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)

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Alphabetical Order Pattern Analysis

The question requires identifying the letter cluster pair that deviates from a specific alphabetical pattern shared by the others. We will analyze each option by considering the numerical position of letters in the English alphabet (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26).

Letter Cluster Options Examination

NP-RT Cluster Analysis

N corresponds to the 14th position, P to the 16th. The difference is $16 - 14 = 2$.
R corresponds to the 18th position, T to the 20th. The difference is $20 - 18 = 2$.
The interval between the second letter of the first pair (P, 16th) and the first letter of the second pair (R, 18th) is $18 - 16 = 2$.
This sequence of positions ($14, 16, 18, 20$) follows the pattern $X, X+2, X+4, X+6$.

KM-OQ Cluster Analysis

K is the 11th letter, M is the 13th. Difference: $13 - 11 = 2$.
O is the 15th letter, Q is the 17th. Difference: $17 - 15 = 2$.
The interval between M (13th) and O (15th) is $15 - 13 = 2$.
The positions ($11, 13, 15, 17$) fit the pattern $X, X+2, X+4, X+6$.

IK-MO Cluster Analysis

I is the 9th letter, K is the 11th. Difference: $11 - 9 = 2$.
M is the 13th letter, O is the 15th. Difference: $15 - 13 = 2$.
The interval between K (11th) and M (13th) is $13 - 11 = 2$.
The positions ($9, 11, 13, 15$) follow the pattern $X, X+2, X+4, X+6$.

CE-HJ Cluster Analysis

C is the 3rd letter, E is the 5th. Difference: $5 - 3 = 2$.
H is the 8th letter, J is the 10th. Difference: $10 - 8 = 2$.
The interval between E (5th) and H (8th) is $8 - 5 = 3$.
This sequence of positions ($3, 5, 8, 10$) does not match the $X, X+2, X+4, X+6$ pattern established by the other options. The gap between the pairs is 3, not 2.

Odd Cluster Group Identification

The letter cluster pairs NP-RT, KM-OQ, and IK-MO all follow a consistent pattern: the letter positions form an arithmetic sequence with a common difference of 2 (specifically $X, X+2, X+4, X+6$). The pair CE-HJ breaks this pattern due to the larger interval (3) between the first pair's second letter and the second pair's first letter.

Therefore, CE-HJ is the cluster pair that does not belong to the group.