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There are many competitive exams which are held in India and all these exams are composed of various sections. One of the sections which hold a major stake in most of them is reasoning. The reasoning is a section which consists of questions framed for the purpose of testing a person’s question-solving approach in general without any proper formula or a conventional pattern. Reasoning has many components and many major topics such as blood relations, arrangements, sequences, e.t.c.
One of the significant topics in reasoning is based on the alphabet and is known as alphabet reasoning. This article will focus on alphabet reasoning, its various types of questions and some tricks to solve them, which can save a lot of time and energy in exams.
Alphabet Reasoning
There are various kinds of reasoning questions that vary and need extensive practice. One of these topics is alphabet reasoning which is based on the English alphabet. It comes under logical reasoning and comes in various exams such as banking, competitive and even the UPSC has questions out of this particular component of logical reasoning.
In order to understand alphabet reasoning, it is important to understand logical reasoning. Logical reasoning is a section of questions which are based on logic and not on some predefined pattern or formula. In alphabet reasoning, most of the questions are either based on the arrangement of alphabets in a given order or the conventional order. Other than this, there are questions which are based on finding the position of a certain letter. The various types of alphabet questions are discussed below.
Patterns of Alphabet Reasoning Questions
Alphabet series– Under this type of reasoning question, certain words or groups of letters are given out of which various operations need to be done, such as arranging them in a certain order or interchanging the letters. Most of the time, it is either done according to the alphabetical order in case of letters and as per the order given in the dictionary in case of words. This can be understood with the help of the following example.
Arrange the following in order of the dictionary after interchanging the first and last word.
FEW, FIG, SAW, MAN, DOG
Solution– GOD, NAM, WAS, GIF, WEF.
Mixed Series– These are kinds of questions which are based on a bunch of letters, symbols and numbers, out of which various questions are created. There are basically two subtypes of this segment. One is the simple mixed series where the combination of all the letters and symbols are given and one has to find them based on the position given in the question. The other one is where certain changes are to be made in the series before being able to find out the answer.
Formation of new words– There are certain questions which are based on the concept of forming new words or meaningful words on the basis of some given letters. In such a case, the question either asks to find the total number of meaningful words which can be formed or the order of these words. Besides, there is a certain kind of twist to it which can be the restriction on the position of a certain letter.
Position of alphabets with numbers– Under this, there are some numbers assigned to some letters of a word and questions are formed on the basic coding and decoding of these numbers and letters. It usually is a very simple question, but often the combination is complex to decode and understand.
Tricks for alphabet reasoning
Alphabet questions are comparatively easier than many other types of reasoning questions but are quite lengthy and time taking. One of these setbacks can cost a person a whole exam and act as a consequence in their career. Hence it is important to know some tricks which can help in solving these questions faster while maintaining accuracy. Following are some tricks to solve alphabetical reasoning questions which can help anyone get a firm grip on the topic.
There are 26 letters in the English alphabet and if one can learn the numerical position of these alphabets in multiples of 5, then it would be easier to trace the other ones. For example, remembering the position of E, J, O, T and Y can help in tracing the letters which are closer to them rather than starting from A every time.
There are many questions where a person has to find the letter which is next in sequence. If someone starts brainstorming over such questions, there are fewer chances that their mind will hit the right spot. Hence, in such a case elimination method should be used where everyone is supposed to check all the options and mind the correct one.
Most of the students remember the numerical position of letters in the alphabet after necessary practice, but the most simple trick to solve questions is to learn it in reverse order as well because questions in a direct pattern are too easy for an exam.
Conclusion
Alphabet reasoning is a very interesting and scoring section in reasoning and the best way to master it is to practice and know the important tricks to save time and energy. Consistent efforts and a clear concept of this topic can ensure a good score in many exams.
