Each of the letters in the word FRIENDLY is arranged in alphabetical order. How many letters are there in the English alphabetical series between the letter that is third from the left and the one that is second from the right in the new letter-cluster formed?

Correct — D.
Rule: sort, find both positions, count the letters strictly between.

FRIENDLY sorted: D E F I L N R Y.
Third from the left: F(6).
Second from the right: R(18).

Letters between F and R: G to Q.
18 − 6 − 1 = 11 → option (d).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  2 — 2 is what the unsorted word gives: in FRIENDLY the third from the left is I and the second from the right is L, with J and K between. The question counts after sorting.
• (b)
  4 — 4 is too small. F(6) and R(18) are 12 places apart, so 11 letters, G to Q, lie strictly between them.
• (c)
  13 — 13 counts F and R themselves: 18 − 6 + 1 = 13. 'Between' excludes both ends, which leaves 11.

The item has three steps, and each hides a slip. First sort every letter: FRIENDLY has no repeats, so the cluster keeps all eight. Second, count each position from its own end. Third, count the letters strictly between: the gap in positions minus one.

The count runs through the English alphabet, not the new cluster. Inside the cluster, I, L and N sit between F and R.

Key facts

• FRIENDLY sorted alphabetically reads D E F I L N R Y.
• F is the 6th letter of the alphabet and R the 18th.
• The letters strictly between positions p and q number q − p − 1.

Common traps

• Answering from the unsorted word, which gives 2
• Counting F and R themselves, which gives 13
• Counting only the letters inside the new cluster

No directly related past PYQ was found.