Understanding Dictionary Order and Word Arrangement

To arrange words in the order they would appear in an English dictionary, we compare them letter by letter starting from the left. If the letters at a certain position are the same, we move to the next letter. The word with the letter that comes earlier in the alphabet at the first point of difference is placed earlier.

Let's look at the given words and their corresponding numbers:

• 1. Canvas
• 2. Candidly
• 3. Canteen
• 4. Canopy
• 5. Cannibal
• 6. Cancer

Now, let's compare these words letter by letter:

Step 1: Compare the first letter.

All words start with 'C'. No difference yet.

Step 2: Compare the second letter.

All words have 'a' as the second letter. Still no difference.

Step 3: Compare the third letter.

All words have 'n' as the third letter. Still no difference.

Step 4: Compare the fourth letter.

• Canvas - 'v'
• Candidly - 'd'
• Canteen - 't'
• Canopy - 'o'
• Cannibal - 'n'
• Cancer - 'c'

Now we compare the fourth letters: v, d, t, o, n, c. Arranging these letters alphabetically: c, d, n, o, t, v.

Based on the fourth letter, the order of the words is determined:

• The word with 'c' at the fourth position comes first: Cancer (6).
• The word with 'd' at the fourth position comes next: Candidly (2).
• The word with 'n' at the fourth position comes next: Cannibal (5).
• The word with 'o' at the fourth position comes next: Canopy (4).
• The word with 't' at the fourth position comes next: Canteen (3).
• The word with 'v' at the fourth position comes last: Canvas (1).

So, the correct alphabetical order of the words is: Cancer, Candidly, Cannibal, Canopy, Canteen, Canvas.

The corresponding order of numbers is: 6, 2, 5, 4, 3, 1.

Let's verify this comparison in a table format:

The order of the words is indeed Cancer, Candidly, Cannibal, Canopy, Canteen, Canvas, which corresponds to the numbers 6, 2, 5, 4, 3, 1.

Revision Table: Mastering Dictionary Arrangement

Additional Information: Dictionary Skills and Verbal Ability

Understanding how words are arranged in a dictionary is a fundamental verbal ability skill. It helps in quickly finding words and improving vocabulary. This type of question tests your ability to apply simple alphabetical sorting rules systematically.

Key points to remember for dictionary arrangement:

• Start comparing from the first letter.
• Move to the next letter only if the current letters are identical.
• The word with the letter that appears earlier in the alphabet at the point of difference comes first.
• If one word is shorter but otherwise identical to the beginning of a longer word, the shorter word comes first (e.g., 'bat' comes before 'batch').
• Capitalization is usually ignored in standard dictionary order, but in some specific lists, it might matter (typically not in general reasoning questions unless specified).

Practicing word arrangement helps improve attention to detail and systematic comparison skills, which are useful in various types of reasoning questions.