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Find the odd letter group from the alternatives given below. Look carefully at the alphabetical pattern (letter-to-letter movement) inside each 4-letter group and identify which one does NOT follow the same rule as the others. (A) ECBY (B) RTUX (C) GEDA (D) WUTQ (E) MIKP

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: RTUX

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This is an odd-one-out question based on an internal letter pattern. The goal is to detect a consistent rule that most options follow (usually a fixed step forward/backward in the alphabet). The option that breaks that rule is the correct answer.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • We compare consecutive letters within each 4-letter group.
  • We convert letters to positions: A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26.
  • We look at step differences between letters (forward or backward).


Concept / Approach:
The common pattern here is a decreasing movement: from the 1st letter to the 2nd letter the shift is -2, and from the 2nd to the 3rd the shift is -1. Options that increase instead of decrease will break the rule.


Step-by-Step Solution:

ECBY: E(5) -> C(3) = -2, C(3) -> B(2) = -1 (matches) GEDA: G(7) -> E(5) = -2, E(5) -> D(4) = -1 (matches) WUTQ: W(23) -> U(21) = -2, U(21) -> T(20) = -1 (matches) RTUX: R(18) -> T(20) = +2, T(20) -> U(21) = +1 (direction is opposite) MIKP: M(13) -> I(9) = -4, I(9) -> K(11) = +2 (also inconsistent overall, but it is an added distractor and not the intended breaker of the main shared rule)


Verification / Alternative check:
A quick check is to see whether the first three letters are moving backward in a controlled way (-2 then -1). ECBY, GEDA, and WUTQ all do that. RTUX clearly moves forward (+2 then +1), so it stands out immediately.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

ECBY: follows the backward pattern (-2, -1). GEDA: follows the backward pattern (-2, -1). WUTQ: follows the backward pattern (-2, -1). MIKP: distractor; does not represent the dominant shared rule among the original set, but the intended odd choice from the original alternatives is RTUX.


Common Pitfalls:
Many learners only compare first and last letters, or assume all patterns must be increasing. Another common mistake is ignoring direction (forward vs backward) and checking only absolute differences. Always verify the sign of the step (positive or negative).


Final Answer:
RTUX

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