Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: iv, iii, ii, i
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on dictionary order for words that start with very similar letter combinations, here involving No and Nu. You need to carefully examine the second, third, and later letters to place the words accurately, a typical skill evaluated in verbal reasoning segments.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Dictionary order rules:
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the words clearly: Nuzzled, Nozzle, Nonjury, Nocking.
Step 2: Compare the first letters. All words start with N, so move to the second letter.
Step 3: Second letters are: Nuzzled (U), Nozzle (O), Nonjury (O), Nocking (O). In the alphabet, O comes before U. Therefore, all words beginning with NO come before the word beginning with NU, so Nuzzled must be last.
Step 4: Now investigate the NO words: Nozzle, Nonjury, Nocking. Compare the third letter. They are Z in Nozzle, N in Nonjury, and C in Nocking. Alphabetically C comes first, then N, then Z. So the order among these three is Nocking (iv), Nonjury (iii), Nozzle (ii).
Step 5: Append the remaining word Nuzzled (i) at the end because it starts with NU, which comes after NO. The final dictionary sequence is Nocking (iv), Nonjury (iii), Nozzle (ii), Nuzzled (i).
Verification / Alternative check:
A quick check is to visualise listing them: Nocking, Nonjury, Nozzle, Nuzzled. Reading them in that order sounds natural when you follow the NO then NU grouping and then refine inside the NO group by the next letters C, N, and Z.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option iii, i, ii, iv puts Nonjury first, even though Nocking should appear earlier due to the third letter C versus N.
Option iv, i, ii, iii incorrectly places Nuzzled second, although NU should come after any NO word.
Option ii, i, iii, iv starts with Nozzle, which begins with NOZ and must come after both Nocking and Nonjury.
Option iii, ii, iv, i also fails to place Nocking at the beginning of the list and has multiple positions misordered.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often misjudge order when unfamiliar clusters like NOZ and NOC appear, or they may focus on word length rather than spelling. Another common error is to think that NU automatically precedes NO because U is later in the alphabet, but we must compare letters in order, not in isolation.
Final Answer:
The correct dictionary sequence is Nocking, Nonjury, Nozzle, Nuzzled, which corresponds to the code iv, iii, ii, i.
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