Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: i, ii, iv, iii
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This question tests your ability to arrange words in dictionary order. All four words are similar in spelling and begin with the letters C L, which makes it important to apply alphabetical comparison carefully beyond just the first two letters. Such questions appear frequently in verbal reasoning sections to evaluate systematic and accurate comparison of words.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
Dictionary order is simply alphabetical order. When several words share common starting letters, you compare them letter by letter from left to right. The first position at which two words differ decides which one comes earlier. If one word is a complete prefix of another, the shorter word comes first.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the words clearly: Claim, Clearly, Clerk, Clerical.
Step 2: Compare starting letters. Claim begins with C L A, while the others begin with C L E. Since the sequence A, then E holds alphabetically, any CLA word will come before any CLE word. Therefore Claim (i) must appear first.
Step 3: Now consider the remaining words that start with C L E: Clearly (ii), Clerk (iii), Clerical (iv).
Step 4: For Clearly, Clerk, and Clerical, the first four letters are C L E A for Clearly and C L E R for Clerk and Clerical. Since A comes before R, Clearly (ii) comes before any word starting with CLER.
Step 5: Now compare Clerk and Clerical. Both begin with C L E R. At the next position, Clerk ends at K, while Clerical continues with I. The comparison is not based on length alone but on the next available letters. After C L E R, Clerical has I (making CLERI), and Clerk has K (making CLERK). Since I comes before K, Clerical (iv) comes before Clerk (iii).
Step 6: Combining all, the dictionary sequence is: Claim (i), Clearly (ii), Clerical (iv), Clerk (iii). So the correct code is i, ii, iv, iii.
Verification / Alternative check:
You can quickly verify by writing the ordered list: Claim, Clearly, Clerical, Clerk, and checking whether this matches how the words would appear if you flipped through a dictionary. The CLA group appears first, followed by CLEA, then CLERI, then CLERK, which is consistent with alphabetical rules.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option ii, i, iv, iii incorrectly places Clearly before Claim, even though words starting with CLA should come before CLE words.
Option i, iii, ii, iv places Clerk before Clearly, ignoring that CLEA comes before CLER.
Option i, ii, iii, iv puts Clerk before Clerical, although CLERI is alphabetically earlier than CLERK.
Option ii, iv, i, iii entirely misplaces Claim and does not respect the CLA versus CLE distinction.
Common Pitfalls:
Typical mistakes include focusing only on the first two or three letters, treating shorter words as automatically earlier, or allowing familiarity with words like Clerk to bias the order. Always compare letter by letter and apply the prefix rule correctly.
Final Answer:
The correct dictionary order is Claim, Clearly, Clerical, Clerk, represented by the code i, ii, iv, iii.
Discussion & Comments