Four letter-clusters have been given, out of which three are alike in some manner and one is different. Select the one that is different. The odd one out is not based on the number of consonants/vowels or their position in the letter cluster

Correct — B. Number the letters A = 1 to Z = 26 and measure both steps from the first letter of each cluster.

Rule: second letter = first − 1, third letter = first + 2.

UTW: U(21), T(20), W(23) — −1, then +2
NMP: N(14), M(13), P(16) — −1, then +2
CBE: C(3), B(2), E(5) — −1, then +2

LKM: L(12), K(11), M(13) — the third letter is only +1 from L, so option (b) is the cluster that breaks the pattern.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  UTW — UTW fits the rule: T is one letter before U and W is two after it, the same shape as NMP and CBE.
• (c)
  NMP — NMP fits: M is one before N and P is two after N.
• (d)
  CBE — CBE fits: B is one before C and E is two after C.

This odd-one-out is decided by the gaps between letters, not by the letters themselves. Convert to positions and write both internal steps under each cluster.

The rider closes off the vowel-and-consonant shortcut: you may not answer on vowels, consonants or where they sit. That leaves the arithmetic and nothing else.

Here three clusters agree on both steps and the fourth matches on the first and misses the second, which is exactly why both steps have to be checked.

Key facts

• UTW, NMP and CBE all run first − 1, then first + 2.
• LKM runs first − 1, then first + 1.
• The question bars answering on vowels, consonants or their positions.

Common traps

• Checking only the first gap, which is −1 in all four clusters.
• Reaching for the vowel-and-consonant pattern the rider explicitly rules out.
• Judging by how the letters look rather than by their positions, so U to W feels like one step.

No directly related past PYQ was found.