The following question consists of six sentences of a passage. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been jumbled up and labelled P, Q, R and S. You are required to find the proper sequence of the four sentences and mark your response accordingly. SI: Jumbo, the famous 3-3 metre elephant was born in Africa over a hundred years ago. S6: Before his death in September 1882, he had been seen by over 20 million Americans. P: After disembarkation in New York, he was taken in a procession to the place where he was to be kept. Q: Another admirer was the famous American showman Barnum who bought it for a huge sum in February 1882. R: Transported from his native land to London Zoo, he became a favourite of Queen Victoria. S: He made his transatlantic voyage aboard SS Assyrian Monarch. The proper sequence should be
R Q S P
Understanding Sentence Reordering Questions
Sentence reordering questions test your ability to understand the flow of ideas in a passage. You are given the first (S1) and last (S6) sentences of a passage, and four middle sentences (P, Q, R, S) are jumbled. Your task is to arrange these four sentences in the correct order to form a coherent paragraph between S1 and S6.
Analyzing the Passage about Jumbo the Elephant
Let's carefully read the given sentences:
- S1: Jumbo, the famous 3-3 metre elephant was born in Africa over a hundred years ago.
- S6: Before his death in September 1882, he had been seen by over 20 million Americans.
These sentences tell us about Jumbo the elephant, starting with his birth in Africa and ending with his popularity and death in America.
Now let's look at the jumbled middle sentences:
- P: After disembarkation in New York, he was taken in a procession to the place where he was to be kept.
- Q: Another admirer was the famous American showman Barnum who bought it for a huge sum in February 1882.
- R: Transported from his native land to London Zoo, he became a favourite of Queen Victoria.
- S: He made his transatlantic voyage aboard SS Assyrian Monarch.
Step-by-Step Sequence Determination
We need to connect S1 to the events that follow and lead up to S6. S1 talks about Jumbo being born in Africa. Sentence R talks about him being "Transported from his native land" (Africa) to London Zoo. This is a logical next step in his life story.
- S1 introduces Jumbo born in Africa.
- R describes his move from Africa to London Zoo and becoming famous there (favourite of Queen Victoria). So, R follows S1.
Next, how does the story move from London (R) to America (S6)? Sentence Q mentions an "American showman Barnum who bought it". Buying Jumbo would logically happen before he moves to America. This purchase connects his life in Europe (after being famous in London) to his eventual journey to America.
- R ends with his popularity in London.
- Q introduces an American buying him. This sets up the move to America. So, Q follows R.
After being bought by an American, he needs to travel to America. Sentence S describes a "transatlantic voyage aboard SS Assyrian Monarch". This is the journey across the Atlantic Ocean, which is needed to get from Europe (like London) to America.
- Q mentions the purchase by an American.
- S describes the voyage across the Atlantic. This is the journey to America. So, S follows Q.
Finally, sentence P describes what happened "After disembarkation in New York". New York is in America, and "disembarkation" means getting off a ship. This event logically happens after the transatlantic voyage (S). Sentence P brings him to America, which leads into the events described in S6 (being seen by millions of Americans before his death in America).
- S describes the voyage to America.
- P describes arriving in New York (in America) and being taken somewhere. This is the arrival event. So, P follows S.
Putting it all together, the sequence of the middle sentences is R followed by Q, followed by S, followed by P. This gives us the order R Q S P.
Let's check the full sequence:
S1: Jumbo, the famous 3-3 metre elephant was born in Africa over a hundred years ago.
R: Transported from his native land to London Zoo, he became a favourite of Queen Victoria.
Q: Another admirer was the famous American showman Barnum who bought it for a huge sum in February 1882.
S: He made his transatlantic voyage aboard SS Assyrian Monarch.
P: After disembarkation in New York, he was taken in a procession to the place where he was to be kept.
S6: Before his death in September 1882, he had been seen by over 20 million Americans.
This sequence creates a clear and logical flow of events in Jumbo's life.
Conclusion: Identifying the Correct Sequence
Based on the logical flow and connections between the sentences, the proper sequence of the four jumbled sentences (P, Q, R, S) is R Q S P.
| Sentence | Role in the Passage |
|---|---|
| S1 | Introduces Jumbo's birth in Africa. |
| R | Describes his move to London Zoo and popularity there. |
| Q | Details his purchase by an American, setting up the move to the USA. |
| S | Describes his journey across the Atlantic Ocean. |
| P | Describes his arrival and events immediately after in New York, USA. |
| S6 | Concludes with his popularity and death in the USA. |
This confirms that the correct order is R Q S P.
Revision Table: Mastering Passage Sequencing
Review these key steps for solving sentence reordering questions:
- Read S1 and S6 carefully to understand the starting and ending points.
- Read P, Q, R, and S to get a general idea of their content.
- Look for connections between sentences: chronological order, cause and effect, pronouns referring to previous nouns, transition words, repeated ideas.
- Try linking a middle sentence to S1.
- Try linking a middle sentence to S6.
- Build the sequence step by step by finding logical pairs or triples among P, Q, R, S.
- Once a potential sequence is found, read S1 followed by the sequence and then S6 to check if it makes sense.
Additional Information: Improving Reading Comprehension
Strong reading comprehension skills are vital for tackling sentence reordering and other verbal ability questions. Practice involves reading diverse texts, understanding vocabulary in context, identifying main ideas, and recognizing the structure and flow of arguments or narratives. Paying attention to transition words (like 'after', 'another', 'thus', 'therefore', 'however') and pronoun references (like 'he', 'it') can greatly help in establishing connections between sentences.
Important Questions from Para Jumbles
Direction: In the items in this section, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labelled P, Q, R and S. You are required to find out the proper order for the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
S1: At the roadside, the driver will be asked to blow through a small glass tube into a plastic bag.
S6: The driver will be asked to go to the police station.
P: And if the colour change does not reach the line the driver cannot be punished under the new law.
Q: Inside the tube are chemically treated crystals which change colour if the driver has alcohol on his breath.
R: But if the colour change does reach the line then the test has proved positive.
S: If the colour change goes beyond a certain line marked on the tube this indicates that the driver is probably over the specified limit.
The proper sequence should be
Direction: In the items in this section, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labeled P, Q, R, and S. You are required to find out the proper order for the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
S1: Hope springs eternally in the heart of man.
S6: This is the central idea of the poem.
P: But hope is everlasting.
Q: Love, friendship, and youth perish.
R: It is nursed by the glorious elements of nature.
S: Man derives hope from nature in his gallant struggle after some noble ideal.
The proper sequence should be
Direction: In the items in this section, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labeled P, Q, R, and S. You are required to find out the proper order for the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
S1: Mr. Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson were spending a weekend in a University town.
S6: It was clear that something very unusual happened.
P: One evening they received a visit from an acquaintance, Mr. Hilton Soames.
Q: On that occasion, he was in a state of great agitation.
R: They were staying in furnished rooms, close to the library.
S: Mr. Soames was a tall, thin man of a nervous and excitable nature.
The proper sequence should be
Direction: In the items in this section, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labeled P, Q, R, and S. You are required to find out the proper order for the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
S1: The machines that drive modern civilisation derive their power from coal and oil.
S6: Nuclear energy may also be effectively used in this respect.
P: But they are not inexhaustible.
Q: These sources may not be exhausted very soon.
R: A time may come when some other sources have to be tapped and utilised.
S: Power may, of course, be obtained in future from forests, water, wind and withered vegetables.
The proper sequence should be
Direction: In the items in this section, each passage consists of six sentences. The first and the sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The middle four sentences in each have been removed and jumbled up. These are labeled P, Q, R, and S. You are required to find out the proper order for the four sentences and mark accordingly on the Answer Sheet.
S1: The body can never stop.
S6: It comes from food.
P: To support this endless activity, the body needs all the fuel for action.
Q: Sometimes it is more active than at other times, but it is always moving.
R: Even in the deepest sleep we must breathe.
S: The fuel must come from somewhere.
The proper sequence should be
