Select the option that is related to the third term in the same way as the…

Concept: In many letter-coding questions, each letter of a word is replaced by another letter reached by moving a fixed number of steps along the alphabet, and this shift can differ from letter to letter — often depending on whether the letter is a vowel or a consonant. To find the exact rule, line up the given word and its code letter by letter and note how far, and in which direction, each letter moves.

Application

1. Number the letters of BACTERIA by their position in the alphabet: B=2, A=1, C=3, T=20, E=5, R=18, I=9, A=1.

2. Number the letters of the code EXFWBUFX the same way: E=5, X=24, F=6, W=23, B=2, U=21, F=6, X=24.

3. Find how much each letter moved (code position minus word position): B→E is +3, A→X is −3, C→F is +3, T→W is +3, E→B is −3, R→U is +3, I→F is −3, A→X is −3.

4. Group the results: every consonant in BACTERIA (B, C, T, R) moves forward by exactly 3 places, and every vowel (A, E, I, A) moves backward by exactly 3 places — that is the coding rule linking BACTERIA to EXFWBUFX.

5. Apply the same rule to WOUNDS, letter by letter: W is a consonant, so it moves forward 3 places to Z; O is a vowel, so it moves backward 3 places to L; U is a vowel, so it moves backward 3 places to R; N is a consonant, so it moves forward 3 places to Q; D is a consonant, so it moves forward 3 places to G; S is a consonant, so it moves forward 3 places to V.

6. Reading the results in order gives the code for WOUNDS: Z, L, R, Q, G, V — that is, ZLRQGV.

Cross-check: Re-applying the same rule to BACTERIA reproduces EXFWBUFX exactly (B→E, A→X, C→F, T→W, E→B, R→U, I→F, A→X), confirming the rule is consistent. ZLRQGV also appears among the given options, confirming it is the answer.