Which of the following represents a minimal pair?

A minimal pair consists of two words that differ by only one phoneme, which is the smallest unit of sound that can change meaning.

In the context of the provided choices, "scent" and "cent" represent a minimal pair because they differ only in the initial consonant sound. "Scent" starts with the /s/ sound, while "cent" begins with the /s/ sound, but the "c" is pronounced as /s/ in this case. This single sound difference is enough to change the meanings of the words while keeping the rest of the phonetic structure the same.

Understanding minimal pairs is crucial in language instruction, especially in teaching pronunciation or distinguishing between similar sounds in a language, as they help learners identify and produce sounds that are phonemically significant in a language.