Explanation:

This is a coding-decoding problem where we need to find the word corresponding to the code 'ger' by comparing the given statements. **Step 1: Write down the given statements with their codes and meanings.** * (I) mer fer ber ger = buses are always late * (II) ger der cer per = drivers were always scolded * (III) ber cer ver rer = drivers stopped all buses **Step 2: Identify the code word 'ger' in the statements.** * The code word 'ger' appears in statement (I) and statement (II). **Step 3: Find the common word(s) in the meanings of statements (I) and (II).** * Meaning of (I): 'buses are always late' * Meaning of (II): 'drivers were always scolded' * The only common word between these two meanings is 'always'. **Step 4: Conclude the meaning of 'ger'.** * Since 'ger' is the only common code word between statements (I) and (II), and 'always' is the only common word in their meanings, 'ger' must represent 'always'. \nLet's analyze the options: * **Option 1 (late):** 'late' appears only in statement (I). The code for 'late' is not 'ger' as 'ger' is also in (II). So, this is incorrect. * **Option 2 (were):** 'were' appears only in statement (II). The code for 'were' is not 'ger' as 'ger' is also in (I). So, this is incorrect. * **Option 3 (are):** 'are' appears only in statement (I). The code for 'are' is not 'ger' as 'ger' is also in (II). So, this is incorrect. * **Option 4 (always):** 'always' is the common word between statements (I) and (II), which corresponds to the common code 'ger'. So, this is the correct answer.