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Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:09 pm
by milada
Hello all,

My DS and I are struggling with this one. I tried to think of all sorts of combinations and relationships between the letters but cannot come up with any meaningful answer, let alone the answer given. Here is the question, please help:

Find the next letters in the series:

ZA, CU, QF, JN, ( )
Answer: LO

Maybe I am missing something really obvious. Would be very grateful if someone can figure it out.

Thank you,

Milada

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:34 pm
by stroudydad
Beats me:-(

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:54 pm
by milada
stroudydad, thank you very much for trying.

The example is from Preparation for 11+ and 12+ Tests: Book 3 Verbal Reasoning by Stephen McConkey. I am hoping someone will say that it is a printing error otherwise I cannot see how the answer is LO.

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 1:55 pm
by Okanagan
ZA, CU, QF, JN, ( )
Answer: LO

It's a sneaky one - each letter relates to the opposite letter in the preceding pair.

If you reverse the 2nd and 4th pairs and then do it conventionally it's a bit more obvious:
That would give you:
ZA UC QF NJ ??

Z->U = -5
U->Q = -4
Q->N = -3
N-?

N-2 = L

A->C = +2
C->F = +3
F->J = +4
J->?

J+5 = O

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:00 pm
by LookingforinfoMum
Hi there,

Letters jump up/down in order and switch places.

So A jump1=C, C jump 2=F, F jump 3=J. J jump 4=O
Positions alternate between first and second and so in the final one the position is the second one

Work backwards for the other letter!

LfiM :D

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:11 pm
by stroudydad
I tried that okanagan, must have miss counted because it didn't work for me...obviously need more Maths practise...

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2013 3:13 pm
by milada
Okanagan and LookingforinfoMum, thank you very much for the detailed explanation. I did not realise that letters could switch places. :shock: So far I have only seen linear relationships between letters or mixed sequences but this! Do these tricks happen often in exams, do you think?

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:08 pm
by littlebaker
wow milada that really was a sneaky one. I also haven't come across that kind of answer before. My DS doesn't like these types, if I show him this one he'll give up with them completely. Not sure I can even explain it to him convincingly :shock:

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:24 pm
by henna025
Even i was not aware of that letters can switch places. not sure how can i explain this to my DD when i am myself so confused. :?

Re: Help with a VR question

Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:01 pm
by milada
My DS usually copes fine with this type but the example above beat us both. Let's hope there would not be many like it in the exam paper.