The word PHYLAXIS is written in the first quadrant (above the X-axis) of a coordinate plane. The mirror image of the above text about the x-axis is A. PHYLAXIS written upside-down and reversed left-to-right (both flips) B. PHYLAXIS written upside-down but left-to-right order preserved (only vertical flip) C. PHYLAXIS written upside-down with only some letters reversed D. PHYLAXIS written as horizontal mirror with letters reversed right-to-left

GATE 2021 · General Aptitude · Mirror Image · medium

Answer: Option B: PHYLAXIS with each letter flipped upside-down, reading left-to-right in the original order — the correct x-axis reflection.

1. Recall reflection rule for x-axis: The x-axis is a horizontal line. Reflection about it changes only the y-direction. All letters maintain their horizontal (left-right) positions exactly as in the original.
2. Check letter sequence order: Because x-coordinates are unchanged, the letter sequence P-H-Y-L-A-X-I-S appears in the same left-to-right order in the reflected image. No letter reversal or word reversal occurs.
3. Check letter orientation: Each letter is individually flipped vertically (upside-down) because the y-coordinates are negated. The reflected word shows all 8 letters inverted top-to-bottom while reading left-to-right in the original order.