In the word “TERMINATION,” replace each vowel with the next letter of the…
2024
In the word “TERMINATION,” replace each vowel with the next letter of the alphabet and each consonant with the previous letter. Next, replace every resulting letter after N with the next letter and every resulting letter before N with the previous letter; leave N unchanged.
Remove repeated letters and arrange the remaining letters in alphabetical order from left to right. Which letter is second to the left of the letter that is third from the right end of the new arrangement?
Answer: B. K — ConceptA letter-transformation rule is applied independently to each letter in sequence. When a second rule follows, it acts on the output of the first rule,…
- A.
A
- B.
K
- C.
E
- D.
Q
- E.
R
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Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Concept
A letter-transformation rule is applied independently to each letter in sequence. When a second rule follows, it acts on the output of the first rule, not on the original word.
After all transformations, remove duplicate letters before sorting. For a list of n letters, the kth letter from the right is at position n − k + 1 from the left.
Application
Apply the first rule to TERMINATION: T→S, E→F, R→Q, M→L, I→J, N→M, A→B, T→S, I→J, O→P, N→M. This gives S F Q L J M B S J P M.
Apply the second rule to that output: S→T, F→E, Q→R, L→K, J→I, M→L, B→A, S→T, J→I, P→Q, M→L. This gives T E R K I L A T I Q L.
Remove repeated letters and sort the remaining letters: A, E, I, K, L, Q, R, T.
There are 8 letters. The third letter from the right is at position 8 − 3 + 1 = 6 from the left, namely Q. Moving two positions left reaches position 4, namely K.
Cross-check
Counting directly from the right gives T (first), R (second), Q (third); two places to the left of Q are L and then K. Therefore, the required letter is K.