Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and one is different. Pick the odd one out.
JLKRW
This question asks us to identify the letter cluster that doesn't follow the same pattern as the others. To solve this, we can look at the positions of the letters in the English alphabet and find the differences between consecutive letters in each cluster.
Let's assign a numerical value to each letter based on its position (A=1, B=2, ..., Z=26) and calculate the difference between adjacent letters in each cluster. Remember that the alphabet wraps around, so moving from Z to A is a difference of +1, Z to B is +2, and so on.
| Letter Cluster | Letter Positions | Differences between consecutive letters | Pattern |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUXBG | S(19), U(21), X(24), B(2), G(7) | $21 - 19 = +2$ $24 - 21 = +3$ $2 + (26 - 24) = 2 + 2 = +4$ (X to B via wrap-around) $7 - 2 = +5$ |
+2, +3, +4, +5 |
| BDGKP | B(2), D(4), G(7), K(11), P(16) | $4 - 2 = +2$ $7 - 4 = +3$ $11 - 7 = +4$ $16 - 11 = +5$ |
+2, +3, +4, +5 |
| OQTXC | O(15), Q(17), T(20), X(24), C(3) | $17 - 15 = +2$ $20 - 17 = +3$ $24 - 20 = +4$ $3 + (26 - 24) = 3 + 2 = +5$ (X to C via wrap-around) |
+2, +3, +4, +5 |
| JLKRW | J(10), L(12), K(11), R(18), W(23) | $12 - 10 = +2$ $11 - 12 = -1$ $18 - 11 = +7$ $23 - 18 = +5$ |
+2, -1, +7, +5 |
From the analysis above, we can see the pattern of differences between consecutive letter positions:
The letter clusters SUXBG, BDGKP, and OQTXC all follow the same pattern of increasing differences (+2, +3, +4, +5). The letter cluster JLKRW follows a different pattern (+2, -1, +7, +5).
Based on the pattern of differences between consecutive letters, JLKRW is the odd one out.
| Letter Cluster | Pattern of Differences |
|---|---|
| SUXBG | +2, +3, +4, +5 |
| BDGKP | +2, +3, +4, +5 |
| OQTXC | +2, +3, +4, +5 |
| JLKRW | +2, -1, +7, +5 |
Letter series and letter cluster questions are common in logical reasoning tests. To solve them effectively, consider these approaches:
Always test your proposed pattern against all given options to ensure consistency or identify the outlier.
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