If the order of the letters in the English alphabet is reversed and each letter represents the letter whose position it occupies, then which one of the following represents ‘LUCKNOW’?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) OFXPMLD
Reversing the alphabet swaps each letter with its mirror, whose position adds up to 27 with its own: L→O, U→F, C→X, K→P, N→M, O→L, W→D, giving OFXPMLD.
- In the reversed alphabet, the letter at position p becomes the letter at position 27 − p (A ↔ Z, B ↔ Y, …).
- L (12) → O (15); U (21) → F (6); C (3) → X (24); K (11) → P (16).
- N (14) → M (13); O (15) → L (12); W (23) → D (4).
- LUCKNOW → OFXPMLD.
- Check: the second letter separates the options — U (21) → F (6), which rules out (a) and (b); the last letter W (23) → D (4) rules out (c).
Remember · Opposite letters in the alphabet have positions adding to 27 (A–Z, B–Y, …).
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2022, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·