August 30, 2024
Reader's Digest: Paragraph jumbles, or para jumbles as they're known, are collections of connected assertions in some arbitrary order that, when unjumbled, form a comprehensible paragraph. There are more complex methods for resolving Para Jumbles. Each para jumble has a unique solution with as many techniques as possible.
Para jumbles are essential to practically every entrance test, as they've been appearing for a long time. It aids the examiner in assessing or judging your command of the English language section for AILET. In the English part, you should expect at least three to five questions based on para jumbles:
Para-jumbles can be further divided into categories, and the jumbled sentences are coded with an alphabet (usually A, B, C, D).
1. Sentences are given randomly, and you must unjumble them all—the toughest of the lot.
2. The opening sentence and sentences are given, and you have to rearrange the group of sentences, having been given prior knowledge of the thought that starts the flow of the discussion.
3. Sentences and the closing sentence are given; you must sequence them to flow into the last sentence correctly.
4. Opening sentence and Closing Sentence is given, and Sentences are given in a random order. You know where the story starts and where it ends. You only have to figure out the content in between.
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Most of the information in para jumbles is irrelevant to the task, sorting the sentences. In essence, we're seeking items that will assist us in connecting phrases. In most para jumbles, more than one strategy will be applicable simultaneously; as a result, you should practice determining which approach/approaches apply to the para jumbles you need to solve.
We know that in noun/pronoun pairings, the noun comes first and is referred to subsequently with appropriate pronouns.. For Example:-
Ex 1
A. People can get infected by handling Snakes and touching their mouths or an open cut.
B. At first, they look like the perfect pets: exotic, quiet and tidy.
C. A study estimates that in 1998, as many as 7000 snakes were causing salmonella infections.
D. Lizards and other pets can harbour a salmonella bacterium that makes people sick.
(a) BCAD (b) BCDA
(c) ACDB (d) BDCA
Solution: Option (d) (BDCA)
First need to read sentences C and D carefully.
Sentence D contains the noun phrase (a salmonella bacterium) and Sentence C contains the noun phrase (salmonella infection).
Then find the relationship between the two Since the phrase D (a salmonella bacterium) introduces the bacterium, it should logically precede the phrase C (salmonella infections).
Therefore, the sentence that contains the phrase D (a salmonella bacterium) should come before the sentence that contains the phrase C (salmonella infections).
Once you have a link between two sentences, look at the answer choices to see if you are on the right track. If you are, then you have the right answer
Short Form vs. Full Form We use the full name or title of someone or something when introducing them. If we're talking about the same person or object later in the paragraph, we'll just use the surname or first name if we know who we're talking about. If we're talking about an object, we don't need modifiers and just refer to it using a noun or a pronoun.
Ex 2
A. If you are used to having your stimulation come in from outside, your mind never develops its own habits of thinking and reflecting.
B. Curie thought that religion was the opiate, because it soothed people‘s pain and suffering and prevented them from rising in rebellion.
C. If Marie Curie was alive today, She would say that Mobile Phones Is the opiate of the people.
D. Mobile Phones And similar entertainments are even more of an opiate because of their addictive tendencies.
(a) BACD (b) ADBC
(c) BCDA (d) CBDA
Solution: Option (d) CBDA
Sentence B has Curie (short form) and sentence C has Marie Curie (full form),
So C will come before B
A time indicator may be offered, either in the form of years or time indicating words. This allows us to determine the correct sentence order by organising the sentences according to their suitable time sequence. Before, after, later, when, and other words can be used to express a time sequence.
Ex 3.
A. Then two astronomers, the German, Johannes Kepler, and the Italian, Galileo Galilei started publicly to support the Copernican theory, despite the fact that the orbits it predicted did not quite match the ones observed.
B. His idea was that the sun was stationary at the centre and that the earth and the planets move in circular orbits around the sun.
C. A simple model was proposed in 1514 by a Polish priest, Nicholas Copernicus.
D. Nearly a century passed before this idea was taken seriously.
(a) CADB (b) BCAD
(c) CBDA (d) CDBA
Solution: Option (d) CDBA
In the above example, you will observe that logic flows in the form of a time sequence, from the oldest time period to a more contemporary time period.
Therefore, Sentence C will be the first sentence.
Sentence B expands upon the simple model proposed,
Hence, it will be the sentence following C. The next sentence in the order of chronology is C nearly a century passed, while the last sentence will be A which completes the sequence from older time to contemporary time thus giving us the answer as CBDA.
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To swiftly unjumble sentences, we must first grasp how language stays together to form a cohesive entity. English has some sequencing terms, such as first, second, then, nevertheless, therefore, on the other hand, and so on, that authors may employ to connect sentences or ideas and give a seamless flow from one thought to the next. It is critical to understand how to recognise certain terms and how to use them effectively.
Para-jumble phrases often include many signal words that are combined in complex ways.
Ex 4.
A. When conclusions are carefully excluded, however, and observed facts are given instead, there is never any trouble about the length of the papers.
B. The reason for this is that those early paragraphs contain judgments that there is little left to be said.
C. A judgement (He is a boy, She is an awful bore) is a conclusion, summing up a large number of previously observed facts.
D. In fact, they tend to become too long, since inexperienced writers, when told to give facts, often give more than are necessary, because they lack discrimination between the important and the trivial.
E. It is a common observation among teachers that students almost always have difficulty in writing themes of the required length because their ideas give out after a paragraph or two.
(a) ECDAB (b) CEBAD
(c) EACBD (d) EBCAD
Solution: Option (d) EBCAD
Sentence E states the situation in general and gives us information about why students have problems in writing themes of the required length.
Sentence B goes on to tell us the reason for this,
so the two sentences must be related. Similarly, Sentence C is related to Sentence B because both sentences contain the word judgement, with Sentence C explaining what the word means.
In the above jumble, the word “however” in Sentence A suggests a contrast to something mentioned previously. In situations of this kind, it is always a good idea to separate the argument clearly. Sentences A and D, therefore, should come together.
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To make sure that you answer para jumble questions correctly. Follow the step-by-step approach to solve these questions:
Determine the Opening/First Sentence
Determine the Closing/Last Sentence
Recognizing Mandatory Pairs
In the third phase, you must determine if any two sentences are connected in any manner. You may connect the phrases using a variety of determinants, such as:
Point out the Transition Words
You must identify the transition words in the supplied text to organise the sentences in an orderly manner. These terms will assist you in locating the following sentence since they act as logical connections between the two sentences.
Some commonly used transition words in the para jumbles are: again, also, above all, likewise, furthermore, moreover, therefore, thus, similarly, meantime, hence, instead, later on, in time, for now, for the time being, etc.
Identify the Pronouns
You must identify the pronouns that connect the phrases in this phase. The following are some of the pronouns that are commonly used in para jumbles:
She, he, him, it, her, they, you, their, etc.
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Example 1
Read all the statements one-by-one, and try to find out the opening statement and any possible linkage between/among the statements.
1. To read the characters or the letters of the text does not mean reading in the true sense of the word.
A. This mere mechanism of reading becomes altogether automatic at an early period of life
B. You will often find yourself reading words or characters automatically while your mind is concerned with a totally different subject.
C. This can be performed irrespective of attention.
D. Neither can I call it reading when it is just to extract the narrative portion of a text from the rest simply for one’s personal amusement.
(a) BACD (b) DCBA
(c) ADCB (d) CBDA
Solution: Option (a) BACD
The word “neither” in Sentence D will tell you that there is something additional that the writer wishes to discuss. Sentences 1, A, B and C all talk about the same idea. Therefore, Sentence D should be the last sentence.
Example 2
A. As a retention strategy, the company has issued many schemes, including ESOPs.
B. Given the track record and success of our employees, other companies often look to us as a hunting ground for talent.
C. The growth of the Indian economy has led to an increased requirement for talented managerial personnel, and we believe that the talented manpower is our key strength.
D. Further in order to mitigate the risk we place considerable emphasis on development of leadership skills and on building employee motivation.
a) A, B, C, D b) B, A, D, C
c) C, A, D, B d) D, A, C, B
Solution: Option (b) B, A, D, C
Can A be the opening statement? It is very unlikely. It does not introduce any idea or theme. Ideally the 1st statement would be an initiator of ideas or theme of the passage.
Can B be the opening statement - May be.
Can C be the opening statement - May be.
Can D be the opening statement - Very Unlikely.
It talks about an idea which is being “furthered” in this statement.
You can also see that statement D talks about “Mitigating the risk”.
What is the risk? So now we would try to find out the “risk” in other statements.
This “risk” is present in statement B in the words - “other companies often look to us as hunting ground for talent”.
So, statement B will come before statement D.
As discussed earlier, statement D furthers an idea, and that idea is present in statement A.
Hence, A-D should come together.
Let us see all that we have established so far: Link - A-D and B will come before D and A cannot be the starting statement. So, only possible option is (b) B, A, D, C
Example 3
A. In America, highly educated women, who are in a stronger position in the labour market than less qualified ones, have higher rates of marriage than other groups. [A is the opening statement as mentioned in the paper. You are required to re-arrange the following four statements].
B. Some work supports the Becker thesis, and some appear to contradict it.
C. And, as with crime, it is equally inconclusive.
D. But regardless of the conclusion of any particular piece of work, it is hard to establish convincing connections between family changes and economic factors using conventional approaches.
E. Indeed, just as with crime, an enormous academic literature exists on the validity of the pure economic approach to the evolution of family structures. (Options Withheld pro tem).
(a) BCDE (b) DBEC
(c) BDCE (d) ECBD
Solution: Option (d) ECBD
Can B be the opening statement - Very Unlikely. There is no mention of “Becker thesis” in the opening statement.
Can C be the opening statement - Two words in the statement - “Crime” and “Inconclusive” make this statement after A very unlikely.
Can D be the opening statement - Though it furthers the idea presented in statement A, usage of word like “But” make it unlikely to be the statement coming just after statement A. Besides, statement A does not talk about any piece of work.
In fact, statement A is just an opinion.
Can E be the opening statement, Yes. E is the statement after A both through elimination of other statements and selection.
The next statement should be C, as it again discusses ‘Crime’ and its inconclusiveness (despite the fact that “an enormous academic literature exists” as given in statement E).
Next statement: D should be the last statement as it concludes the whole theme that “it is hard to establish”.
Now, the whole point is, how do we place statement B and Becker's thesis, which is not mentioned in the whole passage?
The only reasoning that can be given here is that this passage has probably been taken from a book or project report that has something to do with Becker Thesis, and this passage is just a small part of it.
Now, let us look at the options and try to eliminate them with the help of the conclusions that we have derived so far. So, only possible option is (d) ECBD
Example 4
A. Literature is uncanny. What does this mean? To try to define the uncanny is immediately to encounter one of its decisive paradoxes, namely that the uncanny has to do with a troubling of definitions, with a fundamental disturbance of what we think and feel.
B. The uncanny is not just a matter of the weird or spooky, but has to do more specifically with a disturbance of the familiar.
C. The uncanny has to do with a sense of strangeness, mystery or ceriness.
D. More particularly it concerns a sense of unfamiliarity which appears at the very heart of the familiar, or else a sense of familiarity which appears at the very heart of the unfamiliar.
E. Such a disturbance might be hinted at by way of the word familiar itself.
[a] ABCDE [b] ACDEB
[c] ACDBE [d] ACEDB
Example 5
A. But in each of these exchanges we are also presented with a kind of strangeness as well in the context of Eliot's novel, for example, we may reflect on the irony of the fact that what the mother recognizes in her children, what it is in their voice that confirms the persistence of their identity, is something that cannot be heard, a lisp perceived only by the mother.
B. In both of these examples we have what appear to be confirmations of the persistence of identity, expressed in the singular or peculiar nature (the trick) of a person's voice.
C. Nothing is stranger, or more familiar, than the idea of a voice.
D. In George Eliot's Daniel Deronda (1876), a character called Mrs Meyrick observes that A mother hears something like a lisp in her children's talk to the very last'.
E. In Shakespeare's King Lear (1605), the blinded Gloucester recognizes Lear from his voice: The trick of that voice I do well remember;/ Ist not the King?
(a] CDEBA [b] DECAB
[c] DECBA [d] CDEAB
Example 6
A. We may talk about things we enjoy in a work of literature - the gripping narrative, the appealing characters, the power of the language, the comedy and pathos - but we do not very often talk about the enjoyment itself, about what enjoyment or pleasure is.
B. There are at least two reasons for this; in the first place, pleasure, enjoyment, emotional and indeed erotic excitement are extremely difficult, or even impossible, to talk about; secondly, and no doubt related to this, such pleasures tend to border on the transgressive or taboo.
C. Whether in a seminar or at the pub, often the first thing that gets asked about a book is: Did you enjoy it?
D. This is not just a way of making conversation, but also suggests the fundamental importance of pleasure when it comes to reading.
E. In fact, the question Did you enjoy it?'' far from breaking the ice and starting a passionate discussion, is generally followed by a terse 'Yes' or' No' and then forgotten.
[a] CEDBA [b] CDEAB
[c] CDEBA [d] ABCDE
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Directions: In each of the questions given below, the sentence is labelled with a letter. From the given choices, choose the most logical order of sentences that constructs a coherent paragraph.
Ex 1
a. One of them copied and pasted large portions of the required text from a website.
b. Before assigning the project to his students, the guide gave a presentation onplagiarism.
c. The expulsion order that followed was not alarming.
d. A few students did not pay much heed to the consequences of the illegal act.
(A) cabd (B) dbca
(C) badc (D) bdac
Ex 2
a. Goals are set, and relevant data is collected and analysed.
b. Strategies are made on the basis of the data and resources made available.
c. There are various stages in framing a management- strategy, and its implementation.
d. The strategies are implemented and monitored to ensure that the goals are achieved.
(A) abdc (B) acbd
(C) cabd (D) cbad
Ex 3
a. Despite the awareness, some citizens fail to pay their taxes honestly.
b. One of the factors that impacts our country‘s economy is income- tax.
c. Awareness regarding this aspect of our economy is often made through the education system and media.
d. Most of these defaulters not only get into trouble, but they also create additional work for the income-tax department.
(A) adbc (B) cbad
(C) bcad (D) bdac
Ex 4
a. The responsible citizen helped to foil the plan of a hijack.
b. The deep pockets of his leather jacket contained what had been feared!
c. A person called up the airport and gave a message.
d. All the passengers were carefully frisked, and one of them was asked to step aside.
(A) badc (B) cdba
(C) dacb (D) cdab
Ex 5
a. In the following years, more layers of snow add up to the existing mass.
b. Consequently, the weight of the snow compresses and turns into solid ice.
c. Most glaciers are found near the Poles.
d. They begin to form when snow remains in the same area all year round.
(A) acbd (B) cdba
(C) abdc (D) cdab
Important Books for English Language Preparation for AILET are tabulated below:
Book Name | Author/Publisher | Important Aspects |
Word Power Made Easy | Norman Lewis | This is the most pertinent book to enhance one’s vocabulary. |
High School English Grammar and Composition | Wren & Martin | For reading comprehension and grammar |
English is Easy | Chetnanand Singh | This book also has a Question Bank comprising questions from different competitive examinations held between 2010 and 2016. Additionally, a few Full-Length Examination Papers, with their answers, |
Objective General English | RS Aggarwal | For reading comprehension and grammar |
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Here are 5 key takeaways for solving Para Jumbles in AILET:
Identify the Theme: Quickly read through all the sentences to understand the central theme or topic, which will help you establish the logical flow.
Find the Opening Sentence: Look for the sentence that introduces the topic, as it is usually the first one in the sequence. It often lacks connectors like "but," "and," or "however."
Use Connectors and Keywords: Identify transition words, pronouns, and keywords that link sentences together. This helps in determining the sequence.
Logical Flow and Coherence: Ensure each sentence logically follows the previous one, maintaining a coherent narrative or argument.
Practice and Pattern Recognition: Regular practice helps in recognizing common patterns and improves speed and accuracy in solving para jumbles.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Tips and Tricks to Solve Parajumble Questions for CLAT?
How can I prepare for the Para Jumble topic?
Will solving previous year's papers help me score good marks in the exam?
Which are the Best Books to prepare for Parajumble questions for AILET?