The letters of the word “INCOMPREHENSIBILITIES” are arranged alphabetically in reverse order. How many positions of the letter/letters will remain unchanged?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) Two
In reverse alphabetical order the 21 letters read TSSRPONNMLIIIIIHEEECB. The five I's fill positions 11 to 15, and the original word has I at positions 13 and 15, so exactly two positions stay the same.
- Letters (21): I × 5, E × 3, N × 2, S × 2 and one each of B, C, H, L, M, O, P, R, T.
- Reverse alphabetical order: T S S R P O N N M L I I I I I H E E E C B.
- The I's now occupy positions 11 to 15.
- In INCOMPREHENSIBILITIES, I stands at positions 1, 13, 15, 17 and 19 — so positions 13 and 15 match.
- Check the rest one by one (1: I vs T, 11: N vs I, 16: L vs H, 20: E vs C …): no other match. Two positions stay unchanged.
Remember · For 'unchanged positions', write the new order with position numbers; check the block of the most repeated letter first — matches usually hide there.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2023, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·