In the following letter analogy, APPARENT is related to RENTAPPA by a specific rearrangement of letters. Following the same pattern, MUSCULAR is related to which of the following options?

Introduction / Context:
This question is a classic letter analogy from verbal and non verbal reasoning. You are given one pair of related words and then asked to apply exactly the same pattern or rule to a new word. Here, the relationship between APPARENT and RENTAPPA must be understood and then used to find how MUSCULAR should be transformed. Such problems test pattern recognition, attention to detail and comfort with manipulating sequences of letters.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- First word pair in the analogy: APPARENT and RENTAPPA.
- Second word that must undergo a similar transformation: MUSCULAR.
- All answer options are rearrangements of the letters of MUSCULAR.
- We assume that no letters are added or removed, only rearranged, just as in the example pair.

Concept / Approach:
To solve this, observe how APPARENT becomes RENTAPPA. Count the letters. APPARENT has eight letters. The first four letters are APPA and the last four letters are RENT. In the transformed word RENTAPPA, the last four letters come to the front and the first four letters move to the end. So the rule is: split the eight letter word into two equal halves and swap the halves. We now apply this same half swapping rule to MUSCULAR, which is also an eight letter word.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write APPARENT as two halves: APPA and RENT. Step 2: Swap the halves to get RENTAPPA, confirming the pattern in the example pair. Step 3: Write MUSCULAR and split into two halves. The first four letters are MUSC and the last four letters are ULAR. Step 4: Apply the same rule: bring the last half ULAR to the front and send the first half MUSC to the end, giving ULARMUSC. Step 5: Compare ULARMUSC with the given options and select the exactly matching option.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check that no letters are lost or duplicated. MUSCULAR contains M, U, S, C, U, L, A, R. The rearranged form ULARMUSC still contains exactly the same multiset of letters and the length is unchanged. Also verify that the same half swapping rule applies cleanly because the length is even. This confirms that ULARMUSC is a consistent and unique application of the given pattern.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A ULAMMUSC changes the number of letter M and does not preserve the original letter pattern. Option C UMAMLUSC rearranges the letters in a way that does not correspond to a simple half swap. Option D ULARMUCS changes the final order and is not a direct last half plus first half construction. Therefore these distractors do not correctly mirror the APPARENT to RENTAPPA transformation.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes try to look for simple reversal or alternating letter patterns instead of splitting the word exactly in the middle. Another frequent mistake is to miscount the letters and split them unevenly, which leads to an incorrect transformation. It is also easy to overlook duplicate letters and accidentally change their count when mentally rearranging. Writing the letters down clearly and marking the halves avoids these errors.

Final Answer:
The correct transformed form of MUSCULAR, using the same half swapping pattern as APPARENT to RENTAPPA, is ULARMUSC.