Directions: Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a…
2025
Directions: Rearrange the following sentences in the proper sequence to form a meaningful paragraph and then answer the questions given below.
A. Ultimately, embracing linguistic diversity contributes to a sharper mind and a more enriched life.
B. For instance, it improves problem-solving abilities, multitasking skills, and even memory retention.
C. This enhanced cognitive flexibility can also lead to better academic performance and adaptability in diverse environments.
D. Research consistently shows that bilingualism and multilingualism can significantly enhance brain development.
E. Learning multiple languages offers a myriad of cognitive benefits beyond mere communication.
Which of the following should be the FOURTH sentence after rearrangement?
- A.
B
- B.
D
- C.
A
- D.
E
- E.
C
Attempted by 11 students.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: E
Concept: In a sentence-rearrangement (para-jumble) passage, the opening sentence is the one that introduces the topic in general terms without referring back to anything earlier. Every other sentence is tied to a specific predecessor by a linking device — a pronoun ("it", "this"), an example connector ("for instance"), or a concluding connector ("ultimately", "in conclusion"). Tracing these links, sentence by sentence, fixes a single correct position for each sentence, and the concluding connector always marks the final sentence.
Application: Tracing the linking devices in this passage, in order:
E has no back-reference and introduces the topic in general terms ("learning multiple languages offers... cognitive benefits"), so it opens the paragraph.
D follows with the broad research claim that substantiates E's opening idea (bilingualism enhances brain development), so it comes second.
B opens with "For instance", directly illustrating D's claim with the specific benefits (problem-solving, multitasking, memory retention), so it must sit immediately after D, as the third sentence.
C opens with "This enhanced cognitive flexibility", a direct back-reference to the specific benefits just listed in B, and extends them to academic performance and adaptability — the fourth sentence.
A opens with "Ultimately", the standard concluding connector, tying the whole passage together as the fifth and final sentence.
Cross-check: Reading the assembled paragraph in this order — E, D, B, C, A — gives a single unbroken chain: general introduction, research claim, illustrating examples, an extension of those examples, and a closing remark. Every pronoun and connector has exactly one antecedent, with nothing left dangling, confirming the order is correct.
So the fourth sentence in the correctly rearranged paragraph is C.
Why the other placements fail:
B cannot be fourth: its opening connector "for instance" ties it immediately after the general claim it illustrates, fixing it earlier in the sequence, not second-to-last.
D cannot be fourth: it introduces the paragraph's central research claim right after the opening idea — an early-paragraph role, not a closing one.
A cannot be fourth: "ultimately" is a closing connector reserved for the very last sentence of the paragraph.
E cannot be fourth: with no back-referring word at all, it can only function as the sentence that opens the paragraph, not one placed near its end.