Understanding the Alphanumeric Series Reversal

This question asks us to perform an operation on a given series and then find a specific element based on its position in the modified series. The key steps involve reversing the second half of the series and then determining the location of the required element.

Step 1: Analyze the Original Series

The given series is:

9$YX8N6OLBUJZT@1QFD%

Let's count the total number of elements in this series.

There are 20 elements in the series.

Step 2: Divide the Series into Halves

Since there are 20 elements, the series can be divided into two equal halves of 10 elements each.

• First half: The first 10 elements.
• Second half: The remaining 10 elements.

Original Series:

9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B | U J Z T @ 1 Q F D %

First half: 9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B

Second half: U J Z T @ 1 Q F D %

Step 3: Reverse the Second Half

Now, we reverse the order of the elements in the second half.

Original Second half: U J Z T @ 1 Q F D %

Reversed Second half: % D F Q 1 @ T Z J U

Step 4: Form the Modified Series

Combine the first half with the reversed second half to get the modified series.

Modified Series = First half + Reversed Second half

Modified Series: 9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B % D F Q 1 @ T Z J U

Step 5: Determine the Target Position

We need to find the "fifth term to the left of the ninth term from the right" in the modified series.

First, let's find the ninth term from the right end of the modified series (which has 20 elements).

Counting from the right end (U is 1st from right, J is 2nd, etc.):

The ninth term from the right is D.

Next, we need to find the fifth term to the left of D. Starting from D and moving towards the left:

• 1st to the left of D is Q
• 2nd to the left of D is 1
• 3rd to the left of D is @
• 4th to the left of D is T
• 5th to the left of D is Z

This interpretation gives Z. However, based on standard reasoning questions of this type, "fifth term to the left of the ninth term from the right" usually means the term located at a position that is 5 steps left from the 9th position from the right.

Let's consider the positions from the right end.

The ninth term from the right is at the 9th position counting from the right.

Moving 5 terms to the left means moving 5 positions further away from the right end, towards the left end. So the target position is 9 + 5 = 14th position from the right end.

Let's find the 14th term from the right end in the modified series:

Modified Series: 9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B % D F Q 1 @ T Z J U

Counting 14 elements from the right end (U is 1st, J is 2nd, ..., D is 9th, % is 10th, B is 11th, L is 12th, O is 13th, N is 14th).

The 14th term from the right is N.

This also does not match the options provided. Let's re-interpret the position calculation using the position from the left.

The modified series has 20 elements. The nth term from the right is the (Total elements - n + 1)th term from the left.

The ninth term from the right is the $(20 - 9 + 1) = 12$th term from the left.

We need the fifth term to the left of the 12th term from the left. Moving 5 terms to the left from the 12th position means we are looking for the term at position $12 - 5 = 7$ from the left end.

Let's find the 7th term from the left in the modified series:

Modified Series: 9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B % D F Q 1 @ T Z J U

Positions from left: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

The elements are: 9 $ Y X 8 N 6 O L B % D F Q 1 @ T Z J U

The 7th term from the left is 6.

Step 6: Final Answer

The element that is the fifth term to the left of the ninth term from the right in the modified series is 6.

Revision Table: Key Steps Reviewed

Additional Information on Series and Position Finding

Series-based problems are common in logical reasoning sections of competitive exams. They test your ability to follow instructions regarding sequences of letters, numbers, and symbols. Understanding positional values is crucial.

• Counting from ends: Remember that the nth term from the left is different from the nth term from the right. In a series of length L, the nth term from the right is the (L - n + 1)th term from the left.
• Relative position: "X terms to the left of Y" means you start at Y and count X steps towards the left end. If Y is at position P from the left, then X terms to its left is at position P - X from the left. If Y is at position P from the right, then X terms to its left is at position P + X from the right.
• Reversal: Reversing a segment means the order of elements within that specific segment is flipped. The first element of the segment becomes the last, the second becomes the second last, and so on.

Always read the question carefully to understand which half needs reversing (first or second) and from which end (left or right) and relative to which point you need to find the final element.