Classification / Odd Man Out Series Problems with Explnations - Alphabets

Friends, Classification / Odd Man out Series is one of the important topic in Reasoning Section. In these type of questions they just give you 5 options and you should find the odd man out from the given set. I mean, if you are given 5 options like Parrot, Crow, vulture, Sparrow and Penguin and ask you to find the Odd man out, then your answer should be Penguin (because all the remaining birds can fly)... Ofcourse, some of you may say "Why not Vulture is the answer? Because its the only bird which eats dead bodies (actually one of my friends asked this question while writing this article). Point.... "May be other birds too will eat dead insects if they starved" I answered.  "Then penguins too can fly for short distances" she replied. Point Again!!! So what will be the correct answer? After all you are not going to argue with the examiner who evaluates your answer sheet (or Optical Marks Reader ofcourse). So, here you should keep in mind that OVER THINKING should be avoided while answering these type of questions. Think twice before marking your answer. Now lets go to the details. To made the concepts clear, we've divided this topic into 3 sections. 

Those are 

1. Alphabets 
2. Numbers 
3. Words.  

Today, we shall discuss about Alphabets... Before reading this post, it is advisable to read about the place values of Alphabets here.

Single Alphabets : 

If single alphabets are given, then you should follow the order of checking 

1. Vowels first. If you are unable to figure odd ones, then check for 
2. mirror images, later 
3. water images and finally check for the 
4. place values so that you may get any clues with the number assiciated with that specific alphabet.

Example Problems :

1. A   
2. B  
3. C 
4. D  
5. G

Solution :  Obviously here the answer is A. Because its the only Vowel in the list.

1. A
2. C
3. E
4. H
5. J

Solution :  Here the answer is H. Because, the Difference between alphabets is 2. 

1. D
2. E
3. F
4. G
5. H

Solution :  Here the Odd one is H, because it is the only Mirror Image in the List. (There are 2 water images D and H)

Alphabet Groups

If multiple Alphabets are given, you should follow the order of checking,

1. Alphabetical order of given alphabets
2. Distance / Gap between the given alphabets
3. Vowel / Consonant differences

Example Problems : 

1. ABC
2. BCD
3. CDE
4. DEF
5. EFG

Solution :  : 

Check the Order : ABC... BCD... CDE... DEF... EFG... Well, here all alphabets are in an order.. So we cant find out the Odd one with this logic. 

Check the Gap : All alphabets carrying equal number differences / Gaps.. So this technique too of no use.

Check for the Vowels. 

• In the group 1, One vowel is there (A)
• In the group 2, No vowel
• In the group 3, One vowel is there (E)
• In the group 4, One vowel is there (E)
• In the group 5, One vowel is there (E)

So, answer should be the Group with NO VOWELS.. Group 2

1. AE
2. GM
3. MQ
4. VZ
5. LP

Here you should note that AE are the only vowels in the given group. So maximum number of people choose Option 1 as their answers. BUT, according to our order given above, we should first check for the alphabetical order... no clue..... later GAP. Check the difference fro Ato E and G to M ....

AbcdE

GhijklM

MnopQ

VwxyZ

LmnoP

Here, except the second pair all the remaining pairs are having 3 letters in between the given alphabets. But the second pair consists of 5 alphabets between G and M. So this is the Odd one. So the answer is Option 2 (not Option 1).

1. DF
2. TV
3. VX
4. NP
5. HJ

Solution : 

1. DeF
2. TuV
3. VwX
4. NoP
5. HiJ

Here all the given pairs are having ONE LETTER between them. So now we shall check those alphabets for clue. e, u, w, o, i.. .Here except w all the remaining alphabets are vowels. So, obviously the odd one is the 3rd pair. 

1. AFH
2. AHL
3. AJM
4. ARW
5. ANR

Well this is little complected one... have a close look... We can't find anything with Alphabetical order.. So try GAPs...

A _ _ _ _ F _ H  

A _ _ _ _ _ _ H _ _ _ L

A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ J _ _ M

A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ W

A _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ N _ _ _ R

So,

A 4 F 1 H

A 6 H 3 L

A 8 J 2 M

A 16 R 4 W

A 12 N 3 R                No Clue :(

Try adding the numbers we got in gaps.....

4+1 = 5

6+3 = 9

8+2 = 10

16+4 = 20

12+3 = 15       No Clue :(

Subtract the numbers,

4-1 = 3

6-3 = 3

8-2 = 6

16-4 = 12

12-3 = 9       No Clue :(

Multiply the numbers

4*1 = 4

6*3 = 18

8*2 = 16

16*4 = 64

12*3 = 36     ................

hey see, are you able to figure out anything?

All numbers except 18 are square numbers. So option 2 is the Odd one.

And remember, for the purpose of explanation, we gave detailed step by step procedure here. For in your exam hall, you should figure out the option / procedure in a single glance. With good practice only you can achieve that state. 

1. ACF
2. ADI
3. AGG
4. AFW
5. AEO

Solution : 

A 1 C 2 F

A 2 D 4 I

A 5 G 25 G      (Note : After Z you should again start with A and continue your counting)

A 4 F 16 W

A 3 E 9 O

With a glance, we can find out that 

• 2's square is 4
• 5's square is 25
• 4's square is 16
• and 3 's square is 9

So, here the odd one is the Option 1.

1. VT
2. MQ
3. PR
4. DF
5. FG

Solution : Here except Option 1 (VT) all remaining alphabets are in alphabetical order. VT is in reverse order. So this is the ODD one.

1. LO
2. RU
3. BE
4. FI
5. AD

Solution : Here, except the 5th option, all the remaining groups having VOWELs (O, U, E, I) in the second position. But the 5th group contains VOWEL (A) in the first position. So, it is the Odd one.

1. LP
2. SW
3. QU
4. MR
5. AE

Solution : Here, except the 4th group, all the remaining groups contains only 3 alphabets between them. But the 4th group has 4 alphabets between M and R. 

1. BF
2. NR
3. WS
4. TX
5. LP

Solution : 3rd groups is reverse in Alphabetical order. So, it is the odd one.

1. NQV
2. HKP
3. RWZ
4. JMR
5. KNS

Solution : 

N 2 Q 4 V

H 2 K 4 P

R 4 W 2 Z

J 2 M 4 R

K 2 N 4 S

Here obviously the Odd one is option 3.

Thats all for now friends. In our next class we shall discuss about the Classification / Odd Man Out series problems of Numbers and Words. Happy Reading :) And don't forget to tell your friends about us if you feel this blog is worth reading. Good Day.

Odd Man Out and Series Questions and Answers with Explanations