SarkariPYQ

SSC CGL 2021 PYQ — Question 25

SSC CGL - 23 Aug 2021 - Shift 3 • English • Q25

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In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Fill in the blanks with the help of the alternatives given. Select the most appropriate option for each blank.
Essaouira's origins stretch back to prehistoric times, and this spot on Morocco's Atlantic
coast (1)______ a centre of culture and commerce ever since. (2)______ centuries, the harbour town was an important trading post (3)______ both a seaport and as the north-western terminus of a caravan (4)______ stretching across the desert to Timbuktu (5)______ Africa’s interior.

Sentences of a paragraph are given below in jumbled order. Arrange the sentences in the right order to form a meaningful and coherent paragraph.
A. The mouse, however, reached his hole in safety.
B. A bull was bitten by a mouse, and, pained by the wound, tried to capture him.
C. The mouse, peeping out, crept up his flank and, again biting him, retreated to his hole.
D. The bull dug into the walls with his horns until, wearied, he crouched down and slept by the hole.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is Option 2 i.e. BADC.

While arranging the parts of the passage, we should find some grammatical or contextual connections between them. Also, the first sentence of a passage is usually independent and introduces a topic. The second one provides more information about it.

Steps to arrange the sentences in the correct order to form a meaningful and coherent paragraph:

  • Sentence B is the independent sentenceas it is giving general information about "a bull bitten by a mouse". So, sentence B is the first sentence after rearrangement.
  • Sentence A is telling that the mouse reached safely in his hole after biting the bull. Hence, sentence A follows sentence B.
  • Sentence D is explaining what the bull had done to catch the mouse should come after sentence A, to maintain continuity on the topic.
  • Sentence C is the concluding statement of the passage because it is telling how the mouse again succeded in biting the bull.
  • Thus, the correct order after rearrangement is option 2 i.e. BADC.

The paragraph is: A bull was bitten by a mouse, and, pained by the wound, tried to capture him. The mouse, however, reached his hole in safety. The bull dug into the walls with his horns until, wearied, he crouched down and slept by the hole. The mouse, peeping out, crept up his flank and, again biting him, retreated to his hole.

Hence, the correct answer is Option 2 i.e. BADC.