Letter Series Pattern Identification
The question asks us to find the next term in the given sequence: B, DE, HJK, ?, WXYZB. This type of problem requires identifying a logical pattern within the series of letters.
Analyzing Series Components
Let's examine each term provided in the sequence:
- Term 1: B
- Term 2: DE
- Term 3: HJK
- Term 4: ?
- Term 5: WXYZB
We first note the number of letters in each term:
- Term 1 has 1 letter.
- Term 2 has 2 letters.
- Term 3 has 3 letters.
- Term 5 has 5 letters.
This suggests that Term 4 should contain 4 letters, following the pattern 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Pattern Between Terms Logic
To uncover the rule governing the sequence, let's analyze the relationship between the end of one term and the beginning of the next. We'll use the position of each letter in the alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26).
| Term Number (N) | Term Letters | Number of Letters (N) | First Letter (Position) | Last Letter (Position) | Letters Skipped to Next Term (N-1) | First Letter of Next Term (Position) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | B | 1 | B (2) | B (2) | 1 (C) | D (4) |
| 2 | DE | 2 | D (4) | E (5) | 2 (F, G) | H (8) |
| 3 | HJK | 3 | H (8) | K (11) | 3 (L, M, N) | O (15) |
| 4 | ? | 4 | O (15) | R (18) | 4 (S, T, U, V) | W (23) |
| 5 | WXYZB | 5 | W (23) | B (2) | - | - |
The pattern is derived as follows:
- The Nth term in the series contains exactly N letters.
- To find the first letter of the Nth term, we look at the last letter of the (N-1)th term. We then skip exactly (N-1) letters in the alphabet. The letter immediately following the skipped letters is the first letter of the Nth term.
Calculate Term 4 Step-by-Step
- Identify Last Letter of Term 3: The last letter of Term 3 (HJK) is K, which is the 11th letter of the alphabet.
- Determine Number of Skipped Letters: Term 4 is the N=4 term. According to the pattern, we must skip (N-1) = (4-1) = 3 letters after K. These letters are L, M, and N.
- Find First Letter of Term 4: The letter that comes immediately after N is O. So, the first letter of Term 4 is O (the 15th position).
- Determine Length of Term 4: As per the pattern, Term 4 must have 4 letters.
- Construct Term 4: Following the sequence from O and assuming consecutive letters (which is consistent with Term 2 and Term 5, and suggested by the progression O -> W), the 4 letters are O, P, Q, R.
Therefore, the missing Term 4 is OPQR.
Verify Pattern with Term 5
We can confirm this pattern by checking if it correctly predicts Term 5:
- Identify Last Letter of Term 4: The last letter of Term 4 (OPQR) is R, the 18th letter.
- Determine Number of Skipped Letters: Term 5 is N=5. We need to skip (N-1) = (5-1) = 4 letters after R. These are S, T, U, and V.
- Find First Letter of Term 5: The letter following V is W. So, the first letter of Term 5 is W (the 23rd position).
- Construct Term 5: Term 5 has 5 letters. Starting from W and using consecutive letters, including wrapping around the alphabet (Z to A): W (23), X (24), Y (25), Z (26), A (1), B (2). The sequence is WXYZB, which matches the given Term 5.
Final Answer: Next Term
The identified pattern consistently explains the progression of the series. The number of letters increases by one for each subsequent term, and the starting letter of a term is determined by skipping (N-1) letters after the last letter of the previous term.
Applying this logic, the next term in the series is OPQR.
Similar Questions
- Find the next term in the given letter series: AAGHGHGH, GAAHGHGH, GHAAHGHG, GHGHAAHG, GHGHGAAH, ____
- In the following questions, which one set of letters/numbers when sequentially placed at the gaps in the given letter series shall complete it? \(d\_e\_f\_12g\_16h\_20i\_24\)
- What should come in the place of question mark (?) in the following alpha numeric series? \(2A-50, 5Z-46, 8B-42, 11Y-38, ?\)
- Find the next term in the given letter series: ZZPQPQPQ, PZZPQPQP, PQZZPQPQ, PQPZZPQP, PQPQZZPQ, ____
- What should come in the place of question mark (?) in the following alpha numeric series? \(10M-30, 15O-27, 20K-24, 25Q-21, ?\)
- Find the next term in the given series. K1F, M3E, O8D, Q19C, ?
- Find the missing term in the following series.
ACE, BDF, CEH, DGI, ?
Important Questions from Alpha-numeric series
Consider the following sequence of numbers: 5 1 4 7 3 9 8 5 7 2 6 3 1 5 8 6 3 8 5 2 2 4 3 4 9 6 How many odd numbers are followed by the odd number in the above sequence?
Which one set of letters when sequentially placed at the gaps in the given letter series shall complete it? _sr_tr_srs_r_srst_
Find the missing number in the following series: 43, 172, 86, 344, ?
Select the missing numbers from the given alternatives
How many such pairs of letters are there in the word JOURNEY (in forward direction), each of which has as many letter in the same sequence between them in the word as in the English alphabet?
