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Question

In the following question, select the word which cannot be formed using the letters of the given word.

SUBSTITUTION

This question was previously asked in
SSC Stenographer 2017 Previous Year Paper (14-Sep-2017) (Shift 1)
The correct answer is

BOND

Analyzing Word Formation from SUBSTITUTION

This question asks us to find which of the given options is a word that cannot be formed using only the letters available in the word "SUBSTITUTION". To solve this, we first need to carefully list the letters present in the word "SUBSTITUTION" and count how many times each letter appears.

Letters in SUBSTITUTION and Their Counts

Let's break down the word "SUBSTITUTION":

  • S: appears 2 times
  • U: appears 2 times
  • B: appears 1 time
  • T: appears 3 times
  • I: appears 2 times
  • O: appears 1 time
  • N: appears 1 time

So, the available letters are S (2), U (2), B (1), T (3), I (2), O (1), N (1). We can represent this as a count:

Letter Count in SUBSTITUTION
S 2
U 2
B 1
T 3
I 2
O 1
N 1

Checking Each Option Word

Now, we will examine each option word and see if all its letters are present in "SUBSTITUTION" with sufficient count.

Option 1: BITS

The word "BITS" requires the letters B, I, T, and S.

  • B: We need 1 'B'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'B'. (Available)
  • I: We need 1 'I'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'I's. (Available)
  • T: We need 1 'T'. SUBSTITUTION has 3 'T's. (Available)
  • S: We need 1 'S'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'S's. (Available)

All letters required for "BITS" are available in "SUBSTITUTION". Therefore, "BITS" can be formed.

Option 2: BOND

The word "BOND" requires the letters B, O, N, and D.

  • B: We need 1 'B'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'B'. (Available)
  • O: We need 1 'O'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'O'. (Available)
  • N: We need 1 'N'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'N'. (Available)
  • D: We need 1 'D'. SUBSTITUTION has 0 'D's. (Not Available)

The letter 'D' is not present in the word "SUBSTITUTION". Therefore, "BOND" cannot be formed using the letters of "SUBSTITUTION".

Option 3: BINS

The word "BINS" requires the letters B, I, N, and S.

  • B: We need 1 'B'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'B'. (Available)
  • I: We need 1 'I'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'I's. (Available)
  • N: We need 1 'N'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'N'. (Available)
  • S: We need 1 'S'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'S's. (Available)

All letters required for "BINS" are available in "SUBSTITUTION". Therefore, "BINS" can be formed.

Option 4: BUST

The word "BUST" requires the letters B, U, S, and T.

  • B: We need 1 'B'. SUBSTITUTION has 1 'B'. (Available)
  • U: We need 1 'U'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'U's. (Available)
  • S: We need 1 'S'. SUBSTITUTION has 2 'S's. (Available)
  • T: We need 1 'T'. SUBSTITUTION has 3 'T's. (Available)

All letters required for "BUST" are available in "SUBSTITUTION". Therefore, "BUST" can be formed.

Conclusion

Based on our analysis, the word "BOND" cannot be formed because it contains the letter 'D', which is not present in the original word "SUBSTITUTION". The other options, "BITS", "BINS", and "BUST", can all be formed using the letters available in "SUBSTITUTION".

Revision Table: Word Formation Analysis

Word Letters Required Availability in SUBSTITUTION Can be Formed?
SUBSTITUTION S(2), U(2), B(1), T(3), I(2), O(1), N(1) N/A N/A
BITS B, I, T, S All Available Yes
BOND B, O, N, D 'D' is not available No
BINS B, I, N, S All Available Yes
BUST B, U, S, T All Available Yes

Additional Information: Letter Puzzles and Verbal Ability

Questions like this are common in verbal ability tests and puzzles. They test your attention to detail and your ability to work with sets of letters. Here are some tips for solving such problems:

  • Always count the frequency of each letter in the source word. This is crucial, especially if a letter appears multiple times.
  • Go through each option word letter by letter.
  • For each letter in the option word, check if it exists in the source word and if its required count is less than or equal to the available count.
  • If even one letter in the option word is not present in the source word, or if the required count for any letter exceeds the available count, that word cannot be formed.
  • These questions help improve vocabulary and spelling skills.
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Important Questions from Word Formation

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    Similarly you have to identify the set for the word 'GIRL'

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