Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: ACE
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question explores your ability to notice internal patterns in words, specifically the order of letters according to the English alphabet. Such questions appear in logical reasoning sets where seemingly ordinary words hide a pattern that you must detect to choose the odd term.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key idea is to look at the relative order of letters within each word. If the letters proceed in strict alphabetical order from left to right, that word may be different from words where letters are jumbled. On the other hand, if three words have no internal alphabetical pattern and one has a neat pattern, the neat one becomes the odd member based on structure, not meaning.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: For ACE, the letters are A, C, and E. Their alphabetical positions are 1, 3, and 5. They increase in order and maintain a consistent step of +2, so ACE is in strict increasing alphabetical order.
Step 2: For ONE, the letters O, N, and E appear in the order of positions 15, 14, and 5. These do not follow increasing order; in fact, the sequence decreases and then makes a large jump.
Step 3: For EON, the letters E, O, and N correspond to 5, 15, and 14. Again, this is not a simple increasing or decreasing stepwise sequence.
Step 4: For RED, the letters R, E, and D have positions 18, 5, and 4. This is also not a neat alphabetical progression.
Step 5: Therefore, ACE is the only word whose letters appear in properly increasing alphabetical order from left to right.
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick verification is to write the letters of each word in alphabetical order and compare them with the original word. For ACE, sorting the letters still gives ACE, so it is already in alphabetical order. For ONE, sorted letters give ENO, which is different from ONE. For EON, sorted letters give ENO again, which is different from EON. For RED, sorted letters give DER, which differs from RED. This confirms that ACE alone is prearranged in alphabetical order and is therefore structurally distinct.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Common Pitfalls:
Candidates may focus on the meanings of the words instead of structural letter patterns. For instance, they might think ACE is special because it has a separate meaning related to excellence. However, the intended reasoning is purely alphabetical. Ignoring letter order and relying only on word meaning can easily lead to errors in such questions.
Final Answer:
ACE
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