Completing the Letter Series Pattern

The question asks us to find the next term in the given letter series: SHG, RIF, QJE, PKD, (…).

To solve this type of series completion problem, we need to examine the pattern in the letters at each position within the terms.

Let's look at the letters in the first position, second position, and third position separately.

Analyzing the First Letters

The first letters of the terms are S, R, Q, P.

• S is the 19th letter of the alphabet.
• R is the 18th letter of the alphabet.
• Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.
• P is the 16th letter of the alphabet.

We can see a clear pattern here: the first letters are decreasing by one position in the alphabet each time (19 → 18 → 17 → 16). Following this pattern, the next letter should be the 15th letter of the alphabet, which is O.

Analyzing the Second Letters

The second letters of the terms are H, I, J, K.

• H is the 8th letter of the alphabet.
• I is the 9th letter of the alphabet.
• J is the 10th letter of the alphabet.
• K is the 11th letter of the alphabet.

Here, the pattern is that the second letters are increasing by one position in the alphabet each time (8 → 9 → 10 → 11). Following this pattern, the next letter should be the 12th letter of the alphabet, which is L.

Analyzing the Third Letters

The third letters of the terms are G, F, E, D.

• G is the 7th letter of the alphabet.
• F is the 6th letter of the alphabet.
• E is the 5th letter of the alphabet.
• D is the 4th letter of the alphabet.

Similar to the first letters, the third letters are decreasing by one position in the alphabet each time (7 → 6 → 5 → 4). Following this pattern, the next letter should be the 3rd letter of the alphabet, which is C.

Combining the Patterns to Find the Next Term

By combining the next letters from each position's pattern, we get:

• Next first letter: O
• Next second letter: L
• Next third letter: C

Therefore, the next term in the series SHG, RIF, QJE, PKD is OLC.

Let's verify the patterns in a table:

The pattern for the first letter is decreasing by 1 position (S → R → Q → P → O).
The pattern for the second letter is increasing by 1 position (H → I → J → K → L).
The pattern for the third letter is decreasing by 1 position (G → F → E → D → C).

The next term is OLC.

Revision Table: Letter Series Analysis

Understanding letter series patterns is a key skill in verbal and logical reasoning. Practice identifying sequences like:

• Consecutive letters (A, B, C)
• Skipping letters (A, C, E)
• Decreasing sequences (Z, Y, X)
• Alternating patterns
• Patterns based on letter positions (A=1, B=2, etc.)

Additional Information: Types of Reasoning Questions

Series completion is a common type of question in reasoning sections of competitive exams. Besides letter series, you might encounter:

• Number series
• Alpha-numeric series (combination of letters and numbers)
• Mixed series

Analyzing the difference between terms, their positions, squares, cubes, or other mathematical operations are common techniques to solve such problems.