What should come in place of the question mark (?) in the given series?
53, 42, 49, 38, 45, 34, ?

Given: 53, 42, 49, 38, 45, 34, ?

Logic: Decreasing by - 4 alternatively.

First series: 53 → 49 → 45 → ?

53 – 4 = 49
49 – 4 = 45
45 – 4 = 41

So, the next number in the odd-positioned terms is 41

Second series: 42 → 38 → 34
42 – 4 = 38
38 – 4 = 34

Thus, the correct option is  (a) 41.