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Question

Three of the following letter-clusters are alike in some manner and hence form a group. Which letter-cluster does not belong to that group?

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2022 Tier-II (Paper 2 JSO) Previous Year Paper (04-Mar-2023)
The correct answer is BYXW

Analyzing Letter Clusters to Find the Outlier

The question asks us to identify the letter-cluster that does not follow the same pattern as the other three. This is a common type of question in reasoning and pattern recognition exercises. We need to examine each letter-cluster individually to find the underlying rule or pattern.

Pattern Analysis of Each Letter-Cluster

Let's look at the sequence of letters in each cluster and their positions in the English alphabet.

  • PONM:

    P is the 16th letter.

    O is the 15th letter.

    N is the 14th letter.

    M is the 13th letter.

    The sequence is 16, 15, 14, 13. This shows four consecutive letters in reverse alphabetical order.

  • EDCB:

    E is the 5th letter.

    D is the 4th letter.

    C is the 3rd letter.

    B is the 2nd letter.

    The sequence is 5, 4, 3, 2. This shows four consecutive letters in reverse alphabetical order.

  • SRQP:

    S is the 19th letter.

    R is the 18th letter.

    Q is the 17th letter.

    P is the 16th letter.

    The sequence is 19, 18, 17, 16. This shows four consecutive letters in reverse alphabetical order.

  • BYXW:

    B is the 2nd letter.

    Y is the 25th letter.

    X is the 24th letter.

    W is the 23rd letter.

    The sequence is 2, 25, 24, 23. The letters Y, X, W are consecutive in reverse alphabetical order (25, 24, 23), but the first letter B (2) does not fit this pattern of consecutive letters starting from the first letter of the cluster.

Comparing Letter Cluster Patterns

Let's summarise the patterns observed in the letter clusters:

Letter Cluster Letters Alphabetical Positions Pattern Observed
PONM P, O, N, M 16, 15, 14, 13 Four consecutive letters in reverse order.
EDCB E, D, C, B 5, 4, 3, 2 Four consecutive letters in reverse order.
SRQP S, R, Q, P 19, 18, 17, 16 Four consecutive letters in reverse order.
BYXW B, Y, X, W 2, 25, 24, 23 Last three letters are consecutive in reverse order, but the first letter breaks the pattern.

Based on this comparison, the first three letter-clusters (PONM, EDCB, SRQP) all follow the pattern of being four consecutive letters arranged in descending order of their alphabetical position. The letter-cluster BYXW does not follow this exact pattern because the first letter 'B' is not consecutive with 'Y', 'X', 'W' in a descending sequence of four letters.

Identifying the Outlier Letter-Cluster

Since PONM, EDCB, and SRQP form a group based on the rule of consecutive letters in reverse alphabetical order, the letter-cluster BYXW is the one that does not belong to this group.

Revision Table: Key Concepts

Concept Description
Letter Cluster A group of letters arranged in a specific order.
Pattern Recognition Identifying a repeating or consistent rule or sequence in a set of data.
Outlier/Odd One Out An element that does not follow the same pattern as the others in a group.
Alphabetical Order The standard sequence of letters from A to Z.
Reverse Alphabetical Order The sequence of letters from Z to A.

Additional Information: Types of Letter Series Patterns

Letter series and letter cluster questions often involve different types of patterns. Understanding these can help solve such problems faster.

  • Alphabetical Position: Patterns based on the numerical position of letters (A=1, B=2, ... Z=26). This can involve addition, subtraction, multiplication, or other mathematical operations on these positions.
  • Reverse Order: Letters arranged from Z towards A.
  • Skipping Letters: Letters are placed by skipping a fixed number of letters in between (e.g., A, D, G... skipping 2 letters each time).
  • Vowel/Consonant Pattern: The series might alternate between vowels and consonants or follow a specific sequence related to them.
  • Combination of Patterns: A series might involve a mix of numerical position changes and skipping letters, or other combined rules.
  • Repeated Sequences: A block of letters repeats in the series.

Analysing the difference between consecutive letters or looking at their positions is key to solving these letter pattern questions.

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Similar Questions

  1. Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the letter-cluster that is different.

  2. Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and one is different. Pick the odd one out.

  3. Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and one is different. Pick the odd one out.

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Important Questions from Letter based

  1. Choose the group of letters which is different from others.

  2. Choose the group of letters which is different from others.

  3. Three of the following four words are alike in a certain way and one is different. Find the odd one out.

  4. Based on the position in the English alphabetical order, three of the following letterclusters are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the odd letter-cluster.

  5. Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the letter-cluster that is different.

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