Letter Triad Logic Explained

This question asks us to identify a specific logical pattern used to transform one word into another within a sequence of three words (a triad). We are given two examples and need to find the option that follows the same transformation rules.

Analyzing the Transformation Logic

Let's break down the logic using the provided examples:

Example 1: TOES → SETO → TEOS

We represent the positions of letters in the original word as 1, 2, 3, 4.

TOES (Positions: 1 2 3 4)

SETO

To get 'SETO' from 'TOES', the letters are rearranged. Let's map the positions:

• The 4^th letter ('S') of TOES is now the 1^st letter of SETO.
• The 3^rd letter ('E') of TOES is now the 2^nd letter of SETO.
• The 1^st letter ('T') of TOES is now the 3^rd letter of SETO.
• The 2^nd letter ('O') of TOES is now the 4^th letter of SETO.

The positional mapping for this step is $(4, 3, 1, 2)$.

TEOS

Now, let's find the transformation from 'SETO' to 'TEOS':

• The 3^rd letter ('T') of SETO is now the 1^st letter of TEOS.
• The 2^nd letter ('E') of SETO remains the 2^nd letter of TEOS.
• The 4^th letter ('O') of SETO is now the 3^rd letter of TEOS.
• The 1^st letter ('S') of SETO is now the 4^th letter of TEOS.

The positional mapping for this step is $(3, 2, 4, 1)$.

Example 2: CLAP → PACL → CALP

Let's check if these positional mappings hold true for the second example.

CLAP (Positions: 1 2 3 4)

Apply the first mapping $(4, 3, 1, 2)$ to 'CLAP':

• 4^th letter ('P') → 1^st position
• 3^rd letter ('A') → 2^nd position
• 1^st letter ('C') → 3^rd position
• 2^nd letter ('L') → 4^th position

Result: PACL. This matches the second word.

PACL

Apply the second mapping $(3, 2, 4, 1)$ to 'PACL':

• 3^rd letter ('C') → 1^st position
• 2^nd letter ('A') → 2^nd position
• 4^th letter ('L') → 3^rd position
• 1^st letter ('P') → 4^th position

Result: CALP. This matches the third word.

Identifying the Correct Option

The consistent logic found is:

• Word 1 → Word 2: Apply positional mapping $(4, 3, 1, 2)$.
• Word 2 → Word 3: Apply positional mapping $(3, 2, 4, 1)$.

Let's test the given options against this logic:

Option 1 Analysis: CALF - FLCA - ALCF

• CALF → FLCA: Apply $(4, 3, 1, 2)$ → F L C A. (Matches)
• FLCA → ALCF: Apply $(3, 2, 4, 1)$ → C L A F. (Does NOT match ALCF)

Option 2 Analysis: RUST - RSUT - TSUR

• RUST → RSUT: Apply $(4, 3, 1, 2)$ → T S R U. (Does NOT match RSUT)

Option 3 Analysis: TUNE - UNTE - UNET

• TUNE → UNTE: Apply $(4, 3, 1, 2)$ → E N T U. (Does NOT match UNTE)

Option 4 Analysis: MICK - KCMI - MCIK

• MICK → KCMI: Apply $(4, 3, 1, 2)$ → K C M I. (Matches)
• KCMI → MCIK: Apply $(3, 2, 4, 1)$ → M C I K. (Matches)

This option correctly follows both transformation steps.

Final Answer Derivation

The triad MICK - KCMI - MCIK is the only one that adheres strictly to the established letter rearrangement logic derived from the examples.