From the following letter pairs, which pair is the odd one out based on alphabetical positions: EV, GT, JQ, PL?

Introduction / Context:
This is an odd one out question in the alphabet test category. You are given four letter pairs and must identify which pair does not follow the pattern common to the others. The key idea is to use alphabetical positions of each letter and compare differences. Such questions train you to detect hidden numeric relationships behind seemingly simple letter combinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Pairs given: EV, GT, JQ, PL.
• Alphabet positions: A is 1, B is 2, and so on up to Z as 26.
• We need to find the pair that breaks a consistent pattern found in the others.

Concept / Approach:
For each pair, consider the position of the first letter and the second letter and compute their difference. Then compare if the difference is consistent in sign (increasing or decreasing) and magnitude for most of the pairs. If three pairs share a common behaviour while one pair differs, that differing pair is the odd one out. Sometimes the pattern may involve letters moving forward, sometimes backward, or sometimes a fixed gap.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Convert each letter to its numeric position. E is 5, V is 22, G is 7, T is 20, J is 10, Q is 17, P is 16, and L is 12. Step 2: For EV, compute the difference between the second letter and the first letter: 22 minus 5 equals 17. The second letter is far ahead in the alphabet. Step 3: For GT, compute 20 minus 7 which equals 13. Again the second letter is ahead in the alphabet. Step 4: For JQ, compute 17 minus 10 which equals 7. The second letter is again ahead. Step 5: For PL, compute 12 minus 16 which equals minus 4. Here the second letter L comes before the first letter P, so the pair decreases rather than increases. Step 6: Observe that in EV, GT, and JQ, the second letter is alphabetically after the first letter, but in PL, the second letter comes before the first letter.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can also check the directional pattern more qualitatively. EV moves forward from E to V, GT moves forward from G to T, and JQ moves forward from J to Q. In contrast, PL moves backward from P to L. Since three of the pairs involve forward movement and one involves backward movement, PL clearly stands out as the odd pair.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
"EV" follows the forward direction pattern from a smaller position to a larger position and is consistent with the rest.
"GT" moves forward as well, from 7 to 20, matching the general type of movement.
"JQ" again progresses forward from 10 to 17, and is in line with the others.
"DR" (in the extra option) also goes forward from D to R, so it would not serve as an odd pair among the main options either.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes focus on exact numerical differences, trying to find common differences like plus 5 or plus 7, and get confused when the exact numbers differ. However, in this question, the crucial feature is not the size of the difference, but the direction of movement. The correct approach is to check both magnitude and sign of the difference and see which pair behaves differently from the others.

Final Answer:
The odd letter pair is PL because in this pair the second letter comes before the first letter in the alphabet, unlike the other pairs where the second letter comes after the first.