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Question

I, L, O, R, ?

In the following series, one letter is missing as shown by the question mark (?). Select the missing letter from the given options.

This question was previously asked in
RRB ALP 2018 CBT 2 Fitter Question Paper (21-Jan-2019) (Shift 3)
The correct answer is

U

Solving Letter Series Reasoning Questions

Letter series questions require identifying the pattern governing the sequence of letters. This pattern can be based on alphabetical positions, skipping letters, or other logical rules.

Analyzing the Given Letter Series: I, L, O, R, ?

The given series is:

I, L, O, R, ?

To find the missing letter, let's examine the relationship between consecutive letters.

Finding the Pattern in the Series

We can look at the position of each letter in the English alphabet:

  • I is the 9th letter.
  • L is the 12th letter.
  • O is the 15th letter.
  • R is the 18th letter.

Now, let's find the difference in positions between consecutive letters:

  • From I (9) to L (12): $12 - 9 = 3$. The difference is $+3$.
  • From L (12) to O (15): $15 - 12 = 3$. The difference is $+3$.
  • From O (15) to R (18): $18 - 15 = 3$. The difference is $+3$.

The pattern appears to be consistently adding 3 to the alphabetical position of the previous letter.

Letter Alphabetical Position Difference from Previous
I 9 -
L 12 $12 - 9 = +3$
O 15 $15 - 12 = +3$
R 18 $18 - 15 = +3$
? $18 + 3 = 21$ $+3$

Determining the Missing Letter

Following the identified pattern, the next letter in the series should have an alphabetical position that is 3 more than the position of R.

Position of R = 18

Position of the missing letter = Position of R + 3 = $18 + 3 = 21$

The letter at the 21st position in the English alphabet is U.

Conclusion

The missing letter in the series I, L, O, R, ? is U.

Revision Table: Letter Series Patterns

Pattern Type Description Example
Alphabetical Position Difference Adding or subtracting a constant number from the position. A (+2) C (+2) E
Skipping Letters Skipping a fixed number of letters between consecutive terms. A (skip 1) C (skip 1) E
Mixed Patterns Combining position differences, reverse order, etc. A (+1) C (+2) F (+3) J

Additional Information: Reasoning Concepts

Letter series questions are common in reasoning sections of competitive exams. Mastering the alphabetical positions and practicing different types of patterns is crucial for solving these problems efficiently. Other common patterns include alternating patterns, prime number differences, perfect squares, or cubes related to positions, and reverse alphabetical order.

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Important Questions from Alphabet Series

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    a __ __ dba __ __ bcad __ __ da __ __ cd
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