Understanding Letter Coding in Reasoning Questions

Coding-decoding questions in reasoning tests require you to identify a pattern or rule used to convert a word or message into a code word or message. Once the rule is found, you apply it to a new word to find its coded form, or vice versa. These patterns can involve shifting letters in the alphabet, reversing words, substituting letters, or other logical operations.

Analyzing the Given Coding Example: TREE to USFF

Let's examine the relationship between the letters in the original word "TREE" and its coded form "USFF". We can look at the position of each letter in the English alphabet.

From the table, we can see a clear pattern: each letter in the word "TREE" is shifted one position forward in the English alphabet to get the corresponding letter in the code "USFF". This means the coding rule is simple: replace each letter with the letter that immediately follows it in the alphabet.

Applying the Coding Rule to MANGO

Now we will apply this same rule (shifting each letter one position forward) to the word "MANGO".

• For the letter M (\(\text{13}^{\text{th}}\) in the alphabet), the next letter is N (\(\text{14}^{\text{th}}\)).
• For the letter A (\(\text{1}^{\text{st}}\) in the alphabet), the next letter is B (\(\text{2}^{\text{nd}}\)).
• For the letter N (\(\text{14}^{\text{th}}\) in the alphabet), the next letter is O (\(\text{15}^{\text{th}}\)).
• For the letter G (\(\text{7}^{\text{th}}\) in the alphabet), the next letter is H (\(\text{8}^{\text{th}}\)).
• For the letter O (\(\text{15}^{\text{th}}\) in the alphabet), the next letter is P (\(\text{16}^{\text{th}}\)).

Putting these new letters together in order, we get the coded word for MANGO.

So, the word MANGO is coded as NBOHP.

Verifying the Coded Word with Options

Let's compare our result, NBOHP, with the given options:

1. BHONC - Does not match.
2. NOPHB - Does not match.
3. NBOHP - Matches!
4. OPHNB - Does not match.

The coded word NBOHP matches the third option.

Conclusion on Coding MANGO

Based on the coding rule derived from the example TREE is coded as USFF (a \(+1\) shift for each letter), the word MANGO is coded as NBOHP.

Revision Table: Coding-Decoding Concepts

Additional Information on Letter Coding

Letter coding is a common type of question in verbal reasoning tests. The rules can vary widely and might include:

• Fixed Shift: Each letter is shifted by a constant number of positions (like the \(+1\) shift in this problem, or perhaps \(+2\), \(-3\), etc.).
• Varying Shift: The shift amount changes for each letter (e.g., \(+1, -2, +3, -4, \dots\)).
• Letter Reversal: Letters are substituted with their corresponding letters from the opposite end of the alphabet (A becomes Z, B becomes Y, etc.).
• Position Change: The order of letters within the word is changed (reversed, grouped and swapped, etc.).
• Combination Rules: A mix of the above rules might be applied.

To solve these problems effectively, it's often helpful to write down the alphabet and its position numbers (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26) or practice recognizing common patterns quickly.