Question

Coding Decoding: If in a certain code language, "APPLE" is written as "BQQMF", how would "MANGO" be written in the same code?

• A. NBPHP
• B. NBOHP
• C. NCPHQ
• D. MBOHP

Hint:

Write the alphabet with a position number beside each letter (A=1, B=2, and so on), then compare the given word with its coded form letter by letter to find the shift. Confirm that the same shift works for every single letter before applying it to the new word, since some coding questions change the shift partway through.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Step 1: Understanding the Problem
In coding-decoding questions, each letter in a word is often replaced by another letter based on a specific pattern or rule. Here, "APPLE" (a 5-letter word) is coded as "BQQMF" (also 5 letters), suggesting that each letter of "APPLE" has been substituted with a corresponding letter in "BQQMF." Our task is to identify the pattern and apply it to "MANGO."

Step 2: Analyzing the Given Example
Let’s break down "APPLE" and "BQQMF" by comparing each position:

• A (1st letter of APPLE) → B (1st letter of BQQMF)
• P (2nd letter of APPLE) → Q (2nd letter of BQQMF)
• P (3rd letter of APPLE) → Q (3rd letter of BQQMF)
• L (4th letter of APPLE) → M (4th letter of BQQMF)
• E (5th letter of APPLE) → F (5th letter of BQQMF)

Now, let’s look for a pattern. One common technique in coding-decoding is to shift each letter by a fixed number of positions in the alphabet (e.g., Caesar cipher). Let’s check the shift for each letter:

• A (1st position in alphabet) → B (2nd position) = Shift of +1
• P (16th position) → Q (17th position) = Shift of +1
• P (16th position) → Q (17th position) = Shift of +1
• L (12th position) → M (13th position) = Shift of +1
• E (5th position) → F (6th position) = Shift of +1

The shift is consistently +1 for every letter. This means the code rule is to move each letter forward by one position in the alphabet (A becomes B, B becomes C, ..., Z becomes A if it wraps around, but here it doesn’t since we’re within the alphabet).

Step 3: Verifying the Pattern
To ensure this is the correct rule, let’s test it. If we apply a +1 shift to "APPLE":

• A → B
• P → Q
• P → Q
• L → M
• E → F

This matches "BQQMF" perfectly! The pattern holds true, so the coding rule is indeed to shift each letter forward by 1 position.

Step 4: Applying the Rule to "MANGO"
Now, let’s encode "MANGO" using the same +1 shift rule. We’ll convert each letter step by step:

• M (13th position) → N (14th position)
• A (1st position) → B (2nd position)
• N (14th position) → O (15th position)
• G (7th position) → H (8th position)
• O (15th position) → P (16th position)

So, "MANGO" becomes "NBOHP."

Step 5: Final Answer
After applying the consistent +1 shift rule, the coded form of "MANGO" is NBOHP.

Tips for Solving Coding-Decoding Problems

• Look for Patterns: Check if the shift is the same for all letters or if it varies.
• Use the Alphabet: Write out the alphabet (A to Z) to track positions and shifts easily.
• Practice: Try encoding other words with the same rule to build confidence.
• Double-Check: Verify your answer by reversing the process if possible.

Answer 2

Concept:

• Each letter of the alphabet can be represented by a number from 0 (A) to 25 (Z): $A=0, B=1, C=2, \ldots, Z=25$.
• A shift code replaces each letter by the letter obtained by adding a fixed number $k$ to its position and taking the result modulo 26, so that the count wraps from Z back to A whenever it goes past 25.

Step 1: Convert each letter of "APPLE" to its numeric position and find the shift $k$ used in the code.
$A=0 \to B=1$: shift $=+1$
$P=15 \to Q=16$: shift $=+1$
$P=15 \to Q=16$: shift $=+1$
$L=11 \to M=12$: shift $=+1$
$E=4 \to F=5$: shift $=+1$
All five shifts are $+1$, so $k=1$.

Step 2: Convert each letter of "MANGO" to its numeric position.
$M=12,\ A=0,\ N=13,\ G=6,\ O=14$

Step 3: Add $k=1$ to each position modulo 26 and convert back to letters.
$M: (12+1) \bmod 26 = 13 \to N$
$A: (0+1) \bmod 26 = 1 \to B$
$N: (13+1) \bmod 26 = 14 \to O$
$G: (6+1) \bmod 26 = 7 \to H$
$O: (14+1) \bmod 26 = 15 \to P$

Final Answer: MANGO is coded as NBOHP