In a certain code language, ‘VAT’ is coded as ‘43’ and ‘AWW’ is coded as ‘47’. How will ‘ZHU’ be coded in that language?

Correct — B. Rule: the code is the sum of the letters' positions in the English alphabet.

Test it on both given words:
VAT, so V(22) + A(1) + T(20) = 43
AWW, so A(1) + W(23) + W(23) = 47

Both land exactly, so the rule is fixed.

Now ZHU:
Z = 26, H = 8, U = 21
26 + 8 + 21 = 55, which is option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  62 — 62 overshoots by seven. The three positions are fixed at Z 26, H 8 and U 21, and they total 55.
• (c)
  48 — 48 undershoots by seven. The reverse-alphabet reading that SSC also uses gives 1 + 19 + 6 = 26 for ZHU, so that does not rescue this option either.
• (d)
  63 — 63 overshoots by eight. It is the total you reach by valuing H as 16 instead of its true position of 8.

Sum-of-positions coding gives you two short words with their codes and asks you to infer the arithmetic. Test the simplest rule first: add the alphabet positions and see whether both given words come out right.

Two given words are the point. VAT alone would fit several rules, and a second word that also lands exactly is what pins the rule down.

If forward positions fail, try reverse positions, where A is 26 and Z is 1. That is the same puzzle with the alphabet flipped, and forward plus reverse always totals 27.

Key facts

• Forward alphabet positions run A = 1 to Z = 26.
• Reverse alphabet positions run A = 26 to Z = 1, and a letter's forward and reverse values always sum to 27.
• VAT totals 43 and AWW totals 47 under the forward rule, which is what fixes the rule here.

Common traps

• Assuming the sum rule without testing it on the second given word
• Slipping a place on letters late in the alphabet, such as writing U as 20
• Reading the code as a string of positions when it is a single total

No directly related past PYQ was found.