From the following alternative words, select the single word that cannot be formed by using the letters of the word ANNOUNCEMENTS.

Introduction / Context:
In many verbal reasoning and competitive exam questions, you are asked to check which word can or cannot be formed from the letters of a given base word. This question tests your ability to count letters accurately, notice the frequency of each letter, and eliminate options that require letters which are either missing or required more times than they are available. Here, the base word is ANNOUNCEMENTS and we must identify which of the given options cannot be formed using only its letters.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Base word: ANNOUNCEMENTS.
• Available letters (with frequency): A(1), C(1), E(2), M(1), N(4), O(1), S(1), T(1), U(1).
• Option A: CEMENT.
• Option B: NOUN.
• Option C: COUNTER.
• Option D: TENSE.
• Assumption: No extra letters can be introduced and no letter can be reused more than its frequency in the base word.

Concept / Approach:
The standard approach is to break the base word into its constituent letters and count how many times each letter occurs. Then, for each option word, we check whether every letter of that option appears in the base word with at least the same frequency. If any letter is completely absent or required more times than it appears in the base word, that option cannot be formed. Exactly one option will fail this letter frequency check and that will be the correct answer for this reasoning problem.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write down the letters of ANNOUNCEMENTS and count: A(1), C(1), E(2), M(1), N(4), O(1), S(1), T(1), U(1).Step 2: Check CEMENT: letters C, E, M, E, N, T. All exist and frequencies are within limits (C1, E2, M1, N1, T1). So CEMENT can be formed.Step 3: Check NOUN: letters N, O, U, N. All are present and only two Ns are needed while four are available. So NOUN can be formed.Step 4: Check COUNTER: letters C, O, U, N, T, E, R. Here the letter R is required, but there is no R in ANNOUNCEMENTS, so COUNTER cannot be formed.Step 5: Check TENSE: letters T, E, N, S, E. All letters exist in the base word with sufficient frequency. So TENSE can be formed.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative way to verify is to quickly scan the base word to see whether each option word introduces any new letter. For CEMENT, NOUN, and TENSE, every letter visually appears within ANNOUNCEMENTS. However, for COUNTER, the letter R does not appear anywhere in the base word. This confirms that COUNTER is the only impossible construction. A quick frequency check supports the same conclusion and ensures that there is no hidden violation related to repeated letters.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
CEMENT is wrong as the answer because all its letters exist within ANNOUNCEMENTS with enough frequency, so it can indeed be formed.NOUN is wrong as the answer because the base word contains N, O, U letters in adequate counts, therefore this word is constructible.TENSE is wrong as the answer because the letters T, E, N, and S all appear within the base word in sufficient numbers, so TENSE can also be formed.

Common Pitfalls:
Test takers often overlook letter frequency and only check whether a letter appears at least once. This can lead to mistakes when an option needs a letter multiple times. In this specific question, another major pitfall is ignoring the presence or absence of the letter R. Since many of the other letters of COUNTER are present in ANNOUNCEMENTS, some candidates may assume it is also valid without checking carefully. Always scan every distinct letter in the option and confirm that it appears in the base word the required number of times. A systematic count avoids errors in such letter formation problems.

Final Answer:
The only word that cannot be formed using the letters of the word ANNOUNCEMENTS is COUNTER.