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. What a night!
A. Alas, how shall we paint the emotions that arose in her soul, that divided, tore it between love and virtue?
B. What a dreadful night for Lydia!
C. They led her to the altar as it were to punishment.
D. She adored Lausus, she detested Mezentius, she was sacrificing herself to her father's interests, delivering herself up to the object of her hatred, tearing herself forever from an adored lover.
S2. Barbarous Mezentius! Thou art content to reign over the heart by violence and fear!
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
1. Analyze the Fixed Sentences
S1: "What a night!" — This sets a dramatic and emotional tone for the scene.
S2: "Barbarous Mezentius! Thou art content to reign over the heart by violence and fear!" — This concludes the passage by identifying the antagonist and condemning his actions.
2. Rearrange the Jumbled Sentences (A, B, C, D)
B follows S1: "What a dreadful night for Lydia!" This directly follows the exclamation in S1, specifying who the night is "dreadful" for and narrowing the focus to the protagonist, Lydia.
A follows B: "Alas, how shall we paint the emotions that arose in her soul, that divided, tore it between love and virtue?" This sentence transitions from the external "dreadful night" to Lydia's internal emotional turmoil.
D follows A: "She adored Lausus, she detested Mezentius, she was sacrificing herself to her father’s interests..." This explains exactly what those "emotions" from sentence A are: her love for Lausus versus her duty (virtue) to her father.
C follows D: "They led her to the altar as it were to punishment." This provides the final action that leads into the closing statement (S2), showing the physical result of her sacrifice—being forced into a marriage/union.
Correct sequence is BADC.