If in a certain code, ALMIRAH is written as BNPMWGO, which word would be written as DNRWLUA?
- (a)CLOSGOT
- (b)TOGSOLC
- (c)COSGOLT
- (d)TOGCLOS
Answer
Why
Correct — A.
Rule: the nth letter moves forward n places (+1, +2, +3 … +7).
ALMIRAH → BNPMWGO: A+1 = B, L+2 = N, M+3 = P, I+4 = M, R+5 = W, A+6 = G, H+7 = O.
Decode DNRWLUA by moving each letter back the same amount:
D−1 = C, N−2 = L, R−3 = O, W−4 = S
L−5 = G, U−6 = O, A−7 = T (counting back past A to Z)
That spells CLOSGOT → option (a).
Why the others are wrong
- (b)TOGSOLC — TOGSOLC is CLOSGOT spelt backwards. Encode its first letter: T + 1 = U, but the code starts with D, which only C + 1 gives.
- (c)COSGOLT — COSGOLT starts right, C + 1 = D, then fails: O + 2 = Q, while the code's second letter is N, which needs L.
- (d)TOGCLOS — TOGCLOS puts T first, and T + 1 = U, not D. It is CLOSGOT with GOT reversed and moved to the front.
Concept
In a position-shift code each letter moves by an amount set by its place in the word. Read the shift for every position off the given pair, then apply it — or, when the question gives a code, undo it.
ALMIRAH → BNPMWGO climbs +1 to +7. This question hands you the code DNRWLUA and asks for the word, so every letter steps back by its position number.
All four options are arrangements of the same seven letters, C, L, O, S, G, O and T, so only decoding position by position separates them.
Key facts
- ALMIRAH → BNPMWGO moves the 1st letter +1, the 2nd +2 and so on up to the 7th, +7.
- Decoding reverses each shift: the nth letter moves back n places.
- Counting back past A wraps round to Z, so A − 7 = T.
Study next
Common traps
- Adding the shifts to DNRWLUA, when the question gives the code and asks for the word
- Stalling at A − 7 instead of wrapping back past A to T
- Choosing by letters alone, when every option uses the same seven letters
At 23 Sep 2024, 12:30, Reasoning Q.15 the shift shrinks along the word instead: BAKE → FDMF moves +4, +3, +2, +1, keyed QREL for MOCK.
19 Jan 2026, 11:00 AM, Reasoning Q.25 shifts by position too, alternating +3 and −6: WOODLAND → ZIRXOUQX.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.