If in a certain code, ‘ABCD’ is written as 24 and ‘EFGH’ is written as 1680, then how is ‘IJKL’ written in that code?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 11880
Each letter stands for its position in the alphabet and the code is the product: 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24 and 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 = 1680. So IJKL = 9 × 10 × 11 × 12 = 11880.
- ABCD: 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 = 24, which matches.
- EFGH: 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 = 1680, which matches.
- IJKL: 9 × 10 × 11 × 12 = 90 × 132 = 11880.
Remember · When letters become numbers, test alphabet positions with sum and product first.
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper II (2024, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·