Based on the English alphabetical order, three of the following four…
2025
Based on the English alphabetical order, three of the following four letter-cluster pairs are alike in a certain way and thus form a group. Which letter-cluster pair DOES NOT belong to that group?
(Note: The odd one out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter-cluster.)
Answer: D. SR-OQ — ConceptReplace every letter by its position in the English alphabet (A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26). A set of letter-cluster pairs belongs to one group when the…
- A.
HG-ED
- B.
QP-NM
- C.
NM-KJ
- D.
SR-OQ
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Concept
Replace every letter by its position in the English alphabet (A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26). A set of letter-cluster pairs belongs to one group when the same sequence of position differences runs through every member, read from the first letter to the last. The member whose difference sequence breaks that common pattern is the odd one out.
Application
Write the four letters of each pair as position numbers, then take the difference between each letter and the next:
Pair | Alphabet positions | Step pattern |
|---|---|---|
HG-ED | 8, 7, 5, 4 | -1, -2, -1 |
QP-NM | 17, 16, 14, 13 | -1, -2, -1 |
NM-KJ | 14, 13, 11, 10 | -1, -2, -1 |
SR-OQ | 19, 18, 15, 17 | -1, -3, +2 |
Cross-check
HG-ED, QP-NM and NM-KJ all show the step pattern -1, -2, -1: two letters running backwards through the alphabet, one letter skipped (F, O and L respectively), then two more letters running backwards.
SR-OQ begins the same way, with S and R running backwards, but its second block moves forward from O to Q instead of backwards, giving the steps -1, -3, +2. Following the group's rule, S and R would have been paired with PO.
Therefore SR-OQ is the letter-cluster pair that does not belong to the group.