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Question

Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the one that is different.

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2020 (Tier-2) Statistics Previous Year Paper 3 (28-Jan-2022)
The correct answer is

MPI

Finding the Different Letter Cluster: QSH, MPI, KMN, CEV

In this type of reasoning question, we are given a set of letter clusters and asked to identify the one that does not follow the same pattern as the others. The pattern is usually based on the alphabetical position of the letters.

Analyzing Each Letter Cluster

Let's assign numerical values to each letter based on its position in the English alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26).

Letter Cluster Letter Positions Pattern Analysis
QSH Q=17, S=19, H=8 Difference between 1st and 2nd letter: $19 - 17 = 2$. Let's check other relations: $17+19 \ne 8$, $17+8 \ne 19$, $19-8 \ne 17$.
MPI M=13, P=16, I=9 Difference between 1st and 2nd letter: $16 - 13 = 3$. Let's check other relations: $13+16 \ne 9$, $13+9 \ne 16$, $16-9 \ne 13$.
KMN K=11, M=13, N=14 Difference between 1st and 2nd letter: $13 - 11 = 2$. Let's check other relations: $11+13 \ne 14$, $11+14 \ne 13$, $14-13 \ne 11$.
CEV C=3, E=5, V=22 Difference between 1st and 2nd letter: $5 - 3 = 2$. Let's check other relations: $3+5 \ne 22$, $3+22 \ne 5$, $22-5 \ne 3$.

Identifying the Pattern

Upon analyzing the differences between the first two letters of each cluster, we observe a consistent pattern:

  • QSH: The difference between the positions of the first two letters (S and Q) is $19 - 17 = 2$.
  • MPI: The difference between the positions of the first two letters (P and M) is $16 - 13 = 3$.
  • KMN: The difference between the positions of the first two letters (M and K) is $13 - 11 = 2$.
  • CEV: The difference between the positions of the first two letters (E and C) is $5 - 3 = 2$.

Three of the letter clusters (QSH, KMN, and CEV) show a difference of 2 between the alphabetical positions of their first two letters. The letter cluster MPI shows a difference of 3.

Conclusion

The pattern observed is that the second letter is two positions after the first letter in the alphabet for QSH, KMN, and CEV. In the case of MPI, the second letter is three positions after the first letter.

Therefore, MPI does not follow the same pattern as the other three letter clusters.

Revision Table: Letter Position Differences

Cluster 1st Letter Position 2nd Letter Position Difference (2nd - 1st) Pattern
QSH 17 (Q) 19 (S) $19 - 17 = 2$ +2
MPI 13 (M) 16 (P) $16 - 13 = 3$ +3
KMN 11 (K) 13 (M) $13 - 11 = 2$ +2
CEV 3 (C) 5 (E) $5 - 3 = 2$ +2

Additional Information: Letter Series Reasoning

Letter series or letter cluster reasoning questions test your ability to identify patterns in sequences of letters. These patterns can be based on various rules, including:

  • Alphabetical position (forward or backward).
  • Differences or sums of letter positions.
  • Skipping a fixed number of letters.
  • Vowel or consonant patterns.
  • Reverse alphabetical order.
  • Combinations of the above.

To solve these problems, it's helpful to know the alphabetical position of each letter and practice identifying different types of patterns.

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Similar Questions

  1. Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the letter-cluster that is different.

  2. Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and one is different. Pick the odd one out.

  3. Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and one is different. Pick the odd one out.

  4. Three of the following letter-clusters are alike in some manner and hence form a group. Which letter-cluster does not belong to that group?
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Important Questions from Letter based

  1. Choose the group of letters which is different from others.

  2. Choose the group of letters which is different from others.

  3. Three of the following four words are alike in a certain way and one is different. Find the odd one out.

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  5. Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the letter-cluster that is different.

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