Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow. In a language laboratory, students were given an interesting puzzle involving the word ”ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH.” The teacher explained that such exercises not only test logical skills but also sharpen attention to detail. According to the challenge, the word had to undergo a series of transformations.

First, the class was asked to take the first half of the letters, reverse their order and make the arrangement of letters look quite different from the original. Next, the students were told to identify the last but one letter of the original word and place it at the very beginning, a step that changed the opening appearance of the sequence completely. Finally, as a finishing touch, they had to add the letter ’S’ at the end. Following these steps carefully would lead them to the correct transformed word, and only those who adhered to each condition in the exact order could solve the puzzle successfully. (150 words)

Which vowel will have a consonant to the left but a vowel to the right of it?

The correct option is I.

Let us solve the puzzle step-by-step by following the instructions given in the passage.

Original Word: ELECTROCARDIOGRAPH

Total number of letters = 19

Step 1: Take the first half of the letters and reverse their order.
Since there are 19 letters, the first half consists of the first 9 letters (or 9.5, so 9 letters before the middle letter 'A'):
First 9 letters: E L E C T R O C A
Reversing them gives: A C O R T C E L E
The second half remains unchanged: R D I O G R A P H
After Step 1, the sequence becomes:
A C O R T C E L E R D I O G R A P H

Step 2: Place the last but one letter of the original word at the very beginning.
The original word is ELECTROCARDIOGRAP H.
The last letter is 'H', and the last but one letter (second from last) is 'P'.
Placing 'P' at the very beginning gives:
P A C O R T C E L E R D I O G R A P H

Step 3: Add the letter 'S' at the end.
Adding 'S' to the end of the sequence gives the final transformed word:
P A C O R T C E L E R D I O G R A P H S

Now, let us examine the transformed sequence to find which vowel has a consonant to its left and a vowel to its right (Consonant - Vowel - Vowel pattern):

Let's check each vowel in the transformed sequence: P A C O R T C E L E R D I O G R A P H S

1. 'A' (2nd letter): Left is P (consonant), Right is C (consonant) - No.
2. 'O' (4th letter): Left is C (consonant), Right is R (consonant) - No.
3. 'E' (8th letter): Left is C (consonant), Right is L (consonant) - No.
4. 'E' (10th letter): Left is L (consonant), Right is R (consonant) - No.
5. 'I' (13th letter): Left is D (consonant), Right is O (vowel) - MATCHES!
6. 'O' (14th letter): Left is I (vowel), Right is G (consonant) - No.
7. 'A' (17th letter): Left is R (consonant), Right is P (consonant) - No.

Therefore, the vowel I has a consonant (D) to its left and a vowel (O) to its right.