Select the letter-cluster from among the given options that can replace the question mark (?) in the following series: WZWT, WVOH, WRGV, WNYJ, ?

Correct — A.
Rule: W stays, then −4, −8 and −12 in positions two, three and four.

Second: Z, V, R, N → N(14) − 4 = J(10).
Third: W, O, G, Y → Y(25) − 8 = Q(17).
Fourth: T, H, V, J → J(10) − 12 = −2, and −2 + 26 = X(24).

That gives W J Q X → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  W J Q W — W J Q W gets three letters right but ends in W, which is J − 13. The fourth letters step −12, so J wraps back to X, not W.
• (c)
  W H P X — W H P X fails at the second letter: N − 4 is J, not H. Its third letter is off too — Y − 8 is Q, not P.
• (d)
  W J P X — W J P X is one letter off. P is Y − 9, but the third letters step −8 each time, so Y goes to Q.

A four-letter cluster is four series in parallel. Write each column's positions and take differences. A backward step that runs past A continues from Z, so add 26 to any negative result.

Here the first column never changes and the other three fall by 4, 8 and 12. The wraps are where slips happen: G − 8 lands on Y and H − 12 lands on V, both inside the given terms.

Key facts

• A backward step past A continues from Z: G(7) − 8 = −1, and −1 + 26 = 25 = Y.
• Z, V, R, N, J is a −4 run.
• T, H, V, J, X is a −12 run that wraps twice, at H to V and at J to X.

Common traps

• Treating G − 8 as an error instead of wrapping back to Y
• Checking only the first two columns, which leaves options (a), (b) and (d) all standing

No directly related past PYQ was found.