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 letter-cluster is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter-cluster.)
Correct Answer :
SPU
Solution :
The correct option is SPU.
To determine the letter-cluster that does not belong to the group, let us analyze the pattern using the positional values of letters in the English alphabet (where A = 1, B = 2, ..., Z = 26):
1. PMS:
Positional values: P = 16, M = 13, S = 19
(P - 3 = M)
(M + 6 = S)
Pattern: -3, +6
2. URX:
Positional values: U = 21, R = 18, X = 24
(U - 3 = R)
(R + 6 = X)
Pattern: -3, +6
3. JGM:
Positional values: J = 10, G = 7, M = 13
(J - 3 = G)
(G + 6 = M)
Pattern: -3, +6
4. SPU:
Positional values: S = 19, P = 16, U = 21
(S - 3 = P)
(P + 5 = U)
Pattern: -3, +5
All letter-clusters follow a pattern of subtracting 3 to get the second letter and adding 6 to get the third letter (-3, +6), except for SPU, which adds 5 instead of 6 to get the third letter.
Therefore, SPU does not belong to the group.
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