In the word series Shy, Food, Plate, Recess, ?, which of the following words should come next to continue the pattern?

Introduction / Context:
You are given the series of words Shy, Food, Plate, Recess, ? and asked to choose the next word. Unlike typical reasoning questions that use purely alphabetical logic, this one is based on a simple length pattern in the number of letters of each word. Recognising word length patterns is a quick way to handle such verbal sequences.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Words in the series: Shy, Food, Plate, Recess, ?
• Options: Monsoon, Soon, Eat, Lunch, Season.
• We count the letters in each word to search for a numeric pattern.

Concept / Approach:
A straightforward approach is to look at the number of letters in each word and see whether they follow a simple sequence. Many exam questions use growing word lengths such as 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 letters. Once the pattern is identified, we pick from the options the word whose length fits the expected next count in the sequence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Count the letters in each given word. Step 2: Shy has 3 letters. Step 3: Food has 4 letters. Step 4: Plate has 5 letters. Step 5: Recess has 6 letters. Step 6: The pattern in word lengths is 3, 4, 5, 6, which is a simple arithmetic progression with a difference of 1. Step 7: Therefore, the next word in the series should have 7 letters, continuing the length pattern. Step 8: Now check lengths of the options: Monsoon has 7 letters, Soon has 4, Eat has 3, Lunch has 5, Season has 6. Step 9: Only Monsoon satisfies the requirement of having 7 letters.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can think of the series purely as a sequence of lengths: 3 letter word, 4 letter word, 5 letter word, 6 letter word, 7 letter word. The actual meanings of the words are irrelevant to the pattern. Monsoon is the only candidate that extends this series neatly to 7 letters. No other option fits the strictly increasing length pattern by exactly one letter each time.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Soon is only 4 letters long and would break the increasing pattern by repeating a previous length. Eat has 3 letters, which would move backward in length. Lunch has 5 letters and Season has 6 letters; both repeat previous lengths rather than extend the sequence. Therefore, none of these can be the correct continuation.

Common Pitfalls:
Some test takers try to associate the words with meals or times of day, looking for a thematic link, but no consistent theme-based sequence emerges. Others focus on the starting letters or alphabetical order, which again does not produce a stable pattern. The simplest and most reliable method is to check numeric properties such as word length, especially when the words themselves do not form an obvious conceptual sequence.

Final Answer:
The word that correctly continues the pattern is Monsoon, giving word lengths 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7.