In a certain code language, each letter of a word is replaced by its position in the English alphabet, written in sequence without spaces. For example, "HARMS" is written as "81181319" and "FLUTE" is written as "61221205". Using this code, how is "WOUND" written?

Introduction / Context:
This question uses a direct letter to number coding based on alphabetical positions. Each letter of a word is replaced by its position in the alphabet and these numbers are written in order to form a single code string. We are told that HARMS and FLUTE are encoded this way and asked to determine the code for WOUND. This type of question tests basic knowledge of letter positions and careful concatenation of the resulting numbers.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• HARMS is written as 81181319.
• FLUTE is written as 61221205.
• Each letter is replaced by its alphabetical position: A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, ..., Z = 26.
• The numeric codes for the letters are simply concatenated to form a single string.
• We must find the code for WOUND.

Concept / Approach:
First, verify the coding rule using the given examples. For HARMS, the letters H, A, R, M, S have positions 8, 1, 18, 13 and 19. Concatenating these gives 8 1 18 13 19 → 81181319, which matches the example. For FLUTE, the letters F, L, U, T, E have positions 6, 12, 21, 20 and 5, which produce 6 12 21 20 5 → 61221205. Once we are confident that this is the rule, we apply it to the letters W, O, U, N and D in WOUND.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Confirm the pattern for HARMS: H → 8, A → 1, R → 18, M → 13, S → 19. Step 2: Writing these consecutively gives 81181319, which matches the example. Step 3: Confirm the pattern for FLUTE: F → 6, L → 12, U → 21, T → 20, E → 5. Step 4: Writing these in order gives 61221205, matching the example again. Step 5: Apply this rule to WOUND. Write the letters: W, O, U, N, D. Step 6: Find their positions: W is 23rd, O is 15th, U is 21st, N is 14th, D is 4th. Step 7: Replace each letter by its number: 23, 15, 21, 14, 4. Step 8: Concatenate these values: 231521144.

Verification / Alternative check:
Rechecking the positions of each letter (W, O, U, N, D) confirms that 23, 15, 21, 14 and 4 are correct. Concatenating these numbers in order produces exactly 231521144. Comparing with the answer choices shows that 231521144 appears as option C. No other option follows the simple position based rule applied to WOUND, so the answer is unique and fully consistent with the coding system.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Other options such as 21144152 or 21441514 rearrange digits or change them in ways that correspond to different letter positions or orders. They do not map directly to W, O, U, N and D when decoded. Option 171921415 would represent a completely different sequence of letters. Because the rule is straightforward and based purely on alphabetical order, any deviation from the exact positions of WOUND is incorrect.

Common Pitfalls:
Common mistakes include miscounting the position of letters near the end of the alphabet, such as W or Y, or inadvertently swapping the order of digits for letters with two digit positions. Another pitfall is trying to add or manipulate the numbers instead of simply concatenating them. To avoid these issues, it helps to write down the alphabet with position numbers or to memorise key anchor points like A = 1, M = 13 and Z = 26 and count carefully from these when needed.

Final Answer:
Using alphabetical positions as the code, the word WOUND is written as 231521144.