If we use the following alphabets from the words which are given in the…
2023
If we use the following alphabets from the words which are given in the options below: first vowel from the left end in the first word, the consonant which has the highest place value in the second word, the consonant which is second from the right end in the third word and immediately preceding consonant (in the fourth word) of the second vowel from the left end. Then which of the following options does not give a meaningful word?
- A.
Fire, Hand, Port, Atom
- B.
Read, Song, City, Hope
- C.
Open, Work, Wind, Time
- D.
Hear, Star, Fish, Life
- E.
None of these
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
This is a letter-extraction and word-formation task. A fixed rule picks exactly one letter from each of four words, and the four picked letters must be rearrangeable (anagrammed) into one meaningful English word. The four extraction rules are:
Word 1 -> the first vowel scanning from the left end.
Word 2 -> the consonant with the highest place value, where place value = position in the alphabet (A=1, ..., Z=26), so the highest is the consonant nearest to Z.
Word 3 -> among its consonants, the one that is second from the right end.
Word 4 -> the consonant that immediately precedes the second vowel counting from the left end.
The asked option is the one whose four extracted letters cannot be arranged into any meaningful word.
Application
Apply the four rules to each word-quartet in turn:
Quartet | Letters picked | Word formed |
|---|---|---|
Fire, Hand, Port, Atom | I, N, R, T | no meaningful word |
Read, Song, City, Hope | E, S, T, P | STEP / PEST |
Open, Work, Wind, Time | O, W, N, M | MOWN |
Hear, Star, Fish, Life | E, T, S, F | FEST |
Worked trace for the Fire, Hand, Port, Atom quartet:
Fire -> first vowel from the left is I.
Hand -> consonants H(8), N(14), D(4); highest place value is N.
Port -> consonants P, R, T; second from the right end is R.
Atom -> vowels A then O; the second vowel from the left is O, and the consonant immediately before it is T.
Picked letters: I, N, R, T. No arrangement of I, N, R, T spells a meaningful English word.
Cross-check
Confirm the other three quartets do yield words: E, S, T, P -> STEP; O, W, N, M -> MOWN; E, T, S, F -> FEST. Since each of these forms a valid word and only I, N, R, T does not, the quartet Fire, Hand, Port, Atom is the one that does not give a meaningful word, so 'None of these' does not apply.