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. He was older than 1.
A. But his strange, heavy, almost waxen face was not lined by experience.
B. And sometimes that face, in stillness when he listened to me playing, with the heavy eyelids folded over eyes that always
disturbed me by their absolute absence of light, seemed to me like a mask, as if his real face, the face that truly reflected all the life
he had led in the world before he met me, before, even, I was born, as though that face lay underneath this mask.
C. Rather, experience seemed to have washed it perfectly smooth, like a stone on a beach whose fissures have been eroded by successive tides.
D. He was much older than 1; there were streaks of pure silver in his dark mane.
S2. Or else, elsewhere.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
To rearrange the sentences into a logical and coherent paragraph, let's analyze the connections between the statements:
S1: "He was older than I."
This sentence introduces the subject ("he") and establishes a comparison of age.
D: "He was much older than I; there were streaks of pure silver in his dark mane."
This sentence logically follows S1 as it elaborates on the age difference mentioned and provides a physical description (the silver in his hair) to support it.
A: "But his strange, heavy, almost waxen face was not lined by experience."
The word "But" creates a contrast with sentence D. Even though he looked older due to his hair, his face lacked the expected wrinkles or "lines of experience" that usually come with age.
C: "Rather, experience seemed to have washed it perfectly smooth, like a stone on a beach whose fissures have been eroded by successive tides."
The word "Rather" directly responds to sentence A. It explains how experience affected his face—instead of adding lines, it smoothed them out.
B: "And sometimes that face, in stillness... seemed to me like a mask..."
This sentence adds another layer of description to the "smooth face" mentioned in C, comparing it to a mask and leading toward the concluding thought.
S2: "Or else, elsewhere."
This provides the final, somewhat abstract conclusion to the reflection on his "mask-like" appearance.
Correct Sequence is DACB.