Arrange the following words in the same order in which they would appear in a standard English dictionary: 1. Defect 2. Defence 3. Deerstalker 4. Defensive.

Introduction / Context:
This is another dictionary order question, now with four related words: Defect, Defence, Deerstalker and Defensive. The candidate must choose the option that lists these words in the same order as a dictionary would. This topic routinely appears in reasoning sections and helps measure a candidate's ability to perform precise lexical comparison.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The given words are: 1. Defect, 2. Defence, 3. Deerstalker, 4. Defensive.
- Standard English dictionary ordering is assumed.
- Comparisons are case insensitive and proceed letter by letter.
- The spellings provided are taken as correct for ordering.

Concept / Approach:
To find dictionary order, compare words lexicographically. Since all words begin with De, we must look at subsequent letters. Among words that share the same prefix, we compare the next differing letter. If two words share all letters up to the length of the shorter one, the shorter word comes first. By following this simple set of rules, we can arrange the words correctly.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Consider the first three letters of each word: Defect (Def), Defence (Def), Deerstalker (Dee), Defensive (Def). Step 2: Because e equals e but f is greater than e, Deerstalker (Dee) will come before all Def... words. So word 3 is first. Step 3: Now arrange the remaining Defect (1), Defence (2) and Defensive (4), all of which start with Def. Step 4: Compare Defect and Defence: Defect is D e f e c t, Defence is D e f e n c e. Both share D e f e. Next letters are c (Defect) and n (Defence). Since c comes before n, Defect (1) comes before Defence (2). Step 5: Compare Defence (2) and Defensive (4). They share D e f e n c e as a common prefix. Defensive has extra letters s i v e after that. Step 6: When one word is a complete prefix of the other, the shorter word comes first, so Defence (2) comes before Defensive (4). Step 7: Combining everything, the dictionary order is: Deerstalker (3), Defect (1), Defence (2), Defensive (4), or 3, 1, 2, 4.

Verification / Alternative check:
Write down the words in the identified order and read them in sequence: Deerstalker, Defect, Defence, Defensive. When you transition from Deerstalker to Defect, you see that Deerstalker (Dee) comes before Def... words. Next, Defect and Defence differ only at c versus n, with c preceding n. Finally, Defence is a prefix of Defensive, so the shorter one appears first. This confirms that no pair is out of order and the pattern 3, 1, 2, 4 is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (2, 3, 1, 4) incorrectly places Defence before Deerstalker even though Def... comes after Dee.... Option B (1, 3, 2, 4) misplaces Deerstalker again. Option C (4, 3, 1, 2) places Defensive at the beginning, which is not consistent with dictionary rules. Option E (2, 1, 4, 3) completely distorts the correct ordering. Only option D presents the words in proper alphabetical order.

Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to treat all Def... words as a single group and forget that Deerstalker with Dee actually precedes them. Another pitfall is misinterpreting the prefix rule when one word contains another in full, as in Defence and Defensive. Candidates sometimes assume the longer word must come earlier because it appears more complex, which is incorrect in dictionary terms. Carefully compare the exact letter sequences to avoid these errors.

Final Answer:
The correct order is 3, 1, 2, 4, corresponding to Deerstalker, Defect, Defence and Defensive.