Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: MINVER
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests your skill in recognising letter rearrangement patterns. The word ORDERS is transformed into ERSORD by a specific rearrangement rule. You must apply the same rule to VERMIN and select the correct transformed form from the options. Such analogies check your ability to manipulate strings while preserving all original letters.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
First, we examine how the letters of ORDERS are reordered to form ERSORD. By looking at the positions, we can see whether part of the word has been moved to the front or back. Once we identify this pattern, we apply the same slice and rearrange operation to VERMIN. The correct option must contain exactly the same letters as VERMIN, but in the new order defined by the rule.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write ORDERS and mark the first three letters and last three letters: ORD and ERS.Step 2: Observe the target word ERSORD. It can be broken into ERS and ORD.Step 3: This shows that the last three letters ERS have been moved to the front, while the first three letters ORD have been shifted to the end.Step 4: Therefore, the rule is: take the last half of the six letter word (last three letters) and place it before the first half (first three letters).Step 5: Now apply the same rule to VERMIN. Split VERMIN into two groups of three letters: VER and MIN.Step 6: Move the last three letters MIN to the front and place the first three letters VER after them.Step 7: The resulting word is MINVER.Step 8: Compare this with the options; MINVER appears as option D.
Verification / Alternative check:
We verify that all original letters of VERMIN appear exactly once in MINVER: M, I, N, V, E and R are all present, with no additions or omissions. We also confirm that the relative halves have simply been swapped, just as in ORDERS to ERSORD. Other options either rearrange letters differently or alter the grouping, which breaks the precise rule observed in the example pair.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, MNIVER, does not correspond to a simple last three then first three structure. Option B, MINERV, shuffles the order further and does not maintain the exact swap. Option C, MINVRE, again jumbles the letters rather than using a clean half swap. Since the correct rule is to move the last three letters in front of the first three, only MINVER matches the pattern.
Common Pitfalls:
Some test takers try to track individual letter movements instead of identifying the larger chunk pattern, which can be confusing. Others may jump to the first option that looks similar without checking whether the split into halves is maintained. A reliable strategy is to mark positions, group equal sized blocks and compare them between the original and the transformed word.
Final Answer:
The correct rearrangement of VERMIN that matches the rule is MINVER, so option D is correct.
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