Which set of letters, when placed in order in the blanks of the given letter series, will complete it?
_ z _ z y x y y z z _ y _ y y z _
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → yzzxz
Filled in, the series is made of the block of seven letters y z z z y x y, repeated; the third copy stops after three letters.
Placing y, z, z, x, z in the blanks gives: yzzzyxy yzzzyxy yzz
The given letters fix the blanks, since letters seven places apart are the same: the 1st place repeats the 8th (y), the 3rd place repeats the 10th (z), the 11th place repeats the 4th (z), the 13th place repeats the 6th (x), the 17th place repeats the 10th (z)
Why the other options are incorrect
Option (2) yzzyz — Incorrect. It gives yzzzyxy yzzzyyy yzz; the 6th letter x does not match the 13th letter y.
Option (3) zyzxz — Incorrect. It gives zzyzyxy yzzzyxy yzz; the 1st letter z does not match the 8th letter y.
Option (4) yzxxz — Incorrect. It gives yzzzyxy yzzxyxy yzz; the 4th letter z does not match the 11th letter x.