How many such pairs of letters are there in the word “FOREIGN”, each of which…
20222022
How many such pairs of letters are there in the word “FOREIGN”, each of which has as many letters between the two letters as they have between them in the English alphabet?
- A.
2
- B.
1
- C.
3
- D.
Nil
Attempted by 50 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Method: Compare each pair of letters. The condition is satisfied when the difference in their positions in the word equals the difference of their positions in the English alphabet.
Letters with their word index and alphabet position:
F: word index 1, alphabet 6
O: word index 2, alphabet 15
R: word index 3, alphabet 18
E: word index 4, alphabet 5
I: word index 5, alphabet 9
G: word index 6, alphabet 7
N: word index 7, alphabet 14
Check pairs that satisfy the condition:
E (word positions 4 and 6) and G (alphabet positions 5 and 7): word difference = 6 - 4 = 2; alphabet difference = 7 - 5 = 2. Match.
R (word positions 3 and 7) and N (alphabet positions 18 and 14): word difference = 7 - 3 = 4; alphabet difference = 18 - 14 = 4. Match.
Conclusion: There are 2 such pairs of letters in the word "FOREIGN".