If FRIEND is coded as HUMJTK, how is CANDLE written in that code?
2025
If FRIEND is coded as HUMJTK, how is CANDLE written in that code?
- A.
EDRIRL
- B.
DEQJQM
- C.
ESJFME
- D.
DCQHQK
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
In alphabet letter-shift coding, each letter of a word is moved a certain number of steps forward in the alphabet to get its coded letter. Comparing a word with its given code reveals the shift used at each letter position, and applying that very same position-by-position shift to a new word decodes it in the same code.
Finding the shift from FRIEND to HUMJTK:
F (6th letter) shifts 2 steps forward to H (8th letter).
R (18th letter) shifts 3 steps forward to U (21st letter).
I (9th letter) shifts 4 steps forward to M (13th letter).
E (5th letter) shifts 5 steps forward to J (10th letter).
N (14th letter) shifts 6 steps forward to T (20th letter).
D (4th letter) shifts 7 steps forward to K (11th letter).
So the first letter shifts 2 steps, and every letter after it shifts one step more than the letter before it: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Applying the same rule to CANDLE:
C (3rd letter) shifts 2 steps forward to E (5th letter).
A (1st letter) shifts 3 steps forward to D (4th letter).
N (14th letter) shifts 4 steps forward to R (18th letter).
D (4th letter) shifts 5 steps forward to I (9th letter).
L (12th letter) shifts 6 steps forward to R (18th letter).
E (5th letter) shifts 7 steps forward to L (12th letter).
Reading the coded letters in order gives EDRIRL.
Checking in reverse: shifting each letter of EDRIRL backward by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 respectively returns C, A, N, D, L, E, confirming the code is correct.