What should come in place of the question mark (?) in the given series based…
2025
What should come in place of the question mark (?) in the given series based on the
English alphabetical order?
XQS VOQ TMO RKM ?
- A.
PIK
- B.
PJK
- C.
PIL
- D.
PJL
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Each three-letter group in this series corresponds to a set of positions in the English alphabet (A = 1 through Z = 26). Successive groups are formed by applying the same constant shift to each of the three positions in turn.
Assign position values to each group: XQS = (24, 17, 19); VOQ = (22, 15, 17); TMO = (20, 13, 15); RKM = (18, 11, 13).
Track the first letter of each group: 24, 22, 20, 18 — each step decreases by 2.
Track the second letter of each group: 17, 15, 13, 11 — each step also decreases by 2.
Track the third letter of each group: 19, 17, 15, 13 — again a constant decrease of 2.
Apply the same -2 shift to the last group’s positions (18, 11, 13), giving (16, 9, 11).
Convert these positions back to letters: 16 = P, 9 = I, 11 = K, giving the group PIK.
As an independent check, each letter of RKM can be shifted back two places in the alphabet directly: R → P, K → I, M → K. This reproduces the same group, PIK, confirming the answer.