In each of the following questions, the second word is derived from the first word by applying a specific letter-coding pattern, such as shifting letters forward or backward in the alphabet. Identify the pattern and apply it to the third word to choose the correct answer from the options given. MASTER : OCUVGT :: LABOUR : ?

Correct — A.
Rule: every letter moves 2 places forward.

MASTER → OCUVGT: M → O, A → C, S → U, T → V, E → G, R → T.

LABOUR, each letter +2:
L → N, A → C, B → D
O → Q, U → W, R → T

That gives NCDQWT → option (a).

Why the others are wrong

• (b)
  NDERWT — NDERWT moves A, B and O forward 3: A → D, B → E, O → R. The code is +2 for every letter, so A → C, B → D, O → Q.
• (c)
  NBCRWT — NBCRWT moves A and B only 1 place and O 3 places. With +2 throughout, the middle of the code is CDQ, not BCR.
• (d)
  NEDRWT — NEDRWT sends A to E (+4) and O to R (+3). A step of +2 puts C and Q in those places.

A forward-shift code adds the same number to every letter's position. Confirm it on the whole first word: M(13) → O(15), A(1) → C(3), S(19) → U(21), and so on, all +2.

Here all four options begin with N and end with WT, so those letters prove nothing. The check that decides is the middle: A, B, O must become C, D, Q.

Key facts

• MASTER → OCUVGT is +2 on every letter.
• LABOUR moved forward 2 letters is NCDQWT.
• All four options share N, W and T, so only the 2nd, 3rd and 4th letters separate them.

Common traps

• Checking the first and last letters, which every option gets right

No directly related past PYQ was found.