Given below are six sentences taken from a paragraph. The first and the last sentences are numbered S1 and S2 and are placed in the first and last positions respectively and are fixed in their positions. The other four sentences between the first and last sentences are jumbled up and are numbered A, B, C, and D. Rearrange the jumbled sentences in a logical sequence keeping the unity and coherence of the paragraph intact. Choose the correct alternative that best describes the sequence.
S1. Returning from my first morning stroll, I again sallied out upon this special errand.
A. Wrapping myself in my shaggy jacket of the cloth called bearskin, I fought my way against the stubborn storm.
B. A muffled silence reigned, only broken at times by the shrieks of the storm.
C. Entering, I found a small, scattered congregation of sailors, and sailors' wives and widows.
D. The sky had changed from clear, sunny cold, to driving sleet and mist.
S2. Each silent worshipper seemed purposely sitting apart from the other, as if each silent grief were insular and incommunicable.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
DACB
Explanation
This paragraph is an excerpt from Chapter 7 of Herman Melville's classic novel, Moby-Dick. The correct structural arrangement relies entirely on a chronological and spatial sequence as the narrator transitions from the streets into a chapel during a sudden blizzard.
Sentence S1 establishes that the narrator is leaving for a special errand.
Sentence D immediately sets the scene outdoors, describing how the weather dramatically shifted from sunny cold to driving sleet and mist.
Sentence A follows naturally as a reaction to the weather shift, where the narrator wraps himself up in a warm bearskin jacket to brave the cold.
Sentence C brings the narrator out of the storm and into his destination as he enters the chapel.
Sentence B describes the internal atmosphere of the building he just entered, noting a muffled silence broken only by the storm outside.
Sentence S2 perfectly connects to the congregation mentioned by describing the behavior of the silent worshippers sitting inside.
Key Points
Look for action-and-reaction pairs to solve jumbled paragraphs quickly. The mention of driving sleet in sentence D forces the action of wrapping up in a jacket in sentence A. Similarly, entering the chapel in sentence C must happen before the description of the interior atmosphere in sentence B.