Understanding Letter Analogies and Patterns

This question presents an analogy where the relationship between two words in the first pair is the same as the relationship between words in the second pair and the third pair. We need to figure out this relationship or pattern and apply it to the fifth word to find the sixth word.

Analyzing the First Analogy Pair: NORMAL ∶ PQTOCN

Let's look at how each letter in 'NORMAL' changes to the corresponding letter in 'PQTOCN'. We can look at the position of each letter in the English alphabet (A=1, B=2, C=3, ..., Z=26).

• N is the 14th letter. P is the 16th letter. \(14 + 2 = 16\).
• O is the 15th letter. Q is the 17th letter. \(15 + 2 = 17\).
• R is the 18th letter. T is the 20th letter. \(18 + 2 = 20\).
• M is the 13th letter. O is the 15th letter. \(13 + 2 = 15\).
• A is the 1st letter. C is the 3rd letter. \(1 + 2 = 3\).
• L is the 12th letter. N is the 14th letter. \(12 + 2 = 14\).

It appears the pattern is to shift each letter two positions forward in the alphabet.

Verifying the Pattern with the Second Analogy Pair: REGARD ∶ TGICTF

Let's check if the same "+2" pattern applies to 'REGARD' and 'TGICTF'.

• R (18) + 2 = T (20)
• E (5) + 2 = G (7)
• G (7) + 2 = I (9)
• A (1) + 2 = C (3)
• R (18) + 2 = T (20)
• D (4) + 2 = F (6)

The pattern is confirmed. Each letter in the first word is shifted two positions forward in the alphabet to get the corresponding letter in the second word.

Applying the Pattern to the Fifth Term: TRAVEL

Now, we apply the same "+2" shift pattern to each letter in 'TRAVEL' to find the missing term.

• T (20) + 2 = V (22)
• R (18) + 2 = T (20)
• A (1) + 2 = C (3)
• V (22) + 2 = X (24)
• E (5) + 2 = G (7)
• L (12) + 2 = N (14)

Shifting each letter of TRAVEL forward by 2 positions gives us VTCXGN.

Checking the Options

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

Option 3, VTCXGN, matches the word we derived by applying the "+2" letter shift pattern.

Conclusion

The relationship between the first and second terms, and the third and fourth terms, is that each letter in the first word is shifted two positions forward in the alphabet to form the second word. Applying this pattern to 'TRAVEL' gives us 'VTCXGN'.

Revision Table: Letter Shifting Analogy

Additional Information: Types of Letter Analogies

Letter analogies in reasoning questions can follow various patterns, including:

• Position Shift: Shifting letters forward or backward by a fixed number of positions (like in this question, +2).
• Reverse Order: Reversing the letters of the word.
• Skipping Letters: Using a pattern like skipping one letter, then two, etc.
• Vowel/Consonant Patterns: Changing vowels or consonants based on specific rules.
• Combination of Patterns: Applying different rules to different letters within the word or combining shifting with reversal.
• Alphabetical Order: Arranging letters of the word in alphabetical order.

Solving these requires careful observation and testing different common letter patterns.