From the given words, select the single word which cannot be formed using the letters of the word SCALDING. Each letter may be used only as many times as it appears in the base word.

Introduction / Context:
This is another word formation question. The base word SCALDING is given, and you must identify which option cannot be formed from its letters. These questions test careful spelling observation and your ability to track which letters are available and how many times they can be used.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Base word: SCALDING.
• Options: DICES, SNAIL, ALIGN, CLANG, SCALD.
• No additional letters beyond those found in SCALDING may be used.
• No letter may be used more often than it appears in SCALDING.
• All words follow standard English spellings.

Concept / Approach:
The method is straightforward. First, list all the distinct letters in the base word and count their frequencies. Then, check each option by comparing the required letters and their counts with what is available. If an option uses a letter that does not exist in SCALDING or uses some letter more times than available, that option cannot be formed.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write out the letters of SCALDING: S, C, A, L, D, I, N, G. Step 2: Count each letter: S = 1, C = 1, A = 1, L = 1, D = 1, I = 1, N = 1, G = 1. Step 3: Check SNAIL. It needs S, N, A, I, L. All these letters appear once in SCALDING, and each is required only once. SNAIL can be formed. Step 4: Check ALIGN. It needs A, L, I, G, N. Again, each is present once in SCALDING, and no letter is overused. ALIGN can be formed. Step 5: Check CLANG. It needs C, L, A, N, G. All of these letters appear in the base word and each only once, so CLANG can also be formed. Step 6: Check SCALD. It needs S, C, A, L, D. Each of these letters is present once and within the available limits. Therefore SCALD can be formed. Step 7: Check DICES. It needs D, I, C, E, S. Here the letter E is required, but E does not appear anywhere in SCALDING. This makes DICES impossible to form from the base word.

Verification / Alternative check:
A quick exam strategy is to scan each option for letters that you clearly do not see in the base word. In this case, E appears in DICES but nowhere in SCALDING. None of the other options contains a letter that is obviously missing. This immediately singles out DICES as the word that cannot be formed.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
SNAIL uses letters S, N, A, I, and L, all of which are in SCALDING exactly once and therefore permissible. ALIGN uses A, L, I, G, and N, again all present and not overused. CLANG uses C, L, A, N, and G, all occurring once in the base word. SCALD uses S, C, A, L, and D, which are all available within SCALDING.

Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates look only for the presence of letters, not checking letter frequencies. Others scan options quickly and miss a single missing vowel or consonant. Training yourself to quickly skim for unfamiliar letters in each option is an efficient way to handle such questions under time pressure.

Final Answer:
The only option that cannot be made from the letters of SCALDING because it needs the absent letter E is DICES.