Inserting The Missing Character Questions and Answers

Answer: D

Correct answer: Y

The letters sit at the positions of the perfect squares: A is 1, D is 4, I is 9, P is 16, so the next is position 25, which is Y. The gaps between them grow by two each time - 3, 5, 7, then 9 - which is the same pattern seen from the other side.

Answer: C

Correct answer: ÷, x and =

\[ 15 \div 3 \times 4 = 5 \times 4 = 20, \] so the expression closes with an equals sign. Working left to right is correct here since division and multiplication have equal precedence. The alternative with multiplication first, \( 15\times3\div4 \), gives 11.25, which is neither greater than nor less than 20 in a way that would make one of the inequality options work.

Answer: C

Correct answer: Waller

“Nightwalker” contains only one L, and “Waller” needs two, so it cannot be formed. The other three all can: talker, tailer and winer each draw a letter at most as many times as it appears. Counting the repeated letters of the source word first - here just one each of everything - is the quickest way through this type.

Answer: C

Correct answer: jks

Each position advances by two letters across the terms. The first letters run d, f, h, then j; the second run e, g, i, then k; and the third run m, o, q, then s. So the missing term is jks. Checking all three positions rather than only the first is what separates it from the jkt offered beside it.

Answer: B

Correct answer: AAAB

Filling the gaps gives \[ \mathrm{A\,B\ AA\,BB\ AAA\,BBB}, \] which is one A and one B, then two of each, then three of each. The pattern is invisible until the blanks are filled, so the method is to try each option and look for structure rather than to guess at the rule first.

Answer: C

Correct answer: LKJM

Filling the gaps gives JKLM, JKLM, JKLM - the same four letters repeated three times. The missing characters are therefore the third of the first group, the second of the second, the first of the third and the fourth of the last, which read in order are L, K, J, M.

Answer: D

Correct answer: UUTSU

Filling the gaps gives TUS repeated four times: \[ \mathrm{TUS\ TUS\ TUS\ TUS}. \] Reading off the five missing positions in order gives U, U, T, S, U. Once a short repeating block is suspected, the fastest check is to see whether the known letters are consistent with it before testing any option.

Answer: A

Correct answer: BAAC

Filling the gaps gives ABBC repeated three times. The four missing positions are the second letter of the first block, the first of the second, the first of the third and the fourth of the third, which read in order are B, A, A, C.

Answer: A

Correct answer: cdbda

Filling the gaps gives dcba repeated three times. The five missing positions read in order are c, d, b, d, a. The known letters already show d and b in the first block and a and c in the second, which is enough to identify the four-letter cycle before any option is tested.