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

Correct — B.
Rule: letters between two positions = difference − 1.

UNIVERSAL sorted: A E I L N R S U V
Second from the left: E (5)
Fifth from the right: V, U, S, R, N (14)

Letters between: 14 − 5 − 1 = 8 (F G H I J K L M) → option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  7 — 7 is one short. Listing them settles it: F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M is eight letters between E and N.
• (c)
  6 — 6 is what you get by stopping at L (12 − 5 − 1). But L is sixth from the right; fifth from the right is N.
• (d)
  9 — 9 is the gap 14 − 5, which counts N itself. Letters strictly between E and N leave out both ends, so subtract 1: 8.

Two skills are tested. First, sort the word's letters and count from the correct end. UNIVERSAL has nine letters, so fifth from the right is the middle letter, N, which is also fifth from the left.

Second, count the alphabet letters between two letters: subtract their positions and take away 1, because neither end is included. E is 5 and N is 14, so 8 letters lie between.

Key facts

• UNIVERSAL sorted alphabetically is AEILNRSUV.
• In a nine-letter cluster, fifth from the right and fifth from the left are the same letter.
• Letters strictly between positions p and q (q > p) = q − p − 1.

Common traps

• Taking the gap 14 − 5 = 9 and forgetting that neither end letter counts
• Miscounting from the right and landing on L, which gives 6

No directly related past PYQ was found.