In a certain code language, 'VIRTUAL' is written as 'WKUXZGS'. How will 'REALITY' be written in the same language?

Appeared in: NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 Shift-2nd

Explanation

The coding pattern involves shifting each letter of the word forward in the alphabet by an incrementally increasing number.
The first letter is shifted by +1, the second by +2, the third by +3, and so on for the length of the word.
Applying this rule to 'VIRTUAL' gives 'WKUXZGS' (V+1=W, I+2=K, R+3=U...).
Following the same logic for 'REALITY' gives 'SGDPNZF' (R+1=S, E+2=G, A+3=D, L+4=P, I+5=N, T+6=Z, Y+7=F).

Option A: This option incorrectly swaps the letters 'N' and 'P'. The correct shift for the 4th letter (L) is +4 (P), and for the 5th letter (I) is +5 (N). This option reverses them.
Option C: This option incorrectly swaps the letters 'D' and 'G'. The correct shift for the 2nd letter (E) is +2 (G), and for the 3rd letter (A) is +3 (D). This option reverses them.
Option D: This option incorrectly swaps the letters 'N' and 'Z'. The correct shift for the 5th letter (I) is +5 (N), and for the 6th letter (T) is +6 (Z). This option reverses them.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Logical Reasoning - Coding-Decoding as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This type of question assesses logical and sequential reasoning, a foundational skill for problem-solving in any professional field.
While not directly clinical, the ability to identify patterns is crucial for nurses in recognizing trends in patient symptoms, vital signs, or lab results, which aids in early detection of changing health status.
What if? If the pattern was a decreasing shift (e.g., +7, +6, +5...), the logic would be applied in reverse order, and the resulting code for 'REALITY' would be completely different (Y-K-F-Q-N-Z-E).

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the relationship between the letters of the original word ('VIRTUAL') and its code ('WKUXZGS').
Check the positional difference between each corresponding letter (V to W, I to K, R to U, and so on).
Identify the pattern in these differences. You will notice the shift increases by one for each subsequent letter: +1, +2, +3, +4, +5, +6, +7.
Once the pattern is confirmed, apply this same sequential logic to the target word ('REALITY').
Calculate the new letter for each position: R+1, E+2, A+3, L+4, I+5, T+6, Y+7.
Remember to loop back to the beginning of the alphabet if a shift goes past 'Z'.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full NHM UP Staff Nurse-2023 Shift-2nd

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.