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. An old man came up to me in the fog.
A. The people here call him insane.
B. I know him well.
C. He lives alone in a little house buried deep in the forest and has a small dog he carries always in his arms.
D. "He is a little cracked," they say.
S2. On many mornings I have met him walking on the road and he has told me of men and women who were his brothers and sisters, his cousins, aunts, uncles, brothers-in-law.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Sequence of Sentences:
Connecting S1 to B: After introducing the old man in S1, sentence B ("I know him well") is the most logical next step to establish the narrator's familiarity with him.
Connecting B to C: Since the narrator knows him well, they can provide specific details about his life. Sentence C describes where he lives and his dog.
Connecting C to A: After describing his reclusive life in the forest, sentence A introduces how the locals perceive him ("The people here call him insane").
Connecting A to D: Sentence D is a direct follow-up to A, providing a specific quote ("He is a little cracked") from those people.
Connecting D to S2: Sentence S2 rounds out the story by explaining how the narrator knows him so well (meeting him on mornings and hearing his stories), confirming the sequence.
The correct sequence is BCAD.