Based on the English alphabetical order, three of the following four letter-cluster pairs are alike in a certain way and thus form a group. Which is the one that does not belong to that group?
(NOTE: The odd man out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter cluster.)
Pattern Identification Logic
The question requires identifying the letter-cluster pair that does not follow the same alphabetical relationship as the others. We need to find a consistent pattern among three pairs and then identify the outlier.
Letter Position Differences Analysis
First, let's find the alphabetical position for each letter:
- A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26.
We analyze the difference between the alphabetical positions of the letters within each cluster and between the corresponding letters of the two clusters in each pair.
| Pair | Letters & Positions (Cluster 1) | Letters & Positions (Cluster 2) | Difference (1st Letter) | Difference (2nd Letter) | Observation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LN - CE | L (12), N (14) | C (3), E (5) | $12 - 3 = 9$ | $14 - 5 = 9$ | Differences are equal (9) |
| QS - IK | Q (17), S (19) | I (9), K (11) | $17 - 9 = 8$ | $19 - 11 = 8$ | Differences are equal (8) |
| XZ - PR | X (24), Z (26) | P (16), R (18) | $24 - 16 = 8$ | $26 - 18 = 8$ | Differences are equal (8) |
| SU - KM | S (19), U (21) | K (11), M (13) | $19 - 11 = 8$ | $21 - 13 = 8$ | Differences are equal (8) |
Conclusion: Identifying the Odd One Out
Three pairs (QS - IK, XZ - PR, SU - KM) exhibit a consistent positional difference of 8 between the first letters and also between the second letters of the respective clusters.
The pair LN - CE shows a consistent positional difference of 9 between the first letters and between the second letters.
Since the common difference in the majority of the pairs is 8, the pair LN - CE, with a difference of 9, is the one that does not belong to the group.
Important Questions from Classification of Soils
The Group index value of soil subgrade in pavement construction is 8. The subgrade soil is rated as:
- Uniformity coefficient of a soil is -
The coefficient of curvature for a well graded soil, must be from-
Which soil will take years and decades to undergo full settlement after the new building is constructed?
I.S. Sieve Nos. 10 mm and 4.75 mm are generally used for grading of
