Question

Based on the English alphabetical order, three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and thus form a group. Which letter-cluster 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.)

• A. EBH
• B. NKP
• C. KHM
• D. HEJ

Answer 1

Answer:

A. EBH

The letter-cluster that DOES NOT belong to the group is EBH.

If you look at the position numbers of the letters in the English alphabet $A=1, B=2, \dots, Z=26,$ each of the correct clusters follows the exact same pattern for the differences between consecutive letters:

• First letter to Second letter: Moves 3 steps backward (-3)

• Second letter to Third letter: Moves 5 steps forward (+5)

• NKP:

  • N (14) $\rightarrow$ -3 $\rightarrow$ K (11)

  • K (11) $\rightarrow$ +5 $\rightarrow$ P (16) (Follows the pattern)

• KHM:

  • K (11) $\rightarrow$ -3 $\rightarrow$ H (8)

  • H (8) $\rightarrow$ +5 $\rightarrow$ M (13) (Follows the pattern)

• HEJ:

  • H (8) $\rightarrow$ -3 $\rightarrow$ E (5)

  • E (5)$\rightarrow$ +5 $\rightarrow$ J (10) (Follows the pattern)

• EBH (The Odd One Out):

  • E (5) $\rightarrow$ -3 $\rightarrow$ B (2)

  • B (2) $\rightarrow$ +6 $\rightarrow$ H (8) (Breaks the pattern by moving +6 instead of +5)