Alphabet Test Questions and Answers

Answer: C

Correct answer: P

Reading the series H D Y S M W N B Q P O C R T B L Z V E G U F, P is flanked by Q and O.

In the alphabet, O and Q are precisely P's two neighbours. The pair is the same; only the order has reversed, which is what the question allows for.

The three distractors fail on inspection: M is flanked by S and W, N by W and B, and O by P and C.

Answer: C

Correct answer: E

The series has twenty-six letters, so the eleventh from the right is at position

\[ 26 - 11 + 1 = 16 \]

Counting into W Q E T R Y I P U O A G S D F H..., position 16 is H.

Thirteen to the left of H is position 3:

\[ 16 - 13 = 3 \rightarrow E \]

Working in positions rather than counting letters twice keeps the two steps independent.

Answer: C

A  M  B  Z  A  N  A  A  B  Z  A  B  A  Z  B  A  P  Z  A  B  A  Z  A  B

Answer: B

N  X  N  T  Q  M  N  X  T  M  X  N  X  C  N  Q  M
N  N  X  Q  N  X  T  X  N  A  M  X  N  X  M

Answer: B

Correct answer: T

Sort the letters of RUTHENIUM alphabetically:

E H I M N R T U U

There are nine letters, so the middle one is the 5th, N.

Two to the right of N gives the 7th letter, T. The word contains two U's, and keeping both in the sorted list matters - dropping the duplicate would give eight letters and no single middle.

Answer: D

The new alphabet series is :
Z  Y  X  W  V  U  T  S  R  Q  P  O  N
M  L  K  J  I  H  G  F  E  D  C  B  A
Canceling every second letter, the above series becomes
Z  X  V  T  R  P  N  L  J  H  F  D B
The middle letter is N.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Two

The test is position in the word against position in the alphabet. Writing them out: B is 1st and 2nd, A is 2nd and 1st, C is 3rd and 3rd, K is 4th and 11th, L is 5th and 12th, A is 6th and 1st, S is 7th and 19th, H is 8th and 8th.

Two letters match: C and H. The near misses at the start - B and A, each out by one - are what make the word worth checking carefully rather than at a glance.

Answer: B

The new alphabet series is :
Z  Y  X  W  V  U  T  S  R  Q  P  O  N
M  L  K  J  I  H  G  F  E  D  C  B  A
Canceling every second letter, the above series becomes
Z  X  V  T  R  P  N  L  J  H  F  D B
The middle letter is N.

Answer: B

Correct answer: Two

Keeping the letters of CARRIAGE in their order and using each only once, two independent words can be formed: CAR from the first three letters, and RAGE from the R, A, G and E that follow.

Every letter is used at most once and no letter is moved out of sequence, which are the two conditions the question imposes. Attempting a third word requires either reusing a letter or reordering, and neither is permitted.

Answer: A

Correct answer: Four

Number the letters of HORIZON and their alphabet positions: H(8) O(15) R(18) I(9) Z(26) O(15) N(14). A pair qualifies when the count of letters between them in the word equals the count between them in the alphabet, and four pairs do. H and N have five letters between them in the word (O, R, I, Z, O) and five in the alphabet (I to M). R and the second O have two in the word (I, Z) and two in the alphabet (P, Q). R and N have three in the word (I, Z, O) and three in the alphabet (O, P, Q). And the second O and N are adjacent in both, with none between. Note that only H–N runs in the same direction in the word as in the alphabet, so a solver taught to count forward pairs alone would answer one.