Select the number from among the given options that can replace the question mark (?) in the following series. 5, 18, 70, 278, ?

The correct option is 1,110.

To find the missing number in the series, let us analyze the relationship between consecutive terms in the series: 5, 18, 70, 278, ?

Let us look at the transition from the first term to the second term:

$5\times 4-2=20-2=18$

Similarly, let us check if this pattern holds for the transition from the second term to the third term:

$18\times 4-2=72-2=70$

Next, let us apply the pattern to transition from the third term to the fourth term:

$70\times 4-2=280-2=278$

Since the pattern of multiplying by 4 and then subtracting 2 is consistent throughout the series, we can find the next term (represented by the question mark) by applying the same logic to the fourth term (278):

$278\times 4-2=1112-2=1110$

Therefore, the number that replaces the question mark (?) in the series is 1,110.