Which one of the following sentence sequences creates a coherent narrative?…
2023
Which one of the following sentence sequences creates a coherent narrative?
(i) Once on the terrace, on her way to her small room in the corner, she notices the man right away.
(ii) She begins to pant by the time she has climbed all the stairs.
(iii) Mina has bought vegetables and rice at the market, so her bags are heavy.
(iv) He was leaning against the parapet, watching the traffic below.
- A.
(i), (ii), (iv), (iii)
- B.
(ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
- C.
(iv), (ii), (i), (iii)
- D.
(iii), (ii), (i), (iv)
Attempted by 59 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Correct order and explanation:
Mina has bought vegetables and rice at the market, so her bags are heavy.
She begins to pant by the time she has climbed all the stairs.
Once on the terrace, on her way to her small room in the corner, she notices the man right away.
He was leaning against the parapet, watching the traffic below.
Why this order is coherent:
The sentence about buying groceries establishes the cause (heavy bags).
The panting follows as a natural effect of carrying heavy bags up the stairs, preserving cause-effect logic.
Arriving on the terrace and noticing the man follows chronologically and allows the final sentence to describe the man she has just seen.
Why the other orders are less coherent:
Putting the panting before the explanation that her bags are heavy reverses cause and effect and weakens the logical flow.
Introducing the man before establishing Mina's arrival or her reason for being out of breath makes his appearance feel unmotivated.
In short: place the explanation of the heavy bags first, then the panting caused by carrying them, then her arrival and noticing the man, and finally the description of the man.