Find the missing term: 2, 8, 5, 6, 8, ?, 11.

An interleaved (alternating) series merges two independent number series into one sequence by taking their terms alternately. To find a missing term, split the sequence by position — one sub-series from the odd positions, one from the even positions — and identify each sub-series' own pattern separately.

• Odd positions (1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th): 2, 5, 8, 11 — each term increases by 3.

• Even positions (2nd, 4th, 6th): 8, 6, ? — this is the series containing the blank.

1. The even-position series is 8, 6, ?, and it decreases by 2 at each step (8 to 6 is a drop of 2).

2. Applying the same step to the next term: 6 − 2 = 4.

Cross-check: the odd-position series 2, 5, 8, 11 already forms a fully consistent +3 progression on its own, confirming the two interleaved series are independent arithmetic progressions with common differences +3 and −2 respectively — this independently supports 4 as the correct continuation of the −2 series.

Hence, the missing (6th) term of the sequence is 4.