A word series is given with one term missing. Choose the correct alternative from the options to complete the series: Shy, Food, Plate, Recess, ?

Introduction / Context:
This verbal reasoning question presents a series of words and asks you to find the missing term. The words in the series are Shy, Food, Plate, Recess and an unknown fifth word. Such questions typically hide a simple structural or semantic pattern. Here, a key observation is the number of letters in each word, which leads to a clear and elegant rule governing the sequence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Given series: Shy, Food, Plate, Recess, ?
• Options: Monsoon, Soon, Eat, Lunch.
• We assume there is a consistent pattern that can be applied from the first to the fifth term.

Concept / Approach:
A direct and often fruitful approach is to first check simple structural properties such as word length. When we count the letters of each given word, a clear progression emerges. After recognising the numeric pattern in word lengths, we select the option whose length continues the sequence correctly. This avoids overcomplicating the problem with forced semantic links.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Count the letters in each given word: Shy has 3 letters, Food has 4 letters, Plate has 5 letters, and Recess has 6 letters. Step 2: Observe the pattern in word length: 3, 4, 5, 6. It is a simple arithmetic progression where each new word has one more letter than the previous word. Step 3: Following this pattern, the next word in the series should have 7 letters. Step 4: Check the options for word length: Monsoon has 7 letters, Soon has 4 letters, Eat has 3 letters, and Lunch has 5 letters. Step 5: Only Monsoon fits the requirement of having 7 letters, so it is the only option that continues the pattern 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 in word lengths.

Verification / Alternative check:
To verify, you can rewrite the series as: 3-letter word, 4-letter word, 5-letter word, 6-letter word, and the missing term. Any correct answer must be a 7-letter word to maintain a consistent progression. Checking all options again confirms that Monsoon is uniquely 7 letters long. No other option matches this structural requirement, so there is no ambiguity in the solution.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Soon has only 4 letters, Eat has 3 letters and Lunch has 5 letters. Each of these lengths already appears earlier in the sequence and therefore breaks the strictly increasing pattern of word lengths. Because the series clearly moves forward by one letter at each step, these shorter words cannot be the correct continuation and must be rejected despite any potential semantic associations they might have with Food, Plate or Recess.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical pitfall is to search for a complex story linking the meanings of the words, such as associating Food, Plate and Recess with meals, and then choosing Lunch based on that story. While such semantic patterns sometimes exist, in this case they lead you away from the intended simple structural rule. Another error is failing to check all options for length and stopping as soon as a vaguely plausible meaning appears. A more reliable strategy is always to test for basic numeric or positional patterns first, which often reveal the intended logic quickly.

Final Answer:
The word that correctly completes the series by continuing the pattern in word lengths is Monsoon, so Monsoon is the correct answer.