In a certain code language, the word "NIGERIA" is written as "@#^$?#*". Using the same code, how is the word "GINGER" written in that code language?

Introduction:
This symbolic coding question provides a code for the word "NIGERIA" and asks us to encode the word "GINGER" using the same scheme. Each letter appears to map to a specific special character. The question evaluates your ability to extract consistent letter to symbol relationships and apply them correctly to form a new coded word.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The code for NIGERIA is given as @#^$?#*. The letters of NIGERIA are N, I, G, E, R, I, A. We assume that each letter is mapped to one unique symbol, and that the mapping is used consistently for all occurrences of that letter. The word GINGER, which we must encode, is composed of letters G, I, N, G, E, R, all of which are present in NIGERIA.

Concept / Approach:
The method is to align each letter of NIGERIA with its corresponding symbol in position order. This yields a mapping table from letters to symbols. Then we take the word GINGER and replace each letter with its symbol using that table. Because all required letters appear in NIGERIA, no new mapping is needed.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write NIGERIA and its code together: N I G E R I A corresponds to @ # ^ $ ? # *.Step 2: From this, assign mappings: N = @, I = #, G = ^, E = $, R = ?, and A = *.Step 3: The word GINGER has letters G, I, N, G, E, R in that order.Step 4: Substitute using the mapping: G = ^, I = #, N = @, G again = ^, E = $, R = ?.Step 5: Writing these in sequence gives ^ # @ ^ $ ?.Step 6: Therefore, "GINGER" is coded as ^#@^$? in the given code language.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can re verify by checking that each symbol we used for GINGER appears correctly in NIGERIA. G is always ^, I is always #, N is always @, E is $, and R is ?. There are no inconsistencies, so the mapping is correct. Also, if we decode ^#@^$? back using our table, we retrieve GINGER which confirms that our answer is reversible.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a ^#$@^? places the @ and $ symbols in the wrong positions compared to the required letter order. Option c ^#@$^? misorders the symbols again and does not match the letter by letter mapping. Option d #$@$^? assigns wrong symbols to several letters, including putting # at the start instead of ^ for G. Option e ^#@^$* incorrectly uses * at the end, which corresponds to A not R.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes forget that letters appearing more than once must always have the same code, leading to inconsistent symbol use. Another pitfall is to misread the sequence of special characters, especially when they are visually similar or crowded together. Carefully aligning positions avoids these errors.

Final Answer:
The word "GINGER" is written as ^#@^$? in the given code language.