Four combinations of letters have been given as options out of which three are alike in some manner, while the fourth one is different. Choose the odd one.

Question

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Finding the Odd Letter Pair Out: Reasoning Explanation

This question asks us to identify the letter pair that is different from the others based on a certain pattern or rule. We are given four options, each containing a pair of letters. To solve this, we need to examine the relationship between the letters in each pair.

Analyzing the Relationship Between Letters

Let's look at the position of each letter in the standard English alphabet. There are several possible relationships between letters, such as consecutive letters, letters with a specific gap, or letters that are equidistant from the beginning and end of the alphabet (complementary letters).

Let's consider the alphabetical position of each letter (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26).

MN: M is the 13th letter, N is the 14th letter. These are consecutive letters in the alphabet. Also, 13 + 14 = 27.
CY: C is the 3rd letter, Y is the 25th letter. 3 + 25 = 28.
EV: E is the 5th letter, V is the 22nd letter. 5 + 22 = 27.
DW: D is the 4th letter, W is the 23rd letter. 4 + 23 = 27.

Identifying the Pattern: Complementary Letters

We observe a pattern in three of the pairs. When we add the alphabetical positions of the two letters in the pairs MN, EV, and DW, the sum is 27. Letters whose positions add up to 27 are called complementary letters. They are equidistant from the beginning and end of the alphabet. For example:

A (1) and Z (26): 1 + 26 = 27
B (2) and Y (25): 2 + 25 = 27
C (3) and X (24): 3 + 24 = 27
...
M (13) and N (14): 13 + 14 = 27

Let's check the pairs again based on this concept:

MN: M and N are complementary letters.
CY: C and Y are not complementary letters (C is complementary to X, Y is complementary to B). Their positions sum to 28.
EV: E and V are complementary letters.
DW: D and W are complementary letters.

Based on this analysis, the pattern is that three of the pairs consist of complementary letters, while one pair does not.

Summarizing the Analysis in a Table

Letter Pair	Position of 1st Letter	Position of 2nd Letter	Sum of Positions	Complementary?
MN	M (13)	N (14)	13 + 14 = 27	Yes
CY	C (3)	Y (25)	3 + 25 = 28	No
EV	E (5)	V (22)	5 + 22 = 27	Yes
DW	D (4)	W (23)	4 + 23 = 27	Yes

Conclusion

The pairs MN, EV, and DW follow the pattern of being complementary letters (sum of positions is 27). The pair CY does not follow this pattern, as the sum of their positions is 28. Therefore, CY is the odd one out.

Revision Table: Letter Reasoning Patterns

Pattern Type	Description	Example
Consecutive Letters	Letters appearing next to each other in the alphabet.	AB, PQ, YZ
Fixed Gap	Letters with a consistent number of letters between them.	AC (1 letter gap), EG (1 letter gap), FH (1 letter gap)
Complementary Letters	Letters equidistant from the beginning and end (sum of positions = 27).	AZ, BY, CX, DW, EV, etc.
Alphabetical Position Sum/Difference	Patterns based on the numerical value of letter positions.	Adding or subtracting positions to get a rule.

Additional Information: Solving Odd One Out Questions

Odd one out questions in reasoning test your ability to identify patterns and discrepancies. When dealing with letter-based questions, common patterns include:

Alphabetical order (consecutive, alternate, skipped letters).
Position from the start or end of the alphabet.
Vowel/consonant patterns.
Symmetry or structure of the letters.
Numerical value assigned to letters (like position).

To solve these effectively, always examine each option individually and look for a common rule that applies to most items, and then find the one that breaks that rule.

Prepp Team · Answer

MN

Prepp Team · Answer

EV

Prepp Team · Answer

DW