लुप्त पद

हिंदी में पढ़ें

Chapter: Missing Term – Crack the Code Like a Detective

🎯 In this chapter, you will learn:

How to spot the hidden rule in any number, letter, or mixed series.

The 5 most common pattern families examiners love.

A deadly mnemonic to remember alphabet positions forever.

How to dodge the traps that make toppers stumble.

🔎 The Hook

You are a detective. In front of you lies a sequence: 2, 6, 12, 20, 30, ? One number is missing. The suspect has vanished, leaving behind this pattern as a clue. If you can’t find the next number, the culprit walks free. But if you look closely, you’ll notice each gap is increasing by 2: +4, +6, +8, +10… so the next gap is +12 → 42. Case closed.

This is exactly what Missing Term questions are—tiny puzzles waiting for your brain to unlock them. And the best part? Once you know the master patterns, you can solve them in 10 seconds flat.

😟 Why do most students feel stuck?
“I just can’t see the pattern.” “The options all look the same.” “What if it’s some weird multiplication?” This panic happens because you hunt randomly. The secret is to have a pattern checklist in your mind. Let’s build that checklist together, step by step.

1. Number Series – The Backbone

A number series is just a list where each term follows a rule. Your job is to reverse-engineer that rule.

🔹 Constant Difference (Addition/Subtraction)

5, 9, 13, 17, ?
Gap is +4 each time. Answer = 21.

100, 93, 86, 79, ?
Gap is –7. Answer = 72.

🧠 Active Recall: Find the missing term: 44, 55, 66, 77, ? (Ans: 88, +11)

🔹 Increasing/Decreasing Difference

Sometimes the gap itself changes. Look at:
4, 6, 10, 16, 24, ?
Differences: +2, +4, +6, +8 (increasing by 2 each time). Next difference = +10, so answer = 34.

This is called a second-order pattern. Always check the differences of differences if a constant gap fails.

🔹 Multiplication & Division

2, 6, 18, 54, ? → ×3 each time → 162

512, 256, 128, 64, ? → ÷2 each time → 32

Mixed operation: 3, 8, 23, 68, ?
Pattern: ×3 –1? 3×3–1=8, 8×3–1=23, 23×3–1=68, next 68×3–1=203.

🔹 Squares and Cubes (n², n³, and relatives)

1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ? → squares of 1,2,3,4,5 → next 36

1, 8, 27, 64, ? → cubes → 125

0, 3, 8, 15, 24, ? → n² – 1 (1²–1=0, 2²–1=3, 3²–1=8…) → next 6²–1=35.

🧠 Active Recall: 2, 5, 10, 17, ? (Hint: n²+1). Ans: 26.

🔹 Fibonacci & Special Sequences

1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, ? → each term is sum of previous two → 13.

2, 3, 5, 7, 11, ? → prime numbers → 13.

🔹 Double Series (Interleaved)

Often examiners mix two separate series like:
3, 10, 5, 20, 7, 30, ?, ?
Odd positions: 3, 5, 7, ? (9). Even positions: 10, 20, 30, ? (40). So answer 9, 40.

🧠 Active Recall: 2, 15, 4, 12, 6, 9, ?, ? – Find both missing terms. (Ans: 8, 6)

2. Alphabet Series – Position is Everything

Every letter has a number: A=1, B=2, …, Z=26. Reverse: Z=1, Y=2, … A=26.

🔸 Opposite Letters: A ↔ Z, B ↔ Y, C ↔ X, etc. Their positions always add to 27. (A=1, Z=26 → 1+26=27).

🔸 Simple Gaps:
A, D, G, J, ? → gap of +3 → M.
Z, W, T, Q, ? → gap of –3 → N.

🔸 Position Value Manipulation:
B(2), E(5), H(8), K(11), ? → +3 position each time → N(14).

🔸 Two-letter series:
AB, EF, IJ, MN, ? → Each block: first letter +4, second letter +4. Next: QR.

🧠 Active Recall: Find the missing: BY, CX, DW, EV, ? (Hint: first letter +1, second letter –1). Ans: FU.

3. Alphanumeric Series – Split and Conquer

Letters and numbers travel in parallel universes. Just separate them.

Example: A2, C4, E8, G16, ?

Letters: A(1), C(3), E(5), G(7) → +2 → I(9)

Numbers: 2, 4, 8, 16 → ×2 → 32
Answer: I32.

Another: 5G, 10J, 15M, 20P, ?

Numbers: +5 → 25

Letters: G(7), J(10), M(13), P(16) → +3 → S(19)
Answer: 25S.

4. Matrix-Based Missing Term – The Row-Column Game

Given a 3×3 grid, the rule often works across rows or down columns.

Example:

5   12   13
7   24   25
9   40    ?

Row 1: 5² + 12² = 25+144=169=13² → Pythagoras! Row 2: 7²+24²=625=25². Row 3: 9²+40²=81+1600=1681=41². So ? = 41.

Another common pattern: row sum constant.

6 8 14
7 9 16
8 ? 18

Row1: 6+8=14. Row2: 7+9=16. Row3: 8+?=18 → ?=10.

🧠 Active Recall: In the matrix below, find ?:

3   5   8
4   6   10
5   7   ?

(Ans: 12, each row: first + second = third)

🧠 Mnemonic Trick – Alphabet Positions FOREVER

Remember the word EJOTY.
E = 5, J = 10, O = 15, T = 20, Y = 25.
These are multiples of 5. Now you can quickly find any letter:

What is M? M is 13. How? J=10, K=11, L=12, M=13. Or T=20, count back 7 letters.

What is Q? O=15, P=16, Q=17.

What is C? E=5, D=4, C=3.

For opposites: "A to Z, sum always 27." AZad 27. A+Z=1+26=27. So opposite of H (8) is 27–8=19=S. Opposite of V (22) is 27–22=5=E.

📊 Summary Table – Your Quick Revision Card
Series Type	Key Patterns to Check	Example	Next Term
Number	Constant gap, gap of gaps, ×/÷, squares, cubes, Fibonacci, double series, primes	5, 10, 20, 40, ? (×2)	80
Number	Mixed operations (×a + b)	3, 7, 15, 31, ? (×2+1)	63
Alphabet	Position gap (+/− constant), opposite letters, EJOTY anchor	C, F, I, L, ? (+3)	O
Alphanumeric	Separate letter & number patterns	B2, E5, H8, ? (letter +3, number +3)	K11
Matrix	Row/column addition, multiplication, or Pythagoras	(3,4,5) triple	–

🔁 Review This After 2 Days
Close the book and try to recall:

The six major number pattern families.

The EJOTY trick and how to find any letter’s opposite in 2 seconds.

How to handle a series that seems to have two interwoven parts.
Write down three series of your own and solve them. Then check if a friend can crack them.

⚠️ Caution: Examiner’s Trap

1. Multiple Possible Patterns in Options
Examiners sometimes design a series where two different rules give numbers present in the options. For example:
2, 3, 5, 9, 17, ?
Rule A: ×2 –1 → 33. Rule B: 2+1=3, 3+2=5, 5+4=9, 9+8=17, 17+16=33 (same here). But in a tricky case: 1, 2, 4, 8, ? — options may include 16 (×2) and 15 (1+1=2, 2+2=4, 4+4=8, 8+7=15? no). When in doubt, choose the pattern that is most uniform and works for all terms.

2. Overuse of Symbols and Fancy Language
A series like @3, #6, $9, %12, ? confuses you with symbols. Remember, symbols are just decoration; focus on the number pattern (+3 each time) and the symbol sequence (one by one). Don't let visual noise distract you from the core logic.

3. Double-Relation Traps in Matrices
A matrix may require two-step logic. For instance, (first number × second number) + third number = something. You check simple addition and it fails, so you abandon it. Always test a few combinations: addition, multiplication, and then combined operations. If a row pattern doesn’t fit, try the column or diagonal.