so L becomes O.6) For I (vowel), move two letters forward: I → J → K, so I becomes K.7) For Q (consonant), move three letters forward: Q → R → S → T, so Q becomes T.8) For U (vowel), move two letters forward: U → V → W, so U becomes W.9) For E (vowel), move two letters forward: E → F → G, so E becomes G.10) Combine all new letters in order: Q, E, O, K, T, W, G. This gives the coded word QEOKTWG.
Verification / Alternative check:
Compare QEOKTWG with each option. Option C is QEOKTXG, which differs at the second last letter X instead of W. Option D is QEOKTWG, which matches exactly. Options A and B are completely different sequences. Rechecking each substitution confirms that there are no counting mistakes and that the correct coded form is indeed QEOKTWG. This thorough matching ensures that the answer aligns both with the rules and with one of the given options.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
MEDGTSD and RDNLSXH bear no systematic relationship to the original word OBLIQUE under the given rules.QEOKTXG is very close but has X where the correct letter should be W, indicating that U was incorrectly shifted by three positions instead of two.None of these is incorrect because QEOKTWG exactly matches the correctly transformed word.
Common Pitfalls:
Common mistakes include misidentifying vowels and consonants, especially in fast paced conditions, and miscounting steps when moving forward in the alphabet. Some candidates mistakenly apply the same shift to all letters, ignoring the different rules for vowels and consonants. Others may lose track at letters like Q or U because they are close to the end of the alphabet. Writing down a small alphabet reference line or counting carefully on fingers can significantly reduce such errors.
Final Answer:
After applying the specified substitution rules to OBLIQUE, the resulting coded word is QEOKTWG.
Discussion & Comments