If in a code, PEARL is written as SHDUO, how is STONE written?

Correct — C.
Rule: every letter moves three places forward (+3).

PEARL → SHDUO: P→S, E→H, A→D, R→U, L→O.

STONE + 3: S→V, T→W, O→R, N→Q, E→H
= VWRQH → option (c).

All four options start VWR, so the last two letters decide it: N→Q and E→H.

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  VWRSH — VWRSH has S in fourth place. N + 3 is Q (N, O, P, Q), so S is two letters too far.
• (b)
  VWRHS — VWRHS puts H fourth and S fifth. The fourth letter is N + 3 = Q and the fifth is E + 3 = H, so it is wrong in both places.
• (d)
  VWRSN — VWRSN is wrong in both of the last two places: N + 3 is Q, not S, and E + 3 is H, not N.

A uniform shift code adds the same number to every letter's position. Find it from the first pair, P = 16 → S = 19, which is +3, and confirm it on the rest: E→H, A→D, R→U and L→O all move 3.

Then apply it with positions: N = 14 → 17 = Q, and E = 5 → 8 = H. When the options share a start, spend your time on the letters where they differ.

Key facts

• PEARL + 3 = SHDUO.
• STONE + 3 = VWRQH.
• Positions used: N = 14, Q = 17, E = 5, H = 8.

Common traps

• Counting N itself as the first step, which lands on P instead of Q
• Checking only the first letters, which all four options share

No directly related past PYQ was found.