Letter analogy questions test your ability to find the relationship between a given pair of letters or groups of letters and apply that same relationship to another given letter or group of letters to find the missing term. In this specific question, we need to identify the pattern connecting 'PQR' and 'MNO' and then apply that same pattern to 'DEF'.

Understanding the PQR to MNO Transformation

Let's analyze the position of each letter in the English alphabet. We can assign a numerical value to each letter based on its position (A=1, B=2, C=3, and so on).

From the table above, we can clearly see a consistent pattern. Each letter in 'MNO' is derived by subtracting 3 from the alphabetical position of the corresponding letter in 'PQR'.

• P (16) becomes M (13) because $\text{16 - 3 = 13}$.
• Q (17) becomes N (14) because $\text{17 - 3 = 14}$.
• R (18) becomes O (15) because $\text{18 - 3 = 15}$.

Applying the Pattern to Find DEF's Analogue

Now, we apply the same rule (subtracting 3 from the alphabetical position) to the letters in 'DEF'. First, let's find the alphabetical positions of D, E, and F.

• D is the 4th letter.
• E is the 5th letter.
• F is the 6th letter.

Now, let's apply the pattern:

• For D (position 4): $\text{4 - 3 = 1}$. The 1st letter of the alphabet is A.
• For E (position 5): $\text{5 - 3 = 2}$. The 2nd letter of the alphabet is B.
• For F (position 6): $\text{6 - 3 = 3}$. The 3rd letter of the alphabet is C.

Combining the resulting letters, we get 'ABC'.

Solution Summary

The relationship between PQR and MNO is that each letter in MNO is 3 positions before the corresponding letter in PQR in the alphabet. Applying this same -3 position shift to DEF results in ABC.

Revision Table: Alphabet Letter Positions

Knowing the alphabetical position of letters is very helpful in solving letter series and analogy questions quickly. Here is a table for your reference:

Additional Information: Exploring Letter Analogy Types

Letter analogies can follow various patterns. Understanding these common patterns can help you solve different types of questions. Some other types include:

• Skipping Letters: The pattern might involve skipping a fixed number of letters between corresponding terms (e.g., A:C:B:D - skipping one letter).
• Reverse Order: The second term might be the reverse or partial reverse of the first term.
• Vowel/Consonant Patterns: The relationship might be based on whether the letters are vowels or consonants.
• Positional Shifts: Shifting letters forward or backward in the alphabet by a fixed number or a varying sequence of numbers.
• Alphabetical Blocks: Relating letters based on blocks of the alphabet (e.g., first half vs. second half).

Practicing different types of letter analogy questions will improve your ability to quickly identify the underlying pattern.