Coding-Decoding Puzzles

Coding Decoding Puzzles section is an important section of the Coding Decoding chapter. You must have seen crossword puzzles and tried to solve them. Here such patterns will be in combination with the concept of coding and thus will challenge your cognitive skills. Let us proceed.

Coding Decoding Puzzles

Another possible name given to the puzzle form of coding is the matrix coding. This nomenclature follows from the fact that the coding decoding puzzles are often in the form of matrices. Let us see some examples to understand what questions may appear from this section.

You can also learn Letter-Number Coding here. 

Solved Examples Of Coding Decoding Puzzles

Directions: In each of the following questions, a word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the alternatives. The sets of numbers given in the alternatives are represented by two classes of alphabets as in the two given matrices. The columns and rows of the matrix I are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of matrix II from 5 to 9. A letter from these matrices can be represented first by its row and next by column number in the matrices for question 1, A can be represented by 13, 23 etc. T can be represented by 58, 65 etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set for the word given in each question.

Questions For The Directions

Q1: COLD

	0	1	2	3	4
0	D	K	A	E	C
1	C	D	K	A	E
2	K	C	E	A	D
3	K	C	D	E	A
4	E	D	A	K	C

Matrix I

	5	6	7	8	9
5	P	L	O	T	N
6	T	P	N	L	O
7	P	N	T	O	L
8	O	N	T	P	L
9	L	O	P	N	T

Matrix II                                                          [Income Tax & Central Excise, 1996]

1. 44, 96, 95, 22
2. 31, 99, 77, 22
3. 30, 66, 86, 43
4. 10, 85, 79, 24
5. None of the above.

Answer: We can see from matrix I, that C can be coded as 04, 10, 21, 31 or 44 which leaves the option C. Also, from matrix II we see that, O can be coded as 57, 69, 78, 85 or 96 which means either the answer is A), D) or E). Further, we see that from matrix II, L can be coded as 56, 68, 79, 89 or 95. This doesn’t improve anything. At last from matrix I, D can be coded as 00, 11, 24, 32 or 41. Clearly, only A) contains all the correct codes and therefore the answer is A. 44, 96, 95, 22.

Learn letter-letter coding here. 

Another Puzzle Example!

Q2: P O N D

	0	1	2	3	4
0	A	C	E	D	K
1	D	K	A	C	E
2A	C	E	D	K
3	K	A	C	E	D
4	E	D	K	A	C

Matrix I

	5	6	7	8	9
5	T	O	P	N	L
6	N	L	T	O	P
7	O	P	N	L	T
8	L	T	O	P	N
9	P	N	L	T	O

Matrix II

1. 88, 99, 77, 33
2. 76, 87, 65, 22
3. 68, 99, 77, 33
4. 57, 68, 89, 42
5. None of the above

Answer: From matrix II, P can be coded as 57, 69, 76, 88 or 95. This excludes the option C. Also, from matrix II, O can be coded as 56, 68, 75, 87 or 99. This still doesn’t cancel other options. From matrix II, N can be coded as 58, 65, 77, 89 or 96. This excludes option A. So the correct option is either B or D or E. From matrix I, D can be coded as 03, 10, 22, 34 or 41. Hence the correct option is B. 76, 87, 65, 22.

Increased Difficulty Problems On Coding Decoding Puzzles

Directions: In the following coding decoding puzzles, a hundred cells in the square below have been filled with letters. The columns and the rows are identified by the numbers 0 to 9. A letter in a cell is represented first by its column number and then by its row number e.g., G in column 3 and row 1 is represented by 31. In each of the following questions, a word has been given which is represented by one of the four alternatives given under it. Find the correct alternative.

Questions

	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
0	I	L	B	P	K	N	H	S	A	E
1	M	A	Q	G	T	V	I	o	N	U
2	H	R	w	J	A	X	B	E	C	I
3	T	Y	A	I	U	u	0	N	J	F
4	F	O	B	M	E	G	U	K	W	R
5	A	C	L	J	X	R	A	A	X	T
6	P	s	U	E	z	K	V	W	D	L
7	Z	D	Y	V	F	O	H	Y	I	O
8	M	I	Z	Q	E	A	U	E	I	S
9	P	E	O	D	E	U	Q	O	C	G

Q1: M I N D

1. 01, 61, 73, 36
2. 08, 61, 55, 44
3. 34, 33, 50, 17
4. 73, 33, 61, 17
5. None of the above

Answer: Using the same reasoning as in the above example, you can easily see that the correct option is C. 34, 33, 50, 17.

Q2: J A I L

1. 32, 05, 25, 44
2. 32, 05, 87, 96
3. 35, 23, 26, 33
4. 83, 65, 25, 44
5. None of the above

Answer: The answer can be found using the same methods. The correct option is B. 32, 05, 87, 96. you can similarly solve many such questions.

Practice Questions For Coding Decoding Puzzles

Directions: In each of the following questions, a word is represented by only one set of numbers as given in any one of the alternatives. The sets of numbers given in the alternatives are represented by two classes of alphabets as in the two given matrices. The columns and rows of the matrix I are numbered from 0 to 4 and that of matrix II from 5 to 9. A letter from these matrices can be represented first by its row and next by column number in the matrices for question 1, A can be represented by 13, 23 etc. T can be represented by 58, 65 etc. Similarly, you have to identify the set for the word given in each question.

	0	1	2	3	4
0	E	A	H	T	S
1	A	T	S	H	E
2	E	S	T	H	A
3	T	H	A	E	S
4	S	T	H	E	A

Matrix I

	0	1	2	3	4
0	I	P	L	K	R
1	K	R	I	L	P
2	I	R	K	L	P
3	K	R	I	P	L
4	R	R	L	P	I

Matrix II

Q1: R I S K

1. 96, 66, 88, 98
2. 95, 12, 67, 98
3. 76, 21, 59, 89
4. 59, 99, 21, 77
5. None of the above

Ans: D. 59, 99, 21, 77

Q2: S T E P

1. 12, 22, 14, 69
2. 12, 14, 96, 41
3. 22, 41, 21, 96
4. 41, 12, 14, 96
5. None of the above

Ans: A. 12, 22, 14, 69