In this sentence arrangement question, three labelled fragments X, Y, and Z are embedded in the sentence “The considerations which X-are set forth in our Y-lead us to refer ideas to the brain Z-physiologies and psychologies.” Choose the option that arranges X, Y, and Z to form a clear, grammatically correct sentence.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: YXZ

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
This question evaluates your ability to arrange jumbled sentence fragments into a coherent and grammatically correct English sentence. The sentence refers to philosophical or psychological considerations and their relationship to the brain. Such questions test not only grammar and syntax but also whether you can pick up logical connections among abstract ideas distributed across fragments.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • The base sentence skeleton is: “The considerations which X-are set forth in our Y-lead us to refer ideas to the brain Z-physiologies and psychologies.”
  • X = “are set forth in our”
  • Y = “lead us to refer ideas to the brain”
  • Z = “physiologies and psychologies”
  • The completed sentence must be meaningful, with proper subject verb agreement and natural word order.


Concept / Approach:
The key to solving this is to identify meaningful phrase groupings. One natural phrase is “are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies,” which clearly links fragment X and fragment Z. Another meaningful clause is “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain,” which ties the subject “The considerations” with fragment Y. A logical completed sentence, therefore, would likely read: “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.” Once this target sentence is identified, we can map it back to the fragment order.


Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Envision a natural sentence describing how certain considerations are presented in physiologies and psychologies.Step 2: Form the likely sentence: “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.”Step 3: Note that “lead us to refer ideas to the brain” is given as fragment Y, and in the target sentence it appears immediately after “The considerations which,” so Y should come first.Step 4: The linking verb phrase “are set forth in our” is fragment X, which follows that clause.Step 5: The noun phrase “physiologies and psychologies” is fragment Z, which completes the predicate.Step 6: Combining in the order Y, X, Z gives the full sentence: “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.”


Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify our arrangement by testing the other options. If we try YZX, we get: “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain physiologies and psychologies are set forth in our,” which clearly disrupts the phrase “are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.” Option XYZ produces: “The considerations which are set forth in our lead us to refer ideas to the brain physiologies and psychologies,” which splits “physiologies and psychologies” awkwardly. Option ZYX leads to an even more jumbled result. Only YXZ yields a fully grammatical and logically coherent sentence with all phrases in their natural positions.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option YZX incorrectly places “physiologies and psychologies” right after “brain,” breaking the sense and leaving “are set forth in our” stranded at the end. Option XYZ places “are set forth in our” immediately after “which,” making the sentence focus on where the considerations are set forth before stating what they lead us to do, which weakens clarity and produces an odd final phrase. Option ZYX starts with “physiologies and psychologies” following “which,” which is grammatically and logically unsatisfying because considerations are not physiologies themselves, but are set forth in them. These orders fail to preserve the natural clause structure.


Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to treat each fragment as independent and join them without considering meaningful phrase units such as “are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.” Another pitfall is ignoring the relative clause structure introduced by “which,” which should immediately precede a clause describing what the considerations do, namely “lead us to refer ideas to the brain.” To avoid such mistakes, always look for natural collocations, standard clause patterns, and logical subject predicate relationships before deciding the fragment order.


Final Answer:
The correct and most logical order of the fragments is YXZ, giving the sentence “The considerations which lead us to refer ideas to the brain are set forth in our physiologies and psychologies.”

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