Select the correct option that indicates the arrangement of the given words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary.
1. Goffer
2. Goblin
3. Goatling
4. Goatish
5. Goer

Question

Select the correct option that indicates the arrangement of the given words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary.1. Goffer2. Goblin3. Goatling4. Goatish5. Goer

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Understanding Dictionary Order Arrangement

The question asks us to arrange a list of words in the order they would appear in an English dictionary. This process involves comparing words letter by letter from left to right.

Analyzing the Given Words

Here are the words and their corresponding numbers:

1. Goffer
2. Goblin
3. Goatling
4. Goatish
5. Goer

Step-by-Step Dictionary Arrangement

To arrange these words in dictionary order, we compare them alphabetically:

Step 1: Compare the first and second letters.

All words start with "Go". So, we move to the third letter.

Step 2: Compare the third letters.

The third letters are:

1. Gof... ('f')
2. Gob... ('b')
3. Goa... ('a')
4. Goa... ('a')
5. Goe... ('e')

Alphabetically, 'a' comes before 'b', 'e', and 'f'. Therefore, words starting with "Goa" (Goatling and Goatish) will come first. Words starting with "Gob", "Goe", and "Gof" will follow in that order based on their third letter.

Step 3: Arrange words starting with "Goa".

We compare Goatling (3) and Goatish (4):

Goatling
Goatish

Both start with "Goat". We look at the fifth letter:

Goatl... ('l')
Goati... ('i')

Alphabetically, 'i' comes before 'l'. So, Goatish (4) comes before Goatling (3). The order for these two is 4, 3.

Step 4: Arrange the remaining words (Goblin, Goer, Goffer).

We look at their third letters again: 'b' (Goblin), 'e' (Goer), 'f' (Goffer). The alphabetical order of these letters is 'b', 'e', 'f'.

So, the order for these words is:

Goblin (2)
Goer (5)
Goffer (1)

The order for these three is 2, 5, 1.

Step 5: Combine the ordered groups.

The "Goa" words (4, 3) come first, followed by the other words in their determined order (2, 5, 1).

The complete dictionary order is 4, 3, 2, 5, 1.

Verifying with the Options

We check our determined order (4, 3, 2, 5, 1) against the provided options:

Option 1: 4, 2, 3, 5, 1
Option 2: 4, 3, 2, 5, 1
Option 3: 4, 3, 5, 2, 1
Option 4: 4, 2, 5, 3, 1

Our derived order matches Option 2.

Word Number	Word	Comparison (Letter by Letter)	Final Dictionary Position
4	Goatish	Goatish (i before l)	1st
3	Goatling	Goatling (l after i)	2nd
2	Goblin	Goblin (b before e, f)	3rd
5	Goer	Goer (e after b, before f)	4th
1	Goffer	Goffer (f after b, e)	5th

The arrangement of the given words in the order in which they appear in an English dictionary is 4, 3, 2, 5, 1.

Revision Table: Dictionary Order Rules

Rule	Description
Compare Letter by Letter	Start comparing words from the first letter. Move to the next letter if the current letters are the same.
Alphabetical Order	The word with the letter that comes earlier in the alphabet at the point of difference comes first.
Shorter Words	If one word is a prefix of another (e.g., "go" and "goer"), the shorter word comes first if all its letters match the beginning of the longer word. (Not applicable in this specific question).

Additional Information: Importance of Alphabetical Arrangement

Alphabetical arrangement, or dictionary order, is a fundamental skill used for organizing information efficiently. It's not just for dictionaries; it's used in indexes, phone books, library catalogs, file sorting on computers, and much more. Understanding this order helps in quickly locating information in lists.

When arranging words, remember to compare systematically, moving from the beginning of the word towards the end until a difference is found. The word with the letter that appears earlier in the standard English alphabet (a, b, c, ..., z) at that point of difference is placed earlier in the order.