Word Formation Puzzle

Question: Which pairs of bits can be joined together to form two words that have opposite meanings?

Step 1: Analyze the given pairs and identify the words

The problem provides a list of three-letter codes paired with numbers:
(ERT, 1), (UCE, 2), (DES, 3), (END, 4), (EXP, 5), (EAR, 6), (AND, 7), (SIP, 8), (RED, 9), (GOS, 10).

The question asks to find pairs of these numbered codes that, when combined, form two words with opposite meanings.

Step 2: Evaluate option A: (9,2) (5,7)

• (9,2): Combining RED (9) and UCE (2) forms "REDUCE".
• (5,7): Combining EXP (5) and AND (7) forms "EXPAND".

"REDUCE" and "EXPAND" are words with opposite meanings.

Step 3: Evaluate other options (for verification)

• Option B (1,3) (8,10): "ERTDES" (not a word), "SIPGOS" (not a word).
• Option C (1,5) (10,8): "ERTEXP" (not a word), "GOSSIP" (a word but not opposite pair).
• Option D (4,2) (7,8): "ENDUCE" (not a word), "ANDSIP" (not a word).

Step 4: Conclusion

Only Option A successfully forms two words with opposite meanings: "REDUCE" and "EXPAND".

Answer: The correct option is A. (9,2) (5,7), which forms the words "REDUCE" and "EXPAND".