SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 13 September 2024, Shift 2 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 23 of 99

Text as printed on a candidate's response sheet for this shift; answer per SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet. Solution last reviewed 10 September 2026.

Where this paper and its answers come from

SSC does not publish CGL question papers or a public answer key. The questions and options here are reproduced as printed on a candidate's own response sheet for this shift — the Commission's text, unchanged. Each answer is SSC's tentative key as marked on that sheet; SSC allowed challenges to it and never publishes a final key. The solutions are written by UnlockIAS.

Based on the position in the English alphabetical order, three of the following letter- clusters are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the odd letter-cluster. Note: The odd one out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter cluster.

(a)SVXZ
(b)TWYZ
(c)EHJK
(d)YBDE

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Convert each cluster to alphabet positions and take consecutive differences.

Rule: the group runs +3, +2, +1.

T 20, W 23, Y 25, Z 26 → 3, 2, 1
E 5, H 8, J 10, K 11 → 3, 2, 1
S 19, V 22, X 24, Z 26 → 3, 2, 2

YBDE crosses the end of the alphabet: Y 25, then B, D and E counted on as 28, 30 and 31, which is 3, 2, 1 again.

So the cluster that closes with a gap of 2 instead of 1 is option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
TWYZ — TWYZ gives 20, 23, 25, 26 — gaps of 3, 2, 1. It sits squarely inside the group.
(c)
EHJK — EHJK gives 5, 8, 10, 11 — the same 3, 2, 1, simply lower down the alphabet.
(d)
YBDE — YBDE looks odd because it runs past Z, but counting on round the alphabet gives 25, 28, 30, 31, which is 3, 2, 1 once more.

Concept

Letter-cluster odd-one-out items are position arithmetic in disguise. Write the four alphabet numbers under each cluster, take consecutive differences, and compare the three-number difference strings.

The note printed with the question rules out counting vowels and consonants, which is the other family of rules SSC uses on clusters. That leaves the gaps.

A cluster that runs past Z is normal rather than a signal: carry on counting as though the alphabet repeats, so Z 26 is followed by A 27, B 28 and so on.

Three clusters close with a gap of 1 and one closes with a gap of 2, so the item is settled on the last pair of letters alone. The opening gaps of 3 and then 2 are identical in all four.

Key facts

SVXZ has gaps 3, 2, 2, while TWYZ, EHJK and YBDE all have gaps 3, 2, 1.
Alphabet anchors worth knowing cold: E 5, J 10, O 15, T 20, Y 25, Z 26.
When a cluster runs past Z, continue with A as 27, B as 28 and so on.

Study next

Reverse alphabet position, where a letter's value is 27 minus its placeClusters built on mirror pairs such as A-Z and B-YClusters where the gaps shrink rather than grow

Common traps

Rejecting YBDE because it wraps past Z.
Counting the gap as the number of letters standing between two letters rather than the difference of their positions.
Stopping after the first two gaps, which are 3 and 2 in every option.

Reasoning Q.14 of this paper works the same alphabet-position arithmetic across a series of four-letter terms, and Reasoning Q.12 asks which letters of SIGHTED keep their place when the word is alphabetised.

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.