SSC CGL 2024 Tier-I · 26 September 2024, Shift 3 · General Intelligence and Reasoning · Question 1 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)YWA
(b)JHL
(c)LJO
(d)OMQ

Answer

Why

Correct — C. Rule: first letter −2, then +4, counting past Z back to A.

YWA: Y(25) −2 = W(23), and W +4 = 27, which wraps to A(1).
JHL: J(10) −2 = H(8), and H +4 = L(12).
OMQ: O(15) −2 = M(13), and M +4 = Q(17).

LJO: L(12) −2 = J(10), but J +4 is N, not O(15). The second gap here is +5, which is what makes option (c) the one that does not belong.

Why the others are wrong

(a)
YWA — YWA is the cluster that only looks broken. W(23) + 4 = 27, and counting past Z returns to A(1), so YWA runs on the same −2, +4 gaps as the rest.
(b)
JHL — J(10) −2 = H(8) and H +4 = L(12). The gaps are −2 then +4, exactly the shared pattern, so JHL is one of the three that are alike.
(d)
OMQ — O(15) −2 = M(13) and M +4 = Q(17). Same −2, +4 shape as YWA and JHL, so OMQ belongs to the group rather than standing apart from it.

Concept

Treat odd-one-out on letter clusters as a gap question. Convert each letter to its position (A = 1 … Z = 26) and write down the differences between consecutive letters.

Three clusters will share one difference pattern and one will not. Count forward through Z and on from A when a gap runs off the end — YWA only works because W + 4 wraps round to A.

The rider printed under the question, that the answer is not about consonants, vowels or their positions, is SSC telling you to stop looking at letter identity and look at spacing.

YWA is the natural wrong pick, because its third letter A sits before its first in the alphabet. That reads as a break until you count cyclically past Z.

Key facts

A = 1 through Z = 26 is the position code these letter-cluster items run on.
A gap that runs past Z continues from A, so W + 4 = A.
YWA, JHL and OMQ all step −2 then +4, while LJO steps −2 then +5.
The 'not based on consonants or vowels' rider means the rule is positional, not phonetic.

Study next

Odd-one-out on four-letter clusters, where three gaps must be compared instead of twoCyclic letter arithmetic, where a shift runs past Z and continues from AOdd-one-out on number groups, where the test is divisibility or a square

Common traps

Rejecting YWA because A looks out of place, instead of counting past Z back to A
Counting vowels or consonants after the question has ruled that route out
Working from letter shapes or word meanings rather than alphabet positions

SSC prints four clusters and a rider that the answer is not about vowels or consonants, which means the rule is a gap pattern.

The same frame appears at 10 Sep 2024, 09:00, Reasoning Q.5 (AFK, LQV, PTX, DIN) and at 09 Sep 2024, 16:00, Reasoning Q.13 (PSUV, BEHI, FIKL, TWYZ).

Related PYQs

No directly related past PYQ was found.