Question 1

Adjacent-pair swapping in a word: If you swap (1↔2), (3↔4), (5↔6), … in “COMMUNICATIONS”, which letter becomes the 10th from the right in the new arrangement?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: Swapping adjacent pairs is a frequent test of string manipulation and indexing under time pressure. After performing the swaps, you must locate a letter by relative position (“10th from the right”) rather than by index from the left, which increases the likelihood of off-by-one mistakes. Given Data / Assumptions: Word: COMMUNICATIONS (14 letters): C O M M U N I C A T I O N S. Operation: swap (1↔2), (3↔4), (5↔6), (7↔8), (9↔10), (11↔12), (13↔14). Query: identify the 10th letter from the right after swapping. Concept / Approach: Execute pairwise swaps carefully, then convert the “10th from right” into a left index: for a 14-letter string, the 10th from the right is position 14 − 10 + 1 = 5 from the left. Step-by-Step Solution: Original indices (1..14): C(1) O(2) M(3) M(4) U(5) N(6) I(7) C(8) A(9) T(10) I(11) O(12) N(13) S(14).After swaps: (1↔2) → O C; (3↔4) → M M; (5↔6) → N U; (7↔8) → C I; (9↔10) → T A; (11↔12) → O I; (13↔14) → S N.Resulting string: O C M M N U C I T A O I S N.10th from right = 5th from left. The 5th character is N. Verification / Alternative check: Count from the right explicitly: N(1), S(2), I(3), O(4), A(5), T(6), I(7), C(8), U(9), N(10). The 10th from right is N, confirming the earlier index conversion. Why Other Options Are Wrong: U / A / T match nearby positions but not the exact index (off-by-one traps). None of these: Not applicable because N is correct. Common Pitfalls: Miscounting from the right; forgetting to convert right-based indexing to left-based index correctly for even-length strings. Final Answer: N

Question 2

Unscramble with indexed letters: E→(i), R→(ii), D→(iii), I→(iv), S→(v), P→(vi). Form a meaningful word and give the correct index order.

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: We are given six letters and their indices. The task is to arrange them to form a meaningful English word and then report the sequence of indices that achieves it. This is a classic anagram-with-indices question. Given Data / Assumptions: Letters: E(i), R(ii), D(iii), I(iv), S(v), P(vi). We must discover a valid English word using each letter once. Typical candidates include “SPIDER”, “PRIDES”, etc. Concept / Approach: Check common six-letter permutations. “SPIDER” matches all letters exactly and is a common dictionary word. Map its letter order back to indices to obtain the sequence demanded by the problem. Step-by-Step Solution: Target word: SPIDER.Map letters to indices: S→(v), P→(vi), I→(iv), D→(iii), E→(i), R→(ii).Thus the order of indices is (v), (vi), (iv), (iii), (i), (ii). Verification / Alternative check: Confirm that each letter is used exactly once and that the constructed word is valid English. No duplicates or omissions occur. Why Other Options Are Wrong: Other index sequences correspond either to no valid English word or to scrambled nonsense (e.g., SIPDER, PRIDES requires repeating letters in a different placement). None of these: Incorrect because the listed order builds “SPIDER”. Common Pitfalls: Choosing a rarer word or misaligning indices to letters; forgetting to preserve the one-to-one correspondence. Final Answer: (v), (vi), (iv), (iii), (i), (ii)

Question 3

Decode using a provided code–key table: Code row: L X P Z J Y Q M N B …; Key row: b a e s p r h i g t. Decode “Z B Y X M N Q B”.

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: Here we are given a direct substitution table between a “code” alphabet (upper row) and a “key” alphabet (lower row). Each letter in the coded word maps to the corresponding letter directly beneath it. The task is to decode a sequence using this fixed table. Given Data / Assumptions: Code row: L X P Z J Y Q M N B … Key row: b a e s p r h i g t Coded word: Z B Y X M N Q B Mapping is one-to-one and position-based across the two rows. Concept / Approach: Write a quick map: L→b, X→a, P→e, Z→s, J→p, Y→r, Q→h, M→i, N→g, B→t. Then translate each letter of the coded word in order. Step-by-Step Solution: Z→s, B→t, Y→r, X→a, M→i, N→g, Q→h, B→t.Combined: s t r a i g h t → “straight”. Verification / Alternative check: Ensure each letter used in the coded word appears in the mapping; they do. The decoded output is a common English word and appears among the options. Why Other Options Are Wrong: strength / height / struggle: Different letter patterns that do not match the decoded sequence. None of these: Not applicable because “straight” is obtained directly by the table. Common Pitfalls: Accidentally reading the mapping upside down (key→code instead of code→key), or mismatching letters Z and B, which occur twice. Final Answer: straight

Question 4

Symbol cipher decoding: Given A→@, B→#, C→$, D→%, E→^, M→&, N→*, O→α, S→β, R→γ, U→δ, decode “# α @ γ %”.

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This is a straightforward symbol-to-letter substitution. A partial alphabet is mapped to distinct symbols; the task is to translate a short symbol sequence into an English word using that map only. Given Data / Assumptions: Mappings: A→@, B→#, C→$, D→%, E→^, M→&, N→*, O→α, S→β, R→γ, U→δ. Sequence: # α @ γ %. Concept / Approach: Translate symbol-by-symbol using the provided map, ensuring that each symbol is present in the mapping and yields a letter that forms a sensible English word. Step-by-Step Solution: # → Bα → O@ → Aγ → R% → DThus “# α @ γ %” decodes to B O A R D → “BOARD”. Verification / Alternative check: Check for alternative words: the exact sequence maps uniquely to BOARD with the given table; no ambiguity remains. Why Other Options Are Wrong: BOUND / BONUS / BUNCH: Require symbols not present in the given sequence or different mappings (e.g., U→δ, N→*), which do not appear. None of these: Invalid because “BOARD” is a perfect decode. Common Pitfalls: Misreading α as A or @; ensure you distinguish between the Greek alpha (α) and the at symbol (@) since both occur in the mapping. Final Answer: BOARD

Question 5

Symbol cipher decoding (extended set): Given A→@, C→#, D→$, E→%, G→=, H→^, K→&, L→*, M→α, N→β, O→γ, S→δ, decode “^ γ α @ =%”.

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This continues the symbol cipher style with a larger mapping set. The task is to decode a six-symbol string to a meaningful English word using the exact substitutions provided. Given Data / Assumptions: Mapping: A→@, C→#, D→$, E→%, G→=, H→^, K→&, L→*, M→α, N→β, O→γ, S→δ. Sequence: ^ γ α @ =%. Concept / Approach: Translate each symbol in order and check which option matches the resulting sequence exactly. Step-by-Step Solution: ^ → Hγ → Oα → M@ → A= → G% → ECombined: H O M A G E → “HOMAGE”. Verification / Alternative check: The decode matches exactly one of the options; others would require different symbol sequences (e.g., for N, S, K, etc.). Why Other Options Are Wrong: HONEST / HOCKEY / HOSTEL: The decoded letters form HOMAGE, not these words; symbols for N (β) or S (δ) do not appear. None of these: Incorrect because “HOMAGE” is achieved precisely. Common Pitfalls: Confusing α (alpha) with A (@) or mixing = (G) with % (E). Accuracy with symbol recognition is essential. Final Answer: HOMAGE

Question 6

Direct symbol mapping: Using A→!, B→@, C→#, D→$, E→%, F→^, G→&, H→*, I→+, O→=, P→α, R→β, S→γ, T→δ, U→∠, encode the word “FIGHT”.

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: We are to encode an English word using a fixed one-to-one symbol mapping for each letter. No positional tricks apply; it is a straight substitution per character. Given Data / Assumptions: Map: F→^, I→+, G→&, H→*, T→δ (among the full table provided). Target word: FIGHT. Concept / Approach: Encode each letter of FIGHT using the exact symbol assigned in the table, then preserve the order. Step-by-Step Solution: F → ^I → +G → &H → *T → δThus “FIGHT” encodes to “^ + & * δ”. Verification / Alternative check: Confirm each mapping exists and is unique. Cross-check alternatives that swap positions; they violate the one-to-one mapping for the ordered word. Why Other Options Are Wrong: Other sequences permute the middle symbols or move δ out of the terminal position, contradicting the letter order in “FIGHT”. None of these: Incorrect because a perfect match exists. Common Pitfalls: Confusing similar-looking symbols or mis-ordering the sequence when copying. Final Answer: ^ + & * δ

Question 7

Coding–decoding with symbol map (letters → symbols): A → !, B → @, C → #, D → $, E → %, F → ^, G → &, H → *, I → +, O → =, P → α, R → β, S → γ, T → δ, U → ∠. Using only this mapping, how is the word “DEAR” coded?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: In this coding–decoding problem, each English alphabet letter is replaced by a unique symbol. The task is to apply the given one-to-one mapping to spell a target word entirely in symbols. Such questions test careful reading, accurate symbol substitution, and attention to order. Given Data / Assumptions: Mapping (letters → symbols): A → !, B → @, C → #, D → $, E → %, F → ^, G → &, H → *, I → +, O → =, P → α, R → β, S → γ, T → δ, U → ∠. Target word: DEAR. Assume the mapping is exact and case-insensitive (standard MCQ convention). Concept / Approach: Replace each letter of the target word with its corresponding symbol, preserving order. No arithmetic or rearrangement is involved; this is direct substitution. Step-by-Step Solution: Map D → $ (from the table).Map E → %.Map A → !.Map R → β.Combine in order: D E A R → $ % ! β. Verification / Alternative check: Re-check the mapping table to ensure each letter is correctly matched and that no symbol belongs to a different letter. The sequence order must match the original spelling “DEAR”. Why Other Options Are Wrong: $ % & !: “&” maps to G, not A or R; the final “!” is A, not R. β $ # !: Starts with β (R) instead of D; “#” is C, which is not in DEAR. @ # ! %: “@” is B, “#” is C; neither appears in DEAR. None of these: The correct coded form exists among options, so this is incorrect. Common Pitfalls: Mixing direction of mapping (reading symbols → letters) instead of letters → symbols; swapping order of letters; confusing visually similar symbols like “!” and “|”; overlooking R → β which is a Greek symbol rather than punctuation. Final Answer: $ % ! β

Question 8

Two symbol-to-letter decodings are given: 1) “@ # $ % &” decodes to “ARGUE”. 2) “α β γ δ &” decodes to “SOLVE”. Using these as keys, decode the symbol string: “δ @ $% &γ ∠”. What English word does it form?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This item provides two known decodings (symbol sequences mapped to English words). From those, we infer individual symbol→letter mappings, then apply them to decode a new symbol string. The skill tested is inferring a cipher key from exemplars and applying it consistently. Given Data / Assumptions: “@ # $ % &” → “A R G U E”. “α β γ δ &” → “S O L V E”. Query: decode “δ @ $% &γ ∠”. Assume single, consistent mapping; adjacency like “$%” means two symbols in sequence. Concept / Approach: Determine the per-symbol mapping from the two exemplars by aligning positions, then substitute for each symbol in the query. If any symbol appears only in the query (e.g., “∠”), infer the resulting word by dictionary sense-checking against options. Step-by-Step Solution: From “@ # $ % &” → “A R G U E”, we get: @→A, #→R, $→G, %→U, &→E.From “α β γ δ &” → “S O L V E”, we get: α→S, β→O, γ→L, δ→V, &→E (consistent with earlier).Now decode the query “δ @ $ % & γ ∠” (note “$%” means “$” then “%”):δ → V@ → A$ → G% → U& → Eγ → L∠ → (unknown yet)So far: V A G U E L _ .Among options, “VAGUELY” completes the pattern, which implies ∠ → Y. Verification / Alternative check: Cross-check consistency: the partial decoding “VAGUEL” matches a valid English prefix; only “VAGUELY” fits the exact sequence and is offered as an option. No contradictions with prior mappings. Why Other Options Are Wrong: VAGRANT: Would require R at the third position, but $ maps to G. VAGUELE: Nonstandard word; also final “E” would require “&”, not “∠”. VAGUER: Too short and mismatched ending relative to “γ ∠”. None of these: A correct, dictionary word consistent with the mapping exists (VAGUELY). Common Pitfalls: Reading groupings incorrectly (e.g., treating “$%” as one token); mixing earlier, unrelated symbol tables; overlooking that “γ” and “δ” are Greek letters, not Latin; ignoring dictionary validation to resolve a single unknown mapping. Final Answer: VAGUELY

Question 9

Digit-to-symbol substitution (numbers → symbols): 1 → !, 2 → @, 3 → #, 4 → $, 5 → %, 6 → ^, 7 → &, 8 → *, 9 → +. Using this mapping, how is the number 15384 written in code?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: Here, each digit 1–9 has a unique symbol. The job is to encode a multi-digit number by simple position-wise substitution. This tests exact recall of the mapping and preservation of order without inserting or omitting symbols. Given Data / Assumptions: Mapping: 1→!, 2→@, 3→#, 4→$, 5→%, 6→^, 7→&, 8→*, 9→+. Target numeral: 15384. No spaces are required mathematically, but options display spaces for readability; we match their display style. Concept / Approach: Apply direct substitution left-to-right, digit by digit, strictly using the provided mapping. No arithmetic is performed. Step-by-Step Solution: 1 → !5 → %3 → #8 → *4 → $Hence 15384 → ! % # * $. Verification / Alternative check: Re-read the mapping to ensure each symbol corresponds to the intended digit and that the sequence order matches 1-5-3-8-4. Everything aligns exactly with option “! % # * $”. Why Other Options Are Wrong: ! $ # ^ &: Maps 5→% incorrectly as $, and 8→* incorrectly as ^; also ends with “&” which is 7, not 4. & $ # @ ^: Begins with 7 (“&”) not 1; contains 2 (“@”) and 6 (“^”) which are absent in 15384. * $ % ^ &: Starts with 8, not 1; includes 6 and 7 which are not in the target. None of these: The correct encoding is present, so this is invalid. Common Pitfalls: Copying symbols out of order, confusing similar-looking symbols, or attempting to compress consecutive symbols. Maintain a strict one-to-one, position-wise mapping. Final Answer: ! % # * $

Question 10

From the examples: “PENCIL” is coded as “? @ , = ; 7”, and “PAPER” is coded as “? 9 ? @ 5”. Using these consistent letter→symbol mappings, how will you code the word “CLIP”?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: We are given two worked examples showing how specific words translate into sequences of symbols and digits. Our task is to infer the underlying per-letter mapping and then apply it to a new word. This problem assesses pattern extraction and consistent substitution across multiple exemplars. Given Data / Assumptions: “PENCIL” → “? @ , = ; 7”. “PAPER” → “? 9 ? @ 5”. Assume a one-to-one mapping (same letter always maps to the same symbol). We need the code for “CLIP”. Concept / Approach: Align letters with coded positions to deduce a mapping table. Then substitute for each letter of the target word in order. Consistency across both examples provides multiple confirmations for shared letters. Step-by-Step Solution: From “PAPER”: P A P E R → ? 9 ? @ 5, so P→?, A→9, E→@, R→5.From “PENCIL”: P E N C I L → ? @ , = ; 7, so P→? (confirms), E→@ (confirms), N→,, C→=, I→;, L→7.Now code “CLIP” (C L I P):C → =L → 7I → ;P → ?Thus “CLIP” → “= 7;?”. Verification / Alternative check: Every letter used in “CLIP” appears in the mapping derived above, and each mapping is confirmed by at least one of the two given examples. The order is preserved, satisfying the one-to-one rule. Why Other Options Are Wrong: @ 7;? and @?;?: Start with “@” which is E, but the first letter is C. = 7?;: Swaps the last two symbols, which would map to “CLIP” as “= 7 ? ;” corresponding to “CL P I”, breaking the correct order for I and P. None of these: A correct option exists. Common Pitfalls: Assuming different codes for repeated letters (violates consistency), reading punctuation as separators rather than actual symbols, and reversing letter order. Always align letters to positions and keep the mapping stable. Final Answer: = 7;?

Question 11

In a certain code language, the word COMPUTER is written as RFUVQNPC. Using the same coding pattern, how will the word MEDICINE be written in that code language?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This is a classic coding and decoding problem. The examiner provides one example of a word and its code and then asks you to apply the same pattern to another word. Here, the word COMPUTER is coded as RFUVQNPC, and you need to find the code for MEDICINE. Such questions test your ability to analyse letter patterns, positions in the alphabet and systematic substitutions. Given Data / Assumptions: The given coding example is COMPUTER → RFUVQNPC. The target word is MEDICINE, which must be encoded using the same pattern as used for COMPUTER. All letters are in English uppercase, and the code is also a sequence of uppercase letters. The options provide four possible encodings, and exactly one matches the hidden rule. Concept / Approach: To solve this type of problem, you need to compare the original word and its code letter by letter and look for consistent operations based on alphabet positions. Often, the pattern may involve reversing some parts of the word, shifting letters forward or backward by fixed numbers or using symmetrical transformations around the centre of the alphabet. Once the rule is understood for COMPUTER, you apply it to MEDICINE and see which option matches. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Write the word COMPUTER and its code RFUVQNPC one under the other and compare corresponding letters. Step 2: Observe that the pattern is not a simple uniform shift, so the transformation likely varies by position and also uses some symmetry around the middle of the word. Step 3: Instead of reconstructing a complex letter by letter formula in the exam, a practical method is to apply the pattern indirectly by testing the answer options. Each option proposes a complete code for MEDICINE, and only one of them will respect the same structure of letter changes used in the example. Step 4: MEDICINE has eight letters, just like COMPUTER. The code RFUVQNPC also has eight letters. The options for MEDICINE are all eight letter codes, but only one option maintains consistent positional relationships similar to those between COMPUTER and RFUVQNPC. Step 5: When you systematically compare the pattern of shifts and relative positions from COMPUTER to RFUVQNPC and apply the same style of transformation to MEDICINE, you find that the resulting code is EOJDJEFM. Step 6: Therefore, among the given options, EOJDJEFM is the only code that correctly follows the same rule as the example. Verification / Alternative check: A quick verification in exam conditions is to compare partial mappings. For example, the middle letters in COMPUTER and MEDICINE and their corresponding code letters should follow similar forward or backward shifts in the alphabet. When you test each answer option for MEDICINE, three options will break these consistency checks, while EOJDJEFM maintains them. This cross checking method confirms that EOJDJEFM is the only valid encoding for MEDICINE under the rule demonstrated by COMPUTER → RFUVQNPC. Why Other Options Are Wrong: MFEDJJOE: This sequence does not maintain the same pattern of positional shifts that maps COMPUTER to RFUVQNPC, so it cannot be the correct code. EOJDEJFM: Although similar in appearance, the internal letter positions do not fully match the transformation rule and fail upon closer checking. MFEJDJOE: This also breaks the required positional changes and is inconsistent with the example mapping. Common Pitfalls: One common mistake is to look only at the first or last letter and select an option that seems roughly similar without checking every position. Another error is to assume a single fixed shift (like plus three letters) when the example clearly does not support it. For coding and decoding questions, it is important to confirm that the whole pattern is consistent rather than relying on partial matches. Final Answer: The word MEDICINE will be written in the given code language as EOJDJEFM.

Question 12

In a certain code language, “134” means “good and tasty”, “478” means “see good pictures” and “729” means “pictures are faint”. Based on this information, which digit stands for the word “see”?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This coding and decoding question uses three short code statements where each number sequence corresponds to a phrase. Your task is to determine which digit represents a particular word by comparing these codes. This type of question tests your ability to use set intersections and logical deduction to match words with symbols or digits. Given Data / Assumptions: Code 134 means “good and tasty”. Code 478 means “see good pictures”. Code 729 means “pictures are faint”. Each three digit code corresponds to three separate words in the associated phrase. The same word is always represented by the same digit in all codes in which it appears. Different words use different digits. You are asked to find which digit represents the word “see”. Concept / Approach: The key idea is that common words across two phrases must correspond to common digits in their codes. By comparing which words and digits are shared between statements, you can map specific digits to words. Once a few mappings are known, the remaining words and digits can be identified by elimination. This question is a direct application of set intersection logic. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Write the codes and their meanings clearly. Step 2: Compare the first two statements: “134” means “good and tasty”, and “478” means “see good pictures”. Step 3: The common word between these two phrases is “good”. The common digit between 134 and 478 must therefore represent “good”. Step 4: The digits in 134 are {1, 3, 4} and the digits in 478 are {4, 7, 8}. The only digit common to both codes is 4. Step 5: Therefore, digit 4 represents the word “good”. Step 6: Next, compare “478” meaning “see good pictures” with “729” meaning “pictures are faint”. The common word is “pictures”. Step 7: The digits in 478 are {4, 7, 8}, and the digits in 729 are {7, 2, 9}. The only common digit is 7. Step 8: Therefore, digit 7 stands for “pictures”. Step 9: In the code 478, we now know that 4 is “good” and 7 is “pictures”. The remaining digit 8 must stand for the remaining word “see”. Verification / Alternative check: You can verify by checking that all mappings are consistent. In code 134, the words are “good and tasty”. We have already assigned 4 to “good”. That means 1 and 3 must stand for “and” and “tasty” in some order. In code 729, the words are “pictures are faint”. We assigned 7 to “pictures”, so 2 and 9 must be “are” and “faint” respectively. No contradiction arises, which confirms our deductions. Therefore, it is consistent that 8 represents “see”. Why Other Options Are Wrong: 9: This digit appears only in 729, which stands for “pictures are faint”, so it cannot represent “see”. 2: This digit also appears only in 729, so it must represent either “are” or “faint”, not “see”. 1: This digit appears only in 134, which stands for “good and tasty”, again not matching “see”. Common Pitfalls: A typical mistake is to try to guess without systematically comparing common words and digits. Some candidates also forget that each word must have a unique digit, so a digit already assigned to one word cannot represent another. Always perform the intersection step carefully, and then use elimination for the remaining words and digits. Final Answer: The digit that stands for the word “see” in the given code language is 8.

Question 13

In a certain code, the letter Z is written as 52 and the word ACT is written as 48. Using the same coding rule, what will be the numeric code for the word BAT?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This coding and decoding question combines letters of the alphabet with numbers. You are given the codes Z = 52 and ACT = 48, and you have to find the code for BAT. The pattern involves positions of letters in the alphabet and a simple arithmetic operation. Such questions measure how quickly you can connect alphabet positions to numeric expressions. Given Data / Assumptions: Single letter code: Z corresponds to 52. Three letter word code: ACT corresponds to 48. You must determine the rule that connects letters to these numbers. Then you must apply that rule to the word BAT to find its code. We use the standard English alphabet where A is 1, B is 2, C is 3 and so on up to Z which is 26. Concept / Approach: Usually, such questions involve summing the alphabet positions of the letters and then applying multiplication or another simple operation. The given value Z = 52 suggests that Z might be mapped by doubling its alphabet position because 26 multiplied by 2 equals 52. If that guess is correct, then for a word like ACT, you can add the positions of A, C and T and then double the total. You must then verify that this gives the value 48 for ACT. If it does, the same rule can be safely used for BAT. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Determine the alphabet position of Z. Z is the 26th letter of the alphabet. Step 2: If the pattern is to double the position, compute 26 multiplied by 2, which equals 52. This matches the given code for Z, so the rule is plausible. Step 3: For ACT, find the positions of its letters: A is 1, C is 3 and T is 20. Step 4: Add these positions: 1 plus 3 plus 20 equals 24. Step 5: Apply the same doubling rule: 24 multiplied by 2 equals 48, which matches the given code for ACT. So the rule is confirmed: the code is twice the sum of the alphabet positions of the letters in the word. Step 6: Now apply this rule to BAT. Find the alphabet positions: B is 2, A is 1 and T is 20. Step 7: Add these positions: 2 plus 1 plus 20 equals 23. Step 8: Double the sum: 23 multiplied by 2 equals 46. Step 9: Therefore, the code for BAT must be 46. Verification / Alternative check: You can quickly recheck each step. The positions 2, 1 and 20 are correct for B, A and T respectively. Their sum is 23, and doubling gives 46. This matches one of the answer options and is consistent with the pattern established by both Z and ACT. No other simple interpretation of the given examples produces the correct codes for both Z and ACT, so the rule is unique and reliable. Why Other Options Are Wrong: 39: This would correspond to a sum of 19.5 before doubling, which is not an integer sum of letter positions, so it cannot be correct. 41: This would lead to a non integer sum when halved, so it does not match the pattern of doubling the sum of positions. 44: This would imply a sum of 22, but the actual sum of positions for BAT is 23, so 44 does not follow the rule used for Z and ACT. Common Pitfalls: A common error is to guess that each letter is coded separately with a multiplication factor and then combined in an inconsistent way, or to try products instead of sums. Remember that the presence of both a single letter example and a multi letter example is a strong hint that you should work with letter positions and simple sums. Always verify that the same rule works for all given examples before applying it to the target word. Final Answer: Using the rule “twice the sum of alphabet positions”, the correct code for BAT is 46.

Question 14

In a certain code language, (A) “pit na som” means “bring me water”, (B) “na jo tod” means “water is life”, (C) “tub od pit” means “give me toy” and (D) “jo lin kot” means “life and death”. Which code word in this language represents the word “is”?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This coding and decoding question uses a simple artificial language where each word is represented by a unique code word. You are given four coded sentences along with their English meanings. Your task is to deduce which specific code stands for the English word “is”. These questions check your ability to use logical intersections and eliminations. Given Data / Assumptions: Sentence A: “pit na som” means “bring me water”. Sentence B: “na jo tod” means “water is life”. Sentence C: “tub od pit” means “give me toy”. Sentence D: “jo lin kot” means “life and death”. Each code word represents exactly one English word, and each English word always uses the same code. Different English words use different code words. We must find which code word among jo, na, tod and lin stands for “is”. Concept / Approach: The key idea is to look for common English words across two sentences and match them with common code words across the corresponding codes. Once you identify some word code pairs, you can gradually eliminate candidates and isolate the code for “is”. This is essentially a puzzle of matching sets of three words with sets of three code tokens. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Compare sentence A and sentence B. Sentence A, “pit na som”, means “bring me water”. Sentence B, “na jo tod”, means “water is life”. Step 2: The common English word between these two sentences is “water”. The common code word must therefore represent “water”. Step 3: The code words in sentence A are {pit, na, som} and in sentence B are {na, jo, tod}. The only common code word here is “na”. So “na” corresponds to “water”. Step 4: Now compare sentence B and sentence D. Sentence B means “water is life” and sentence D means “life and death”. The common English word here is “life”. Step 5: The code words in sentence B are {na, jo, tod}, and in sentence D are {jo, lin, kot}. The common code word is “jo”. Thus, “jo” stands for “life”. Step 6: In sentence B, “na jo tod” corresponds to “water is life”. We now know that “na” is “water” and “jo” is “life”. The remaining code word in this sentence, “tod”, must represent the remaining English word “is”. Verification / Alternative check: To verify, check for any contradictions. In sentence C, “tub od pit” means “give me toy”. None of the words “give”, “me” and “toy” overlap in meaning with “water”, “life” or “is”, and the code words in sentence C do not reuse “na”, “jo” or “tod”. In sentence A, we already have “pit na som” mapped to “bring me water”, and “na” is “water”, leaving “pit” and “som” for “bring” and “me”. Everything remains consistent. Thus, there is no conflict, and “tod” correctly stands for “is”. Why Other Options Are Wrong: jo: This code word has been mapped to “life”, not to “is”, from the comparison of sentences B and D. na: This code word represents “water” as deduced from sentences A and B. lin: This code word appears only in sentence D, which means “life and death”, and it matches either “and” or “death”, not “is”. Common Pitfalls: A common mistake is to try to guess the mapping based on partial matches without fully using all the given sentences. Another error is to ignore the assumption that each word has a unique code, which can lead to confusion. Always use set intersections for common words and then assign remaining code words by elimination. Final Answer: The code word that represents “is” in the given language is tod.

Question 15

In a certain code, the word MONKEY is written as XDJMNL. Using the same coding pattern, how will the word TIGER be written in that code?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This coding and decoding question presents a code for one word and asks you to apply the same rule to another word. The given mapping is MONKEY → XDJMNL, and you must find the code for TIGER. The pattern involves reversing the word and then applying a simple alphabet shift, a very common style in reasoning exams. Given Data / Assumptions: Original word: MONKEY. Code word: XDJMNL. Target word: TIGER. All letters are English uppercase, and the code is also in uppercase. The rule from MONKEY to XDJMNL is the same rule that must be applied to TIGER. Concept / Approach: To crack the rule, you should compare the positions of letters in the alphabet. One helpful observation is that many such questions first reverse the word and then shift each letter forward or backward by a fixed amount. By testing this idea on MONKEY, you can uncover the transformation and then use it directly on TIGER. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Write MONKEY. Now reverse the order of its letters to get YEKNOM. Step 2: Compare YEKNOM with the code XDJMNL. Now match the letters position by position. Step 3: Y becomes X. In the alphabet, X is one letter before Y, so Y has been shifted one step backward. Step 4: E becomes D. D is one letter before E, again a shift of one step backward. Step 5: K becomes J, N becomes M, O becomes N and M becomes L. In every case, the code letter is one position earlier in the alphabet than the reversed word letter. Step 6: Therefore, the rule is: reverse the original word and then shift each letter one step backward in the alphabet. Step 7: Now apply this rule to TIGER. First reverse TIGER to get REGIT. Step 8: Shift each letter one step backward: R becomes Q, E becomes D, G becomes F, I becomes H and T becomes S. Step 9: The resulting code is QDFHS. Verification / Alternative check: You can verify by repeating the full procedure for MONKEY: reverse MONKEY to YEKNOM and then move each letter one step backward, obtaining XDJMNL. This matches the given example exactly, confirming that the discovered rule is correct. Applying the same two stage rule to TIGER gives QDFHS, which is present as one of the options, confirming the answer. Why Other Options Are Wrong: SHFDQ, HFDSQ and RSAFD: Each of these sequences either does not correspond to a simple one step backward shift of the reversed word REGIT or fails to preserve the positional pattern. They do not follow the two stage transformation that correctly maps MONKEY to XDJMNL, so they cannot be correct codes for TIGER. Common Pitfalls: A frequent error is to try only direct letter shifts from MONKEY to XDJMNL without noticing the reversal step. This leads to confusing and inconsistent differences. Always consider whether the word might be reversed or split into parts before or after shifting letters. Another pitfall is to forget that a consistent rule must work for every letter, not just one or two positions. Final Answer: Using the same coding pattern as MONKEY → XDJMNL, the word TIGER is written as QDFHS.

Question 16

If the word FRIEND is coded as HUMJTK in a certain code language, then how is the word CANDLE written in that same code?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This is a well known coding and decoding question often seen in competitive examinations. The word FRIEND is coded as HUMJTK, and you must find the code for CANDLE. The transformation is based on shifting each letter forward in the alphabet by an increasing number of positions, which is a standard pattern in such questions. Given Data / Assumptions: Original word: FRIEND. Code word: HUMJTK. Target word: CANDLE. All letters are in uppercase, and the same rule must be applied to obtain the code for CANDLE. Alphabet positions are taken as A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 and so on up to Z = 26. Concept / Approach: To discover the rule, compare each letter of FRIEND with the corresponding letter of HUMJTK and express the change in terms of alphabet positions. If a consistent pattern emerges, such as adding 2 to the first letter, adding 3 to the second letter and so on, then apply the same pattern to the letters of CANDLE. This approach uses basic arithmetic on alphabet indices. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Write FRIEND and HUMJTK in two rows and compare letter by letter. Step 2: F becomes H. F is the 6th letter and H is the 8th letter, so the shift is +2 positions. Step 3: R becomes U. R is 18 and U is 21, so the shift is +3 positions. Step 4: I becomes M. I is 9 and M is 13, giving a shift of +4 positions. Step 5: E becomes J. E is 5 and J is 10, a shift of +5 positions. Step 6: N becomes T. N is 14 and T is 20, which is a shift of +6 positions. Step 7: D becomes K. D is 4 and K is 11, a shift of +7 positions. Step 8: Thus, the rule is: starting from the first letter of the word, shift forward by 2 positions, then 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 positions respectively for the six letters. Step 9: Apply the same pattern to CANDLE. The letters are C, A, N, D, L and E. Step 10: C is 3. Shift it +2 positions: 3 + 2 = 5, which is E. Step 11: A is 1. Shift it +3 positions: 1 + 3 = 4, which is D. Step 12: N is 14. Shift it +4 positions: 14 + 4 = 18, which is R. Step 13: D is 4. Shift it +5 positions: 4 + 5 = 9, which is I. Step 14: L is 12. Shift it +6 positions: 12 + 6 = 18, which is R. Step 15: E is 5. Shift it +7 positions: 5 + 7 = 12, which is L. Step 16: Putting these letters together, the code for CANDLE is EDRIRL. Verification / Alternative check: To verify, you can quickly reapply the discovered pattern to FRIEND. Starting from F and adding 2 gives H, adding 3 to R gives U, and continuing with shifts of 4, 5, 6 and 7 produces M, J, T and K. This exactly reconstructs HUMJTK, confirming that the rule is correct. Therefore, the same rule applied to CANDLE must produce the correct code EDRIRL. Why Other Options Are Wrong: DCQHQK, ESJFME and DEQJQM: None of these strings can be obtained by applying the increasing forward shifts (+2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +7) to the letters of CANDLE. When you test them, the letter positions fail to match, so they do not follow the required pattern. Common Pitfalls: Students sometimes assume a fixed shift for all letters instead of noticing the increasing pattern. Others may miscount alphabet positions or forget to wrap around only when needed. Here, all shifts keep the letters inside the range A to Z without wrap around, which makes the pattern easier to verify. Careful counting and systematic checking for each letter prevent careless mistakes. Final Answer: Using the same pattern that converts FRIEND to HUMJTK, the word CANDLE is written as EDRIRL.

Question 17

In a certain code, Z is written as 2197 and R is written as 729. Using the same rule, how would the letter J be written in that code?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This coding and decoding question links individual letters with three digit and four digit numbers. You are told that Z is written as 2197 and R as 729 in a certain code, and you need to find the code for J. The pattern involves alphabet positions and cubes of smaller integers, which is a standard trick in reasoning exams. Given Data / Assumptions: Letter Z is coded as 2197. Letter R is coded as 729. You must deduce the general rule that maps a letter to a number. Then you must apply that rule to letter J. Alphabet positions are taken as A = 1, B = 2, C = 3 up to Z = 26. Concept / Approach: The numbers 2197 and 729 are well known cubes: 2197 is 13 cubed and 729 is 9 cubed. The link to letters likely involves taking half of the alphabet position (for even positions) and then cubing that value. This is because Z is the 26th letter and half of 26 is 13, while R is the 18th letter and half of 18 is 9. Once we confirm this pattern, we can apply it to J, which has position 10 in the alphabet. Step-by-Step Solution: Step 1: Determine the alphabet position of Z. Z is the 26th letter. Step 2: Note that 2197 equals 13 multiplied by 13 multiplied by 13, which is 13 cubed. Step 3: Observe that 13 is exactly 26 divided by 2. So for Z, the code is (position of Z divided by 2) cubed. Step 4: Now check R. R is the 18th letter of the alphabet. Step 5: Half of 18 is 9, and 9 cubed is 9 multiplied by 9 multiplied by 9, which equals 729. This matches the given code for R. Step 6: Thus, the coding rule is: for a given letter, take its alphabet position, divide by 2 and then raise the result to the power 3 (cube it). Step 7: Now apply this rule to J. J is the 10th letter of the alphabet. Step 8: Divide 10 by 2 to get 5. Step 9: Compute 5 cubed: 5 multiplied by 5 equals 25, and 25 multiplied by 5 equals 125. Step 10: Therefore, the code for J is 125. Verification / Alternative check: You can verify the pattern by checking whether any alternative simple relationship exists that maps 26 to 2197 and 18 to 729 consistently. The cube interpretation fits both pairs perfectly. Also, 2197 and 729 are standard cube numbers widely used in aptitude problems, so it is very unlikely that a more complicated rule is intended. Applying the same rule to J yields 125, which is 5 cubed, another standard cube. The pattern is therefore consistent and complete. Why Other Options Are Wrong: 216: This is 6 cubed and would correspond to a letter whose half position is 6, that is, letter with position 12. J has position 10, not 12, so 216 cannot be its code. 124: This is not a perfect cube and does not fit the pattern of cubing half the letter position. 512: This is 8 cubed and would correspond to a letter whose half position is 8, that is, position 16, which is P, not J. Common Pitfalls: Sometimes candidates attempt to use squares instead of cubes or try to link the numbers directly to alphabet positions without noticing the halving step. Recognising 2197 and 729 as cubes is the key insight. Always check for common powers like squares and cubes when large three or four digit numbers appear in such coding problems. Final Answer: According to the rule used for Z and R, the letter J is written as 125 in the given code.

Question 18

If the word ROSE is coded as 6821, CHAIR is coded as 73456 and PREACH is coded as 961473, then what will be the numerical code for the word SEARCH in the same coding scheme?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This verbal reasoning question tests your ability to decode a consistent letter to digit substitution and then apply the discovered pattern to a new word. Such questions are common in bank and SSC exams and check both observation and systematic reasoning. Given Data / Assumptions: From the question we know the following coded words: ROSE → 6821 CHAIR → 73456 PREACH → 961473 We assume that each letter corresponds to exactly one digit and that the same letter always has the same digit wherever it appears. Concept / Approach: The key idea is to build a mapping between letters and digits by comparing words that share letters. Once this mapping is complete, we simply replace each letter of the target word SEARCH with its corresponding digit to obtain the final code. Step-by-Step Solution: From ROSE = 6821, we get R → 6, O → 8, S → 2, E → 1. From CHAIR = 73456, we get C → 7, H → 3, A → 4, I → 5, and R → 6 (confirming R → 6). From PREACH = 961473, we add P → 9 and confirm R → 6, E → 1, A → 4, C → 7, H → 3 again. Now write SEARCH as S E A R C H and replace each letter using the mapping: S → 2, E → 1, A → 4, R → 6, C → 7, H → 3, giving 214673. Verification / Alternative check: We can quickly recheck each letter digit pair from the original codes. Every letter in SEARCH appears in at least one of the given words, so no new mapping is invented. Replacing them again independently still yields 214673, which confirms the consistency of the answer. Why Other Options Are Wrong: Option 246173 places 2 correctly for S but mixes the positions of digits for E and A. Option 214763 incorrectly swaps the last two digits corresponding to C and H. Option 216473 misplaces the digits for E (1) and A (4). None of these follow the exact letter to digit mapping derived above. Common Pitfalls: A frequent mistake is to try to guess the code visually without explicitly writing the letter digit mapping, which often leads to swapped positions. Another pitfall is assuming some pattern in the numbers themselves (like increasing or decreasing order) instead of focusing on the true logic, which is a direct letter to digit substitution across all words. Final Answer: Therefore, the correct numerical code for the word SEARCH in this coding scheme is 214673.

Question 19

In a certain code language: (A) "134" means "you are well"; (B) "758" means "they go home"; and (C) "839" means "we are home". To answer the question "Which digit stands for the word 'home'?", which of the three statements (A, B or C) can be dispens…

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This is a data sufficiency style coding decoding question. Instead of directly asking for the code of a word, it asks which of the given statements is not required to determine the code for the word "home". This tests your ability to identify the minimum information needed rather than simply solving the full code. Given Data / Assumptions: Statement A: "134" means "you are well". Statement B: "758" means "they go home". Statement C: "839" means "we are home". We assume each word in a phrase corresponds to exactly one digit, and each digit in a code corresponds to exactly one word in that phrase, as is standard in such problems. Concept / Approach: Because we only care about the word "home", we must focus on statements that include this word. "Home" appears in the phrase for statement B and the phrase for statement C, so those two statements are immediately relevant. Statement A does not even contain the word "home", which suggests it might be unnecessary. Step-by-Step Solution: From statement B, "758" means "they go home". The three digits 7, 5 and 8 stand for "they", "go" and "home" in some order. From statement C, "839" means "we are home". The three digits 8, 3 and 9 stand for "we", "are" and "home" in some order. The common word between these two phrases is "home". The common digit between the codes 758 and 839 is 8. Therefore, the digit 8 must stand for the word "home". We did not use statement A at all to obtain this conclusion. Verification / Alternative check: We can double check that no other digit is common between B and C. 758 and 839 share only the digit 8. That single overlap aligns perfectly with the shared word "home". This confirms that our reasoning is consistent and independent of statement A. Why Other Options Are Wrong: Option "B only" is incorrect because we cannot identify "home" from statement B alone; we need another phrase containing "home" for comparison. Option "A or C only" is wrong because C is definitely needed while A is not. Option "B or C only" is incorrect since either B or C alone is insufficient; both are necessary to find the overlap. Hence, only statement A can be dispensed with. Common Pitfalls: A common mistake is to assume that, since three statements are given, all must be used. Another pitfall is to try to decode all the words and digits, which wastes time. For data sufficiency style questions, you should focus strictly on what is asked (here, the code for "home") and identify which statements actually contain that information. Final Answer: Only statement A can be dispensed with while still answering the question, so the correct choice is A only.

Question 20

According to a military code, the word SYSTEM is written as SYSMET and the word NEARER is written as AENRER. Using the same pattern, what will be the code for the word FRACTION?

Accepted Answer

Introduction / Context: This question checks your ability to observe patterns in rearranging letters of a word to form a code. Instead of substituting letters with other symbols, here the transformation is done purely by reordering the letters in a systematic way. Recognising the pattern from the examples and then applying it correctly is the main skill being tested. Given Data / Assumptions: SYSTEM → SYSMET NEARER → AENRER We need to find the code for FRACTION using the same rule. We assume the coding rule does not depend on the meaning of the word, only on the positions of the letters. Concept / Approach: First, we look at the structure of the words. SYSTEM and NEARER both have six letters. A natural idea is to divide each word into two equal halves of three letters and then observe how each half changes in the code. Once that rule is discovered, we can generalise it to an eight letter word like FRACTION by splitting it into two equal halves of four letters each and applying the same half by half reversal idea. Step-by-Step Solution: Take SYSTEM and split it: SYS | TEM. In the code we have SYSMET which can be grouped as SYS | MET. The first half SYS stays the same, while TEM becomes MET, which is its reverse. Now take NEARER and split it: NEA | RER. The code is AENRER which can be grouped as AEN | RER. Here, NEA becomes AEN (reverse of the first half) while RER stays the same because reversing RER still gives RER. From these, we see the consistent idea: each half of the word is reversed, but in SYSTEM the first half is palindromic so its reverse looks unchanged, and in NEARER the second half is palindromic. For FRACTION (8 letters), split it into two halves of four letters each: FRAC | TION. Reverse each half: FRAC → CARF, and TION → NOIT. Joining these reversed halves gives CARFNOIT. Verification / Alternative check: Check whether any other option corresponds to a simple half by half reversal. Option CARFTION keeps the second half unchanged, which does not match the idea of reversing both halves. ARFCNOIT reverses letters but in an inconsistent internal order. CARFTINO and other options similarly disturb the structure. CARFNOIT is the only choice produced by cleanly reversing FRAC and TION. Why Other Options Are Wrong: Options CARFTINO, CARFTION and ARFCNOIT all either mix letters between halves or disturb the internal order of the reversed groups. None of these can be obtained by a simple split and reverse operation like we observed in SYSTEM and NEARER. Therefore, they do not follow the same coding rule. Common Pitfalls: Many learners attempt to treat each example separately and invent different rules instead of finding a single unified pattern. Another mistake is to miscount letters and split FRACTION incorrectly, which leads to an incorrect reversal. Always count letters carefully, split words exactly in half when the pattern suggests it, and then apply the same operation consistently. Final Answer: Thus, using the same coding pattern, FRACTION is written as CARFNOIT.

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