SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 25 September 2024, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 5 of 100

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.

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

(a)IAK
(b)UOW
(c)LFN
(d)PJR

Answer

Why

Correct — A. Rule: second letter = first letter minus 6, third letter = first letter plus 2.

UOW: U(21) minus 6 is O(15), and U plus 2 is W(23).
LFN: L(12) minus 6 is F(6), and L plus 2 is N(14).
PJR: P(16) minus 6 is J(10), and P plus 2 is R(18).

IAK breaks the first step. I(9) minus 6 is C, not A — A is I minus 8.

Its third letter still fits, which is what makes the break hard to see. IAK is the cluster that is different — option (a).

Why the others are wrong

(b)
UOW — O is U minus 6 and W is U plus 2, so UOW sits on exactly the gaps LFN and PJR use. It belongs to the group of three that are alike.
(c)
LFN — F is L minus 6 and N is L plus 2. LFN carries the same two gaps as UOW and PJR, so it cannot be the odd one.
(d)
PJR — J is P minus 6 and R is P plus 2. PJR is the third cluster built on the standard pattern, which is why the break has to lie elsewhere.

Concept

Letter-cluster odd-one-out is arithmetic on positions. Convert each letter to its number, then study the gaps inside the cluster rather than the letters themselves.

Measure every gap from the same anchor. Taken from the first letter, three clusters here run -6 and +2, while the fourth runs -8 and +2.

The note in the stem removes the usual shortcuts: you may not answer by counting vowels or consonants, so the pattern has to be positional.

That note is doing real work. Both IAK and UOW carry a vowel in the middle, so a vowel-based reading splits the four clusters two and two and settles nothing.

Key facts

UOW, LFN and PJR all run first letter, first minus 6, first plus 2.
In IAK the middle letter is 8 places below the first, not 6.
The third letter is 2 places above the first in all four clusters, IAK included.

Study next

Converting letters to alphabet positions before comparing clustersOdd-one-out decided on the gaps between letters rather than the lettersClusters where only one of two gaps breaks the pattern

Common traps

Answering on vowel position, which the stem's note forbids and which splits the four clusters two and two
Checking only the first-to-third gap, which is +2 in all four clusters and separates nothing

Positional odd-one-out with a note banning vowel counts recurs across sittings — also asked 10 Sep 2024, 09:00, Reasoning Q.5 (AFK, LQV, PTX, DIN, where PTX steps by 4 and the rest by 5) and 9 Sep 2024, 16:00, Reasoning Q.13 (four-letter clusters, BEHI the odd one).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.