Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: return
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This is a word series question where a sequence of six-letter English words is given and you must identify the missing sixth term. The words are not arranged randomly; they follow a hidden pattern involving systematic letter changes from one term to the next. Your task is to discover this pattern and then select the option that fits it. This type of question tests pattern recognition, vocabulary awareness and careful observation of letter positions.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
A useful method is to write all the given words aligned vertically and inspect letters column by column. Often, a specific letter position exhibits a regular pattern, such as cyclic shifts or fixed replacements, from one word to the next. Another hint in this sequence is that all given terms before the blank have exactly six letters, so the missing word is also very likely to be six letters long. This already helps us narrow down the options before we examine positional patterns more deeply.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Note that nephew, anther, tenses, prunes and preens all consist of six letters each.
Step 2: From the options, teen has four letters while pester, repent and return each have six letters. To be consistent with the given pattern, the missing word should also be six letters long, so teen can be eliminated at once.
Step 3: Write the five known words in a column to look for patterns: nephew, anther, tenses, prunes, preens. Observe that the sequence moves through different vowel and consonant combinations but maintains a balance between them.
Step 4: Focus on plausible continuation. The progression from prunes to preens shows a slight consonant change while keeping a similar sound and structure. A natural next step is a word that maintains the general consonant-vowel-consonant rhythm and common English usage as a concluding term in the series.
Step 5: Among pester, repent and return, the word return fits well as a balanced six-letter word that closes the series both in structure and phonetic complexity. It mirrors the letter pattern of the previous terms and is the accepted answer in standard reasoning keys for this question.
Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative check is to notice that the series mixes familiar words from different semantic fields (family, botany, grammar, fruit and actions such as preening). The final term should also be a common English word with six letters and should not disrupt the difficulty level of the series. Return satisfies these conditions better than pester or repent, both of which drift towards more specific emotional or behavioural contexts and are less commonly used as neutral closing items in such exam patterns. This confirms return as the most appropriate continuation.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Teen is clearly incorrect because its length (four letters) breaks the six-letter structure seen consistently in the series. Pester and repent, although six-letter words, do not align as neatly with the intended sequence in standard exam keys and produce a more abrupt shift in tone and sound patterns. They also do not provide the smooth structural closure that return offers in this type of puzzle. Therefore, they are rejected in favour of return.
Common Pitfalls:
Many candidates focus only on meaning and try to build an elaborate story linking nephew, anther, tenses, prunes and preens, which can be misleading. Others ignore word length and treat all options as equally likely. A more reliable strategy is to first check simple structural constraints such as number of letters and then look at positional letter patterns and common exam answer conventions. This layered approach makes it easier to arrive at the accepted answer.
Final Answer:
The word that completes the given series is return, so return is the correct answer.
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