Select the combination of numbers so that the letters arranged accordingly…
2024
Select the combination of numbers so that the letters arranged accordingly will form a meaningful word. Each letter has been assigned a number from 1 to 6, as shown in the key below:
Number | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Letter | E | O | Y | P | T | R |
- A.
2, 1, 4, 3, 5, 6
- B.
5, 3, 6, 1, 2, 4
- C.
4, 2, 1, 5, 6, 3
- D.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Attempted by 26 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
In a letter-to-number coding puzzle, each letter shown in the key is tagged with a distinct number from 1 to 6. Each answer option gives a sequence of these numbers; reading the letters in that number order and checking whether the resulting string is a real English word tells you which sequence is correct.
Application
From the key, the number-to-letter mapping is: 1 = E, 2 = O, 3 = Y, 4 = P, 5 = T, 6 = R.
Take the sequence 4, 2, 1, 5, 6, 3 and substitute each number with its mapped letter in that order: 4→P, 2→O, 1→E, 5→T, 6→R, 3→Y.
Reading the substituted letters in order gives P-O-E-T-R-Y, which is a valid English word meaning literary composition in verse.
Cross-check
Applying the same substitution method to the other three sequences confirms none of them form a word:
2, 1, 4, 3, 5, 6 → O, E, P, Y, T, R = “OEPYTR” — not a word.
5, 3, 6, 1, 2, 4 → T, Y, R, E, O, P = “TYREOP” — not a word.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 → E, O, Y, P, T, R = “EOYPTR” — not a word (simply reading the numbers in their original order does not, by itself, produce a valid word).
Since 4, 2, 1, 5, 6, 3 is the only sequence among the four that substitutes to a genuine dictionary word, it is the correct combination.