If the word "MEAT" is coded as the number 135120 by writing the alphabet positions of its letters in sequence, then what will be the corresponding numerical code for the word "ZEBRA"?

Introduction / Context:
This coding and decoding question converts words into long numbers using the positions of letters in the English alphabet. Recognizing the exact pattern used for the example word is essential before applying it to a new word. Such problems check familiarity with alphabetical order and attention to detail when concatenating digits.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• "MEAT" is coded as 135120.
• We must determine the code for "ZEBRA".
• Letters are mapped to their positions in the English alphabet, where A is 1, B is 2, up to Z which is 26.
• There is no indication of additional arithmetic operations, so the code likely forms by direct concatenation of positional values.

Concept / Approach:
The approach is to translate each letter of the example word "MEAT" into its alphabetical position and see how these numbers combine to produce the given code 135120. If the concatenation matches, we can apply the same mapping to the word "ZEBRA". For two digit positions such as 13 or 20 the digits are simply written next to each other, not added or multiplied. The digits for all letters are appended in order to form a single continuous integer code.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Determine the positions of the letters in "MEAT". Step 2: M is the 13th letter, E is the 5th letter, A is the 1st letter and T is the 20th letter. Step 3: Write these numeric positions in sequence: 13, 5, 1 and 20. Step 4: Concatenate them as digits: 13 5 1 20 becomes 135120, which matches the given code. This confirms the pattern. Step 5: Now apply the same idea to "ZEBRA". Step 6: Z is 26, E is 5, B is 2, R is 18 and A is 1 in the alphabet. Step 7: Concatenate these as 26 5 2 18 1, which gives 2652181 when written as one continuous number. Step 8: Therefore, the correct code for "ZEBRA" is 2652181.

Verification / Alternative check:
As a quick check, we can ensure that none of the other options correspond to a reasonable misinterpretation such as reversing letters or using different positions. Changing any of the letter positions would break the match with the alphabet order, and inserting extra digits would destroy the simple one to one mapping. Since the pattern is very clear from MEAT to 135120, any deviation from 2652181 would be unjustified.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Options 2652191, 2662181 and 2662191 alter one or more digits relative to the correct mapping. These changes would require treating some letter positions incorrectly, for example using 19 instead of 18 for R or incorrectly assigning 26 to multiple letters. None of these errors can be supported by the original example, so those answers are invalid distractions intended to catch miscalculations or memory slips about alphabet positions.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes make mistakes by adding the numeric positions instead of concatenating them, or by misremembering that Z is 26 and not 25. Another error is to compress double digit positions into a single digit, which changes the number pattern entirely. Keeping track of each letter position carefully and writing all digits in order without dropping or merging them is the surest way to avoid mistakes.

Final Answer:
Using the same alphabetical position concatenation that maps "MEAT" to 135120, the correct numerical code for "ZEBRA" is 2652181.