Data Sufficiency — Letter Code Mapping Question: How is the word ‘‘DATE’’ written in the given code language? Statements: I. DEAR is written as $#@?. II. TREAT is written as %?#@%. III. TEAR is written as %#@?.

Introduction / Context: This Data Sufficiency problem uses letter-to-symbol coding. We must decide which statements provide enough mapping to encode the word ‘‘DATE’’ unambiguously.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Words and their codes:
  • DEAR → $#@?
  • TREAT → %?#@%
  • TEAR → %#@?
• Each letter maps to a fixed symbol consistently across words.

Concept / Approach: Extract the symbol for each letter needed in DATE (D, A, T, E). Then check which statement combinations supply all four letters’ mappings.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check: Using either pair (I+II) or (I+III), DATE always codes to $@%#.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Only I and II: True but not the only sufficient pair.
• Only II and III: Lacks D.
• All three: Overkill.
• None of these: Incorrect because a valid choice exists.

Common Pitfalls: Mixing symbol order; forgetting consistency across all samples; overlooking that D appears only in Statement I.

Final Answer: Only I and either II or III.