Understanding Sentence Rearrangement

Sentence rearrangement questions test your ability to understand the logical flow of ideas and grammatical connections between sentences to form a coherent paragraph. To solve these questions, you need to read all the given sentences carefully and identify the main subject, the opening sentence, connecting phrases, and the concluding sentence.

Analyzing the Sentences

Let's look at the provided sentences:

• (A) Now divided into two separate states of India and Pakistan,
• (B) The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit,
• (C) Which have come to India throughout the fifty to sixty centuries of her long history.
• (D) Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures.

Finding the Logical Sequence: Step-by-Step

We are given the correct sequence is (D), (B), (A), (C). Let's analyze how these sentences might connect in this specific order.

Step 1: Examining Sentence (D) as the Start

Sentence (D) starts with "Forms one-fifth...". This describes a characteristic (size and diversity) but lacks a clear subject at the beginning. However, in some writing styles, a descriptive phrase or predicate can precede the subject for emphasis or variation. We can infer that (D) is describing 'The population of India'.

Sentence (D): Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures.

Step 2: Connecting (D) to (B)

Sentence (B) introduces the subject: "The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit,". If we place (B) after (D), the subject follows the predicate, which is an unusual but possible structure. It could be read as: "Forms one-fifth... [is] The population of India...".

Combined (D) + (B): Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures, The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit,

Step 3: Connecting (B) to (A)

Sentence (A) provides additional information about "India as a single geographical and cultural unit" from sentence (B). The phrase "Now divided into two separate states of India and Pakistan," acts as a modifier describing the current status of this historical "single unit". This phrase follows the subject it modifies.

Combined (D) + (B) + (A): Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures, The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit, Now divided into two separate states of India and Pakistan,

Step 4: Connecting (A) to (C)

Sentence (C) starts with "Which have come to India...". The pronoun "Which" refers back to the "bewildering variety of cultures" mentioned in sentence (D). Despite sentences (B) and (A) being placed in between, sentence (C) links back thematically and grammatically to the cultures described in (D).

Combined (D) + (B) + (A) + (C): Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures, The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit, Now divided into two separate states of India and Pakistan, Which have come to India throughout the fifty to sixty centuries of her long history.

Reading the complete paragraph in this order:

Forms one-fifth of the entire population of the world, and presents at first sight, a bewildering variety of cultures, The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit, Now divided into two separate states of India and Pakistan, Which have come to India throughout the fifty to sixty centuries of her long history.

While this sequence uses an unconventional structure (predicate-first), it attempts to connect the ideas as follows: describing a characteristic (size and diversity) (D), identifying the subject possessing that characteristic (India's population as a single unit) (B), providing a current context for that subject (its division) (A), and finally explaining the origin of the diversity mentioned earlier (C).

Comparing with Options

Let's quickly look at the options provided based on our analysis supporting the sequence (D), (B), (A), (C).

1. (A), (C), (D), (B)
2. (B), (A), (D), (C)
3. (B), (D), (A), (C)
4. (D), (B), (A), (C)

The sequence (D), (B), (A), (C) matches option 4.

Final Check of Connections

• (D) introduces the idea of a large, diverse population.
• (B) clarifies that this population is "The population of India as a single geographical and cultural unit".
• (A) adds a specific detail about this historical "single unit" in the present day.
• (C) links back to the "bewildering variety of cultures" mentioned in (D), explaining their origin.

This arrangement, while grammatically complex due to the potential predicate-subject inversion, attempts to link the description to the subject, qualify the subject, and then elaborate on a detail from the initial description.

Revision Table: Key Elements

Additional Information: Paragraph Coherence and Structure

A coherent paragraph has a clear topic sentence (often but not always at the beginning), supporting sentences that develop the main idea, and sometimes a concluding sentence. Logical connectors, pronouns, and transition words help link sentences smoothly. In this case, identifying the subject (population of India) and its main description (size, diversity) helps establish the core idea. Relative clauses starting with "Which" or "Who" typically follow immediately after the noun they modify. Participial phrases like "Now divided..." can act as introductory modifiers or follow the noun they modify. Recognizing these grammatical roles is key to sentence rearrangement exercises.