Understanding the Coding Logic

The question provides a word, CLOCK, and its coded form, 4 – 13 – 17 – 4 – 12, in a specific language. Our task is to decipher the rule used for coding and then apply it to the word PHONE to find its coded form.

Let's first look at the alphabetical position of each letter in the word CLOCK:

• C is the 3rd letter
• L is the 12th letter
• O is the 15th letter
• K is the 11th letter

Now, let's compare these alphabetical positions with the given coded numbers:

• C (3) is coded as 4
• L (12) is coded as 13
• O (15) is coded as 17
• C (3) is coded as 4
• K (11) is coded as 12

Analyzing the CLOCK Coding Pattern

Let's examine the difference between the alphabetical position and the coded number for each letter in CLOCK:

• For the 1st letter 'C': $\text{Coded Value} - \text{Alphabetical Position} = 4 - 3 = +1$
• For the 2nd letter 'L': $\text{Coded Value} - \text{Alphabetical Position} = 13 - 12 = +1$
• For the 3rd letter 'O': $\text{Coded Value} - \text{Alphabetical Position} = 17 - 15 = +2$
• For the 4th letter 'C': $\text{Coded Value} - \text{Alphabetical Position} = 4 - 3 = +1$
• For the 5th letter 'K': $\text{Coded Value} - \text{Alphabetical Position} = 12 - 11 = +1$

The pattern observed for the word CLOCK based on the position of the letter is:

• 1st letter: Add 1 to its alphabetical position.
• 2nd letter: Add 1 to its alphabetical position.
• 3rd letter: Add 2 to its alphabetical position.
• 4th letter: Add 1 to its alphabetical position.
• 5th letter: Add 1 to its alphabetical position.

This pattern appears to be specific to the positions within the five-letter word CLOCK. We assume the same positional rule applies to the word PHONE.

Applying the Logic to PHONE

Now, let's apply this discovered coding pattern to the word PHONE. First, we find the alphabetical position of each letter in PHONE:

• P is the 16th letter
• H is the 8th letter
• O is the 15th letter
• N is the 14th letter
• E is the 5th letter

Applying the positional rule derived from CLOCK:

• For the 1st letter 'P' (16th): $16 + 1 = 17$
• For the 2nd letter 'H' (8th): $8 + 1 = 9$
• For the 3rd letter 'O' (15th): $15 + 2 = 17$
• For the 4th letter 'N' (14th): $14 + 1 = 15$
• For the 5th letter 'E' (5th): $5 + 1 = 6$

So, the word PHONE will be written as 17 – 9 – 17 – 15 – 6 in that language.

Comparing with Options

Let's compare our calculated code for PHONE (17 – 9 – 17 – 15 – 6) with the given options:

• Option 1: 17 - 10 - 16 - 15 - 6 (Does not match)
• Option 2: 17 - 9 - 16 - 17 - 6 (Does not match)
• Option 3: 17 - 9 - 17 - 15 - 6 (Matches)
• Option 4: 16 - 9 - 15 - 16 - 5 (Does not match)

Our calculated code exactly matches Option 3.

The logic is based on applying a specific increment (+1 or +2) to the alphabetical position of each letter, depending on its position within the word (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th).

Revision Table: Coding Decoding

Additional Information: Types of Coding Patterns

Coding-decoding questions in reasoning tests often use various patterns. Understanding these can help solve problems quickly. Some common patterns include:

• Letter Shifting: Each letter is shifted a fixed number of positions forward or backward in the alphabet (e.g., A becomes C, B becomes D - a shift of +2).
• Alphabetical Position: Using the serial number of letters (A=1, B=2, etc.) and applying mathematical operations (+, -, *, /) or combining positions. This problem uses this concept with increments.
• Reverse Alphabetical Position: Using positions counting backward from Z (Z=1, Y=2, ..., A=26).
• Vowel/Consonant Rule: Different rules applied based on whether the letter is a vowel or a consonant.
• Direct Letter Coding: A specific letter is directly assigned a code (another letter or number), and this assignment is consistent throughout the word.
• Mixed Logic: A combination of different rules applied within the same code.
• Positional Logic: Rules that depend on where the letter is placed in the word (1st, 2nd, etc.). This is the logic used in the given problem.

Carefully analyzing the given example word and its code is key to identifying the specific pattern used in a particular question.