In each of the following questions, a word is transformed by rearranging its letters according to a specific pattern. Apply the same pattern to the third word and choose the correct answer from the given alternatives. EXCUSE : CXEESU :: ERODES : ?

Correct — B. Split each six-letter word into two halves of three letters, then compare.

Rule: reverse each half in place.

EXC | USE → CXE | ESU = CXEESU, as given
ERO | DES → ORE | SED

Joined, that is ORESED, option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  OREESD — OREESD reverses the first half (ORE) but turns DES into ESD, moving D to the end. The example turns USE into ESU, a full reversal, so the second half must be SED.
• (c)
  REOSDE — REOSDE gives REO and SDE, and neither is a reversal. The example turns EXC into CXE, swapping the first and third letters, which makes ERO into ORE, not REO.
• (d)
  ERODSE — ERODSE only swaps the last two letters of ERODES. Done to EXCUSE, that gives EXCUES, not the CXEESU the example shows.

A letter-rearrangement analogy moves letters without changing them. Every letter of EXCUSE reappears in CXEESU, so track positions, not alphabet shifts.

Number EXCUSE 1-2-3-4-5-6. CXEESU takes them in the order 3-2-1-6-5-4. The same order on ERODES reads O-R-E-S-E-D.

Key facts

• EXCUSE → CXEESU follows positions 3-2-1-6-5-4: each half of three letters reversed.
• The same order turns ERODES into ORESED.
• All four options use exactly the letters of ERODES, so only the order can decide.

Common traps

• Reversing the whole word: ERODES becomes SEDORE, which is not offered.
• Getting the first half right and stopping: OREESD starts correctly and fails on the second half.

No directly related past PYQ was found.