Select the next element of the series : Z, WV, RQP, _______

The correct option is KJIH.

To find the next element in the given series, let us analyze the pattern in the number of letters and their position in the English alphabet for each term:

Term 1: Z
- Contains 1 letter: Z.
- Z is the 26th letter of the alphabet.

Term 2: WV
- Contains 2 letters in reverse alphabetical order: W (23rd) and V (22nd).
- Notice the gap between the last letter of the first term (Z) and the first letter of the second term (W):
$26-23=3$
(We skip 2 letters: Y, X).

Term 3: RQP
- Contains 3 letters in reverse alphabetical order: R (18th), Q (17th), and P (16th).
- Notice the gap between the last letter of the second term (V, 22nd) and the first letter of the third term (R, 18th):
$22-18=4$
(We skip 3 letters: U, T, S).

Term 4: _______
- Following the pattern, Term 4 must contain 4 letters in reverse alphabetical order.
- The gap between the last letter of Term 3 (P, 16th) and the first letter of Term 4 should be 5:
$16-5=11$
(We skip 4 letters: O, N, M, L).
- The 11th letter is K.

Writing 4 consecutive letters in reverse starting from K gives:
K (11th), J (10th), I (9th), H (8th).

Therefore, the next element in the series is KJIH.