From the word "ASTOUNDER", without changing the order of letters and using each letter at most once for any single word, how many independent meaningful English words can be formed (for example, "AS" or "UNDER")?

Introduction / Context:
This question asks you to find smaller meaningful words hidden inside the longer word "ASTOUNDER" without rearranging the letters. Such questions test vocabulary and pattern spotting, especially the ability to recognise short common words within a longer string of characters.

Given Data / Assumptions:
• The base word is "ASTOUNDER".
• You cannot change the order of letters; you only look for contiguous segments that themselves form English words.
• You may use each letter at most once for any single word, but different words can reuse the same letter positions for counting purposes.
• We focus on common everyday English words of at least two or three letters that an exam aspirant is expected to know.

Concept / Approach:
The best approach is to scan from left to right and look for familiar smaller words. Articles, prepositions and common verbs like "AS", "TO" or "UNDER" often appear inside longer words. Here, noticing "AS" at the beginning and "UNDER" at the end is a strong clue. Then we confirm which of these segments are valid independent words and count them.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the word clearly with positions: A S T O U N D E R.Step 2: Look at the first two letters. "AS" is a standard English word, used as a conjunction or preposition. So "AS" is one meaningful word.Step 3: Look at the letters T O together. "TO" is another very common English word, used as a preposition or part of the infinitive form of verbs. So "TO" is a second word.Step 4: Check the latter part of the string. The letters U N D E R appear consecutively and form the word "UNDER", which is a very familiar English preposition.Step 5: We have therefore identified three meaningful words inside "ASTOUNDER": "AS", "TO" and "UNDER".Step 6: There is no equally obvious additional segment that forms a simple, common word without rearranging letters, so the count remains three.

Verification / Alternative check:
If you mark these words on the base string, you will see that "AS" uses positions 1 and 2, "TO" uses positions 3 and 4, and "UNDER" uses positions 5 to 9. All three are standard words frequently used in everyday English. Their independent existence as valid dictionary entries justifies including all three in the count of independent words.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
• 1: This would mean only one meaningful word exists, which is clearly wrong given that at least "AS" and "UNDER" are visibly present.
• 2: A count of two ignores one of the three clear segments, so it underestimates the total.
• 4 or more: To reach four or more, we would need to stretch the definition of a simple visible word or allow rearrangements, which the question does not allow.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners overlook very short words like "AS" or "TO" because they focus only on three or four letter segments. Others mistakenly rearrange letters to create anagrams, which is beyond the allowed operations. A careful left to right scan with attention to common tiny words prevents these mistakes and leads quickly to the correct count.

Final Answer:
The number of independent meaningful words that can be formed from "ASTOUNDER" without changing letter order is 3 ("AS", "TO" and "UNDER").