Word Formation & Alphabetical Arrangement

🎯 Learning Objective

Decide whether a word can be built from another word's letters, and answer nth-letter questions after alphabetical arrangement.

💡 Concept

• A word CAN be formed from another only if every needed letter appears in the source at least as many times as required
• Method: write the source word's letters with their counts, then tick off the target word letter by letter
• One letter missing, or needed twice but present once → formation impossible; that is usually the answer option
• Arrangement questions: write the word's letters in A-to-Z order, then count to the asked position from left or right
• Another classic: after alphabetical arrangement, how many letters stay at their ORIGINAL position — compare the two rows

✏️ Easy Example

Q. If the letters of RAILWAY are arranged alphabetically, which letter comes 4th from the left?

1. Letters: R, A, I, L, W, A, Y
2. Alphabetical: A, A, I, L, R, W, Y
3. Count to the 4th: A(1), A(2), I(3), L(4)

Answer: L

🇮🇳 Real-Life Example

Scrabble and Wordament are pure word formation — you can only play a word if your rack actually holds every tile it needs, repeats included.

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. Which word CANNOT be formed from the letters of EXAMINATION: NATION, EXAM, MOTION?

1. EXAMINATION stock: A×2, I×2, N×2, E, X, M, T, O — note only ONE O
2. NATION needs N,A,T,I,O,N → all available; EXAM → all available
3. MOTION needs two O's but stock has one

Answer: MOTION

📝 Exam-Level Example

Q. If the letters of CHAIR are arranged alphabetically, how many letters remain at their original position?

1. Original: C, H, A, I, R
2. Arranged: A, C, H, I, R
3. Compare position-wise: only I (4th) and R (5th) match

Answer: 2 letters (I and R)

🪄 Memory Trick

Go straight to the repeated letters of each option first — 90% of 'cannot be formed' answers fail on a repeated letter, not a missing one.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

• ❌ Ignoring letter counts — seeing O present once and approving a word that needs O twice
• ❌ Counting from the wrong side in arrangement questions — read 'from the left/right' twice
• ❌ Rearranging only part of the word alphabetically under time pressure — write all letters first

🏆 Exam Tips

• ✅ Write the source word's letter stock with counts (A×2, N×2 ...) before touching the options
• ✅ In arrangement questions, write the sorted row directly UNDER the original row — position comparisons become visual

📌 Summary

• Formation = every letter available in required count
• Repeated letters are the real test — count them
• Arrange A→Z, then count to the asked position carefully
• Compare rows position-wise for 'same place' questions