Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: 3049208
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests a very common style of coding–decoding where each letter of a word is replaced with a particular digit. The example PREMONITION is already converted to 68530492904. Our task is to infer the consistent mapping between letters and digits from this example and then apply that mapping to the word MONITOR to obtain its coded form.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The key concept is one-to-one letter–digit substitution. By aligning PREMONITION and its code, we can build a small dictionary: which letter corresponds to which digit. Once this dictionary is clear, we simply read off the code for MONITOR letter by letter. No arithmetic is needed; careful matching and consistency are enough.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write PREMONITION under its code: P R E M O N I T I O N and 6 8 5 3 0 4 9 2 9 0 4.
Step 2: Match letters with digits: P -> 6, R -> 8, E -> 5, M -> 3, O -> 0, N -> 4, I -> 9, T -> 2.
Step 3: Check that repeated letters have the same digit: O appears twice and is coded as 0 both times; N appears twice and is coded as 4; I appears twice and is coded as 9. This confirms consistency.
Step 4: Now write MONITOR and substitute: M -> 3, O -> 0, N -> 4, I -> 9, T -> 2, O -> 0, R -> 8.
Step 5: Joining these digits in order gives 3049208 as the code for MONITOR.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can quickly recheck each letter: M (3), O (0), N (4), I (9), T (2), O (0), R (8). All mappings are directly taken from the PREMONITION example and there are no contradictions. Therefore 3049208 must be the correct code. Any other sequence would either change the digit associated with a letter or alter the letter order, both of which are not allowed.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A: 1234567 assigns completely new digits that are not based on the given PREMONITION mapping.
Option C: 3029408 changes the positions of the digits corresponding to N and I, breaking the letter order of MONITOR.
Option D: 3049258 alters the digits associated with T and R, which must be 2 and 8 respectively.
Option E: 3094208 misplaces the digits 9 and 4 with respect to the correct letter sequence.
Common Pitfalls:
A frequent error is to try to guess a numeric pattern based on arithmetic operations instead of simply reading the given letter–digit mapping. Another mistake is careless copying of the mapping table, causing a digit swap for repeated letters like O or N. Always construct a clean list of letter–digit pairs from the example and then use it exactly as given when encoding a new word.
Final Answer:
The correct code for MONITOR in this language is 3049208.
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