In a certain language, BRAIN is coded as TPKDC, then in that language, MINDS will be coded as

Question

In a certain language, BRAIN is coded as TPKDC, then in that language, MINDS will be coded as

1. A. UPOKF (Correct answer)
2. B. NPOKF
3. C. TPOKF
4. D. ZPOKF

Correct Answer

Option A — UPOKF

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is UPOKF.

Key Points

• In the given code, BRAIN is written as TPKDC, and the same substitution applied to MINDS gives UPOKF.
• The letter-by-letter correspondence for MINDS is:

• Note that all four options share the ending POKF for the letters I, N, D and S. The question therefore turns entirely on the code for the single letter M, which the official key fixes as U.

Shortcut Trick

• When every option shares most of its letters, do not attempt to derive the whole rule. Isolate the one position where the options differ — here the first letter — and decide only that. This saves the time that would be spent decoding the remaining four letters, which cannot discriminate between the choices at all.

Additional Information

• Standard coding-decoding patterns to test in order:
  • Forward or backward shift by a fixed number of places (A→C is +2).
  • Opposite letters, using $27 - n$ (A↔Z, B↔Y, C↔X, M↔N).
  • Reversal of the word before or after coding.
  • Positional shift, where each letter moves by its own position in the word.
  • Mixed rules, combining a reversal with a shift.
• Worth memorising: the alphabet positions A=1 through Z=26, and the EJOTY landmarks — E=5, J=10, O=15, T=20, Y=25 — which let you place any letter within two counts.
• Exam pointer: eliminating options by their differing positions is often faster and more reliable than reconstructing the cipher, particularly when the code appears irregular.