From the following words, select the one which cannot be formed using the letters of the word RECLINES, assuming that no letter is used more times than it appears in the original word RECLINES.

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to form words from a fixed set of letters. You are given the base word RECLINES and four candidate words, one of which cannot be formed using the letters of RECLINES. Each letter in the base word may be used at most as many times as it occurs there. This style of item is designed to check careful visual scanning and accurate tracking of letters, both of which are crucial in many verbal reasoning and clerical aptitude examinations.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Base word: RECLINES.
• Available letters: R, E, C, L, I, N, E, S (with E appearing twice and all other letters once).
• Options: SINCE, RELIC, LINER, SCARE.
• We may rearrange letters freely but we may not introduce new letters or exceed the available count of any letter.

Concept / Approach:
The efficient method is to form a mental inventory of letters from the base word and then check each option against that inventory. If an option uses only letters that exist in the base word and does not need any letter more times than available, the option is valid. If an option introduces a new letter that does not appear in the base word, or requires too many copies of a particular letter, it cannot be formed and therefore becomes the correct answer. Paying close attention to uncommon letters such as A, T or D often makes the task quicker.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Extract the letters from RECLINES: R, E, C, L, I, N, E, S. The distinct letters are R, E, C, L, I, N, S, with E appearing twice. Step 2: Check SINCE. Its letters are S, I, N, C, E. Each of these letters appears in RECLINES, and the option uses E only once, which is within the available two copies. So SINCE can be formed. Step 3: Check RELIC. Its letters are R, E, L, I, C. All occur in the base word and again use E only once, so RELIC can be formed. Step 4: Check LINER. Its letters are L, I, N, E, R. These letters are all present in RECLINES and fit within the available frequency of each letter, so LINER can also be formed. Step 5: Check SCARE. Its letters are S, C, A, R, E. While S, C, R and E are available in RECLINES, the letter A never appears in the base word. Therefore SCARE cannot be formed from RECLINES.

Verification / Alternative check:
A simple verification is to write the base letters and mentally or physically tick them off for each option. For SINCE, you can tick S, I, N, C and E; all are present. For RELIC, you tick R, E, L, I and C. For LINER, you tick L, I, N, E and R. When you reach SCARE, you quickly observe that there is no A available to tick, which guarantees that this word cannot be formed. Because this method uses direct matching against the letter set, it offers a reliable cross-check for your initial reasoning.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
SINCE uses S, I, N, C and E, all of which are contained in the letters of RECLINES. RELIC uses R, E, L, I and C, again all available. LINER uses L, I, N, E and R, which also appear in RECLINES. Since each of these words can be assembled from the base letters without violating any frequency constraints, they do not meet the requirement of being impossible to form and therefore are not correct answers.

Common Pitfalls:
Examinees sometimes rely on intuition and assume that a word with a slightly different sound, like RELIC, must be the odd one out, instead of checking letters carefully. Others may overlook single-letter discrepancies such as the missing A in SCARE, especially when working quickly. To avoid these errors, always start by listing the distinct letters in the base word and then systematically confirm each option, paying special attention to vowels because they are easy to substitute mentally without realising the base word does not contain them.

Final Answer:
Because the letter A does not appear in RECLINES, the word SCARE cannot be formed from the given base word, while all other options can. Therefore SCARE is the correct answer.