Finding the Different Letter Cluster

This question asks us to identify the letter cluster that does not follow the same pattern as the others. To solve this type of verbal reasoning problem, we usually look at the position of each letter in the English alphabet and find the difference between consecutive letters within each cluster.

Analyzing Each Letter Cluster Pattern

Let's analyze each given letter cluster based on the alphabetical position of its letters:

Letter Cluster 1: NQS

• N is the 14th letter of the alphabet.
• Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.
• S is the 19th letter of the alphabet.

Now let's calculate the difference between consecutive letters:

• Difference between Q and N: \(${17 - 14 = +3}\)
• Difference between S and Q: \(${19 - 17 = +2}\)

The pattern for NQS is a difference of +3, followed by a difference of +2.

Letter Cluster 2: BEG

• B is the 2nd letter of the alphabet.
• E is the 5th letter of the alphabet.
• G is the 7th letter of the alphabet.

Now let's calculate the difference between consecutive letters:

• Difference between E and B: \(${5 - 2 = +3}\)
• Difference between G and E: \(${7 - 5 = +2}\)

The pattern for BEG is a difference of +3, followed by a difference of +2.

Letter Cluster 3: JMQ

• J is the 10th letter of the alphabet.
• M is the 13th letter of the alphabet.
• Q is the 17th letter of the alphabet.

Now let's calculate the difference between consecutive letters:

• Difference between M and J: \(${13 - 10 = +3}\)
• Difference between Q and M: \(${17 - 13 = +4}\)

The pattern for JMQ is a difference of +3, followed by a difference of +4.

Letter Cluster 4: FIK

• F is the 6th letter of the alphabet.
• I is the 9th letter of the alphabet.
• K is the 11th letter of the alphabet.

Now let's calculate the difference between consecutive letters:

• Difference between I and F: \(${9 - 6 = +3}\)
• Difference between K and I: \(${11 - 9 = +2}\)

The pattern for FIK is a difference of +3, followed by a difference of +2.

Comparing the Patterns of Letter Clusters

Let's summarize the patterns we found for each letter cluster:

From the table, we can see that the letter clusters NQS, BEG, and FIK all follow the pattern of adding 3 to the first letter to get the second letter, and adding 2 to the second letter to get the third letter (+3, +2).

The letter cluster JMQ follows a different pattern: adding 3 to the first letter and adding 4 to the second letter (+3, +4).

Therefore, JMQ is the letter cluster that is different from the others.

Revision Table: Letter Cluster Analysis

Review the process for identifying the odd letter cluster out:

• Assign numerical position to each letter (A=1, B=2, etc.).
• Calculate the difference between consecutive letters in each cluster.
• Identify the pattern of differences for each cluster.
• Find the cluster whose pattern is different from the rest.

Additional Information: Letter Series and Analogy

Letter series and analogy questions are common in reasoning sections of competitive exams. They test your ability to identify patterns based on:

• Alphabetical position (as in this question).
• Skipping of letters.
• Vowel/consonant patterns.
• Reversal of letter order.
• Combination of patterns.

Practicing with the alphabetical positions is key to quickly solving these types of reasoning problems.