Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful…
2024
Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph; then answer the questions given below them.
(A) The government has therefore employed authorities to conduct fumigations, as the situation continues to escalate.
(B) Despite efforts to contain the situation, the bed bugs have infested public transport, popular tourist destinations, and even airports.
(C) Paris, a global tourist destination, has recently faced a troubling resurgence of bed bugs across various neighborhoods and popular attractions in the city.
(D) This outbreak has raised concerns not only among residents but also tourists, many of whom worry that the pests could travel with them back to their countries.
(E) Experts suggest that international travel and dense urban environments have facilitated the rapid spread of this infestation.
(F) Furthermore, bed bugs have become a common sight in metros and airports, making control measures even more challenging.
Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement?
- A.
B
- B.
E
- C.
D
- D.
C
- E.
A
Attempted by 2 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Concept
A meaningful paragraph holds together through cohesion: each sentence must link to the one before it through a shared idea, a back-reference (a pronoun or phrase like “this outbreak”), or a logical connective such as cause-effect, addition, or contrast. To order jumbled sentences, fix the opening sentence (the only one that introduces the topic without referring back), then follow the chain of references and connectives, and place the concluding response last.
Applying it here
Trace the cohesion clues one sentence at a time:
The opener introduces the topic with no back-reference: the sentence beginning “Paris, a global tourist destination, has recently faced a troubling resurgence of bed bugs…” names the place and the problem for the first time, so it comes first.
Next comes the expert explanation of why it spread — “international travel and dense urban environments have facilitated the rapid spread of this infestation” — which generalises the cause right after the topic is introduced.
The impact on people follows: “This outbreak has raised concerns… among residents but also tourists,” where “this outbreak” points back to the spread just described.
Then the spread is detailed despite containment: “Despite efforts to contain the situation, the bed bugs have infested public transport, popular tourist destinations, and even airports.”
“Furthermore, bed bugs have become a common sight in metros and airports…” adds to the previous infestation point — the connective “Furthermore” shows it extends, not opens, that idea.
The closing response ends the paragraph: “The government has therefore employed authorities to conduct fumigations, as the situation continues to escalate,” where “therefore” signals the resulting action.
So the order is C – E – D – B – F – A. The sentence in the fourth position is “Despite efforts to contain the situation, the bed bugs have infested public transport, popular tourist destinations, and even airports” — sentence (B).
Cross-check
The fourth sentence must follow the concern-raising sentence and lead into the “Furthermore” addition. “Despite efforts to contain…” does both: it concedes the failed containment after the worry about spread, and its mention of public transport and airports is exactly what the next sentence extends with “Furthermore… metros and airports.” The closing “therefore” response and the topic-introducing opener cannot sit in the middle, confirming (B) as the fourth sentence.