Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: WT
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to the letter series and coding decoding type of reasoning. You are given pairs of letters and asked to determine which pair does not display the same relationship between its letters. The focus is on whether the second letter is just one step before the first letter in the alphabet or separated by a larger gap. Identifying such patterns is useful for many alphabet based reasoning problems.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The options are WT, SR, ED, KJ, and QP.
- We use the standard English alphabet positions A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26.
- In most pairs, the second letter is the immediate predecessor of the first letter (difference of 1 in reverse order).
- Exactly one pair has a larger gap, and that pair is the odd one out.
Concept / Approach:
The approach is to calculate the numerical difference between the positions of the letters in each pair. If the first letter has position x and the second letter has position y, then for consecutive letters in reverse order we should have x - y = 1. The pair where the difference is not equal to 1 will be the odd one. This is a straightforward application of alphabet positions and differences.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: For SR, S is position 19 and R is position 18. Difference is 19 - 18 = 1, so R is immediately before S.Step 2: For ED, E is position 5 and D is position 4. Difference is 5 - 4 = 1, so D is immediately before E.Step 3: For KJ, K is position 11 and J is position 10. Difference is 11 - 10 = 1, so J is immediately before K.Step 4: For QP, Q is position 17 and P is position 16. Difference is 17 - 16 = 1, so P is immediately before Q.Step 5: For WT, W is position 23 and T is position 20. Difference is 23 - 20 = 3, so T is three letters before W rather than just one.Step 6: Since only WT has a gap of 3 instead of 1, WT does not represent consecutive letters in reverse order and is the odd pair out.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify quickly by writing the alphabet from A to Z and marking the pairs. For S and R, E and D, K and J, and Q and P, the letters stand next to each other in reverse order. For W and T, however, there are letters U and V between them, showing that they are not consecutive. This visual check confirms that WT is different from the other pairs.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
SR, ED, KJ, and QP all show a simple reverse consecutive relation: the second letter comes immediately before the first in the alphabet. Because they share this identical structure, these four pairs form a consistent pattern. None of them can be selected as the odd one out when compared with WT, which has a larger gap.
Common Pitfalls:
Many students do not explicitly calculate alphabet positions and rely only on mental pictures of the alphabet, which can cause them to miss small differences. Another pitfall is to focus only on the fact that all pairs are in reverse order, without checking whether they are immediately consecutive. To avoid such mistakes, always count the number of letters between the two characters when dealing with letter pair questions.
Final Answer:
WT
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