Look at the sequence of symbols to find the pattern. Select the correct…

Each symbol in the series is the capital letter 'E' rotated to one of four fixed orientations: facing right, down, left, or up. The full string is split into blocks of three symbols. Reading it block by block reveals a fixed rule: whenever a block opens and closes with the right-facing symbol and carries a new orientation in the middle, the very next block is a 'pure' block made of three copies of that same new orientation.

1. Block 1 (right-facing, down-facing, right-facing) opens and closes with the right-facing symbol and carries the down-facing symbol in the middle, so it introduces the down-facing orientation.

2. Block 2 (down-facing, down-facing, down-facing) is the pure block that immediately reinforces the orientation just introduced, confirming the rule.

3. Block 3 (right-facing, up-facing, right-facing) repeats the same introductory shape, this time carrying the up-facing symbol in the middle, so up-facing is the new orientation being introduced.

4. Block 4 (up-facing, blank, up-facing) is therefore the pure block that must reinforce the orientation introduced by Block 3.

5. Since Block 4 already shows the up-facing symbol at both ends, the missing middle symbol must also be up-facing to complete the pure block of three.

This is exactly the same relationship as Block 1 to Block 2: the introductory block's middle symbol becomes every symbol of the very next block. Applying that same relationship to Block 3 confirms the missing symbol must be up-facing and not any of the other three orientations.

The up-facing symbol therefore completes the series (option value 3).