Letter Analogy Pattern Analysis

The question asks us to find the term that is related to the third term in the same way as the second term is related to the first term. This is a type of letter analogy or word analogy problem, where we need to identify the pattern or rule connecting the first pair of terms and apply it to the third term to find the fourth term.

The given analogy is:

mmnnrstt : nnoostuu :: eefghhij : ?

We need to determine the relationship between mmnnrstt and nnoostuu first.

Understanding the Relationship: mmnnrstt to nnoostuu

Let's examine the transformation from the first term, mmnnrstt, to the second term, nnoostuu.

• The first two letters of the first term are 'm m'. The first two letters of the second term are 'n n'. The letter 'n' comes immediately after 'm' in the English alphabet. So, 'm' shifts to 'n'.
• The next two letters of the first term are 'n n'. The next two letters of the second term are 'o o'. The letter 'o' comes immediately after 'n'. So, 'n' shifts to 'o'.
• The next letter of the first term is 'r'. The next letter of the second term is 's'. The letter 's' comes immediately after 'r'. So, 'r' shifts to 's'.
• The next letter of the first term is 's'. The next letter of the second term is 't'. The letter 't' comes immediately after 's'. So, 's' shifts to 't'.
• The last two letters of the first term are 't t'. The last two letters of the second term are 'u u'. The letter 'u' comes immediately after 't'. So, 't' shifts to 'u'.

From this analysis, it is clear that each letter in the first term is shifted forward by one position in the alphabetical order to get the corresponding letter in the second term. This is a consistent pattern of a +1 shift for every letter.

Applying the Pattern to eefghhij

Now we apply the same +1 shift pattern to the third term, eefghhij, to find the fourth term.

• The first two letters of the third term are 'e e'. Applying a +1 shift, 'e' becomes 'f'. So, 'e e' becomes 'f f'.
• The next letter is 'f'. Applying a +1 shift, 'f' becomes 'g'.
• The next letter is 'g'. Applying a +1 shift, 'g' becomes 'h'.
• The next two letters are 'h h'. Applying a +1 shift, 'h' becomes 'i'. So, 'h h' becomes 'i i'.
• The next letter is 'i'. Applying a +1 shift, 'i' becomes 'j'.
• The last letter is 'j'. Applying a +1 shift, 'j' becomes 'k'.

Identifying the Correct Analogous Term

Combining the shifted letters, the term analogous to eefghhij is ffghiijk.

We check the given options to find ffghiijk.

Option 1: ffhgiijk (Incorrect order of g and h)

Option 2: ffghiijk (Matches our derived term)

Option 3: fgghiijk (First 'e' shifts to 'f', but the second shifts to 'g', which is inconsistent with the pattern)

Option 4: higfiijk (Completely different letters and arrangement)

Therefore, the correct term related to eefghhij is ffghiijk, following the letter shift pattern observed in the first pair of the analogy.

Revision Table: Key Analogy Concepts

Additional Information on Letter Series and Analogies

Analogies and letter series questions are common in logical reasoning tests. They require careful observation and analysis to identify the underlying rule. Besides simple alphabetical shifts like the one seen in this problem, other common patterns include:

• Skipping letters: The pattern might involve skipping a fixed number of letters (e.g., +2, +3).
• Reverse alphabetical order: Shifting letters backward instead of forward.
• Alternating patterns: Different rules applied to alternating letters or pairs of letters.
• Positional patterns: The rule might depend on the position of the letter in the word or series.
• Combination of patterns: A single problem might combine letter shifts with number patterns or other rules.

Solving these questions effectively involves breaking down the terms, comparing corresponding elements, hypothesizing a pattern, and then testing the hypothesis on the subsequent terms or applying it to find the missing term.