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. The church was empty and dark.
A. In perfect silence, and with his back turned towards me, he was running over the organ keys with one hand while managing the stops with the other..
B. Far away there gleamed a feeble light, like a faint star in the sky; it was the lamp burning on the high altar.
C. And the organ sounded, but in an indescribable manner.
D. By its flickering light, which only helped to make the deep horror of the shadows the more intense, I saw-I saw-Mother, do not disbelieve it a man.
S2. It seemed as if each note were a sob smothered in the metal tube, which vibrated under the pressure of the air compressed within it and gave forth a low, almost imperceptible tone, yet exact and true.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
S1 (Fixed): The church was empty and dark.
This sets the scene and atmosphere.
Sentence B: Far away there gleamed a feeble light, like a faint star in the sky; it was the lamp burning on the high altar.
This naturally follows S1. After describing the church as dark, it introduces the only source of light (the lamp on the altar).
Sentence D: By its flickering light, which only helped to make the deep horror of the shadows the more intense, I saw—I saw—Mother, do not disbelieve it—a man.
The phrase "its flickering light" refers directly back to the "lamp" mentioned in sentence B. This is where the narrator first notices a person.
Sentence A: In perfect silence, and with his back turned towards me, he was running over the organ keys with one hand while managing the stops with the other.
Now that the "man" has been introduced in D, sentence A describes what he is doing: sitting at the organ.
Sentence C: And the organ sounded, but in an indescribable manner.
This follows the description of the man "running over the organ keys" in A. It transitions from the physical action to the resulting sound.
S2 (Fixed): It seemed as if each note were a sob smothered in the metal tube...
This provides a detailed description of the "indescribable manner" of the sound mentioned in C, bringing the paragraph to a logical conclusion.
Therefore, the correct sequence is BDAC,