Question

Three of the following four letter-clusters are alike in a certain way and thus form a group. Which is the letter-cluster that does NOT belong to that group? (Note: The odd one out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their positions in the letter-cluster.)

• A. LAP
• B. APE
• C. SWH
• D. CRG

Answer 1

Answer:

C. SWH

SWH is the letter-cluster that does not belong to the group.

When you look at the alphabetical positions ($A=1, B=2, \dots, Z=26$) of the letters, three of the clusters use the exact same numerical jumps of 15 and 11 between consecutive letters:

• APE:

  • $A (1) \mathbf{\ +15\ } = P (16)$

  • $P (16) \mathbf{\ -11\ } = E (5)$

• CRG:

  • $C (3) \mathbf{\ +15\ } = R (18)$

  • $R (18) \mathbf{\ -11\ } = G (7)$

• LAP:

  • $L (12) \mathbf{\ -11\ } = A (1)$

  • $A (1) \mathbf{\ +15\ } = P (16)$

Why SWH is the Odd One Out

• SWH:

  • $S (19) \mathbf{\ +4\ } = W (23)$

  • $W (23) \mathbf{\ -15\ } = H (8)$

This cluster breaks the pattern because its positional differences are 4 and 15 instead of 15 and 11.