Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: 12453
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This dictionary order question features five uncommon words: Cadartrally, Caddisflies, Caducities, Caddisworms and Cadetships. Although they may seem difficult, they follow normal English alphabetical rules. The task is to order them exactly as a dictionary would and then choose the numeric code representing that order.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- Words: 1. Cadartrally, 2. Caddisflies, 3. Caducities, 4. Caddisworms, 5. Cadetships.
- Standard lexicographic rules apply.
- Case is ignored and only the letter sequences matter.
- No duplicate spellings exist in the list.
Concept / Approach:
First, inspect the initial letters to group words. All begin with C a d..., but then diverge. We extend comparisons letter by letter until we find a differing letter that decides the order. By comparing third, fourth, fifth and later letters in this systematic way, we can construct the correct sequence. Unfamiliarity with the meanings of the words does not matter; only the spelling is relevant.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the letters after Cad. The words continue as: Cadartrally (a...), Caddisflies (d...), Caducities (u...), Caddisworms (d...), Cadetships (e...).
Step 2: The fourth letters after Cad are a (Cadartrally), d (Caddisflies), u (Caducities), d (Caddisworms), e (Cadetships).
Step 3: Alphabetical order for these fourth letters is a, d, e, u, so Cadartrally (1) comes first, followed by the group of Caddisflies (2) and Caddisworms (4), then Cadetships (5), and last Caducities (3).
Step 4: Order Caddisflies (2) and Caddisworms (4) which share the prefix Caddis. After that, we compare the next letters: Caddisflies has f, while Caddisworms has w.
Step 5: Since f comes before w, Caddisflies (2) precedes Caddisworms (4).
Step 6: Now compare Cadetships (5) with Caducities (3). The sequences after Cad are e in Cadetships and u in Caducities.
Step 7: Because e comes before u, Cadetships (5) clearly comes before Caducities (3).
Step 8: Combining all parts, the full dictionary order is: Cadartrally (1), Caddisflies (2), Caddisworms (4), Cadetships (5), Caducities (3), giving 1, 2, 4, 5, 3 or 12453.
Verification / Alternative check:
Write the words in the proposed sequence: Cadartrally, Caddisflies, Caddisworms, Cadetships, Caducities. Check each pair. Cadartrally with Cad-a... precedes all Cad-d..., Cad-e... and Cad-u... words. Between the two Caddis words, flies comes before worms since f precedes w. Cadetships with Cad-e... comes before Caducities with Cad-u... because e precedes u. No pair violates alphabetical order, confirming that 12453 is correct.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B (12534) incorrectly places Caddisworms before Cadetships and Caducities in a way that conflicts with the e and u comparison. Option C (21345) moves Cadartrally from the initial position, which is not consistent with the a, d, e, u ordering. Option D (45213) and option E (14523) also misplace Cadetships and Caducities relative to the others. Only option A preserves all the correct letter by letter comparisons.
Common Pitfalls:
The unusual spellings may tempt students to guess rather than systematically compare letters. Another pitfall is to assume that words sharing a longer common segment, like the Caddis pair, must appear together with no internal ordering, which is not true. Always break words at the point where they diverge alphabetically, compare those letters, and continue until the order is fully determined.
Final Answer:
The correct alphabetical order of the given words is encoded by the numeric sequence 12453.
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