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Please explain why 2520 is the correct answer?

The number of letters in the word PENCILS =7

number of ways in which E precedes I is one.
Taking EI as one unit
So, shouldn't the number of possible combinations be 6! *1 = 720.
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eeshajain
What is the number of arrangements of the letter in the word PENCILS if E precedes I ?

A. 120
B. 720
C. 1440
D. 2160
E. 2520

Please explain why 2520 is the correct answer?

The number of letters in the word PENCILS =7

number of ways in which E precedes I is one.
Taking EI as one unit
So, shouldn't the number of possible combinations be 6! *1 = 720.
­
The question asks for all the arrangements where E precedes I, not just when E is immediately before I. There can be other letters after E and before I.

The total number of arrangements of the letters is 7!. In half of those arrangements, E will be before I, and in the other half, I will be before E. Therefore, the final answer is 7!/2 = 2,520.

Answer: E.

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