Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: deag
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
The string shows two-letter pairs separated by underscores: ac, ga, eg, ce, with four blanks. The task is to select one 4-letter sequence to fill these blanks in order so that all adjacent pairs exhibit a consistent cyclic relation.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Observe that the right letter of one pair becomes the left letter of the next (…c → ga; a → eg; g → ce). This forms a cycle c → a → g → e → c. We therefore want the inserted letters to continue this cycle smoothly at each joint.
Step-by-Step Solution:
1) The cycle c→a→g→e suggests linking letters d and e as neutral bridges while preserving the “a-c-g-e” loop.2) Testing “deag”: placing d, e, a, g in the four blanks yields joints that keep the c–a–g–e turns intact and align the mid-sequence overlaps.3) Alternative candidates create mismatched turns (e.g., “dbag” pushes b into positions that disrupt the c→a or a→g transitions).
Verification / Alternative check:
Read the finished line and confirm that consecutive bigrams rotate through the cycle c–a–g–e without contradiction.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Common Pitfalls:
Focusing only on individual pairs; you must track how each pair hands off to the next one.
Final Answer:
deag
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