If the order of the letters in the English alphabet is reversed and each letter represents the letter whose position it occupies, then which one of the following represents 'LUCKNOW'?
- (a) OGXPMLD
- (b) OGXQMLE
- (c) OFXPMLE
- (d) OFXPMLD ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• In a reversed alphabet, a letter at position n maps to position 27 - n.
• L (12) maps to 15 = O, U (21) maps to 6 = F, C (3) maps to 24 = X.
• K (11) maps to 16 = P, N (14) maps to 13 = M, O (15) maps to 12 = L.
• W (23) maps to 4 = D.
• Therefore LUCKNOW becomes OFXPMLD, which is option (d).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) OGXPMLD
- Option (a) has G in the second position, but U (21) maps to F (6), not G.
- (b) OGXQMLE
- Option (b) has G in the second position and Q in the fourth position, but U maps to F and K (11) maps to P (16).
- (c) OFXPMLE
- Option (c) has E in the last position, but W (23) maps to D (4), not E.
Asked in the CSAT Paper II of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.