Which option represents the correct order of the given words as they would appear in English dictionary?
1) Persecute
2) Personal
3) Persistent
4) Performance
5) Perfection

Question

Which option represents the correct order of the given words as they would appear in English dictionary?1) Persecute2) Personal3) Persistent4) Performance5) Perfection

Prepp Team · Accepted Answer

Arranging Words in Dictionary Order

To determine the correct order of words as they would appear in an English dictionary, we need to compare them alphabetically, letter by letter, from left to right.

Here are the words we need to arrange:

1) Persecute
2) Personal
3) Persistent
4) Performance
5) Perfection

Step-by-Step Comparison for Dictionary Order

All the given words start with the letters "Per". Let's look at the fourth letter of each word:

1) Persecute
2) Personal
3) Persistent
4) Performance
5) Perfection

Comparing the fourth letters (c, o, i, o, e):

The letters 'e' and 'o' come before 's' in the alphabet. So, words starting with "Perf" will come before words starting with "Pers". The words starting with "Perf" are "Performance" (4) and "Perfection" (5).

Comparing "Perf" Words

Now, let's compare "Performance" and "Perfection". We look at the fifth letter:

4) Performance
5) Perfection

Comparing the fifth letters (r, c):

'c' comes before 'r' in the alphabet. Therefore, "Perfection" (5) comes before "Performance" (4).

So far, the order is: 5, 4, ...

Comparing "Pers" Words

Now, let's compare the words starting with "Pers": "Persecute" (1), "Personal" (2), and "Persistent" (3).

We look at the fifth letter of these words:

1) Persecute
2) Personal
3) Persistent

Comparing the fifth letters (c, n, s):

'c' comes before 'n', and 'n' comes before 's' in the alphabet. However, upon re-examination of the words:

1) Persecute (5th letter is e)
2) Personal (5th letter is o)
3) Persistent (5th letter is i)

Comparing the fifth letters (e, o, i):

The alphabetical order of e, i, o is e, i, o.

'e' is the 5th letter in Persecute (1).
'i' is the 5th letter in Persistent (3).
'o' is the 5th letter in Personal (2).

So, the order of the "Pers" words is: Persecute (1), Persistent (3), Personal (2).

This order is: 1, 3, 2.

Combining the Orders

We determined that the "Perf" words ("Perfection", "Performance") come before the "Pers" words ("Persecute", "Persistent", "Personal").

The order of "Perf" words is 5, 4.

The order of "Pers" words is 1, 3, 2.

Combining these gives the complete dictionary order:

5, 4, 1, 3, 2

Original Number	Word	Dictionary Position
5	Perfection	1st
4	Performance	2nd
1	Persecute	3rd
3	Persistent	4th
2	Personal	5th

The correct order is 5, 4, 1, 3, 2.

Revision Table: Dictionary Order Principles

Understanding how to order words alphabetically is key for dictionary use and many sorting tasks. Here's a quick review:

Principle	Explanation	Example
Letter by Letter	Compare words one letter at a time from left to right.	Apple vs. Apply (compare 'l' and 'p')
First Difference Rules	The order is determined by the first position where the letters differ.	Cat vs. Car ('t' and 'r' determine order)
Shorter Word First	If one word is a prefix of another (e.g., 'car' and 'carpet'), the shorter word comes first if all its letters match the beginning of the longer word.	Car vs. Carpet (Car comes first)

Additional Information: Alphabetical Sorting Applications

Alphabetical sorting, also known as lexicographical order, is fundamental in many areas beyond dictionaries:

Indexing and Filing: Organising documents, library books, or records.
Computer Science: Sorting algorithms rely on alphabetical or numerical order.
Data Analysis: Ordering text data for easier processing and reading.
Search Engines: Ordering search results or indexing web pages.

Mastering dictionary order improves vocabulary skills and understanding of alphabetical systems.

Prepp Team · Answer

5, 4, 3, 1, 2

Prepp Team · Answer

5, 4, 2, 3, 1

Prepp Team · Answer

4, 5, 1, 3, 2