Difficulty: Easy
Correct Answer: 3, 5, 1, 2, 4
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
In many verbal reasoning exams, candidates are asked to arrange a group of words in the exact order in which they would appear in an English dictionary. This question tests basic alphabetical ordering, but also checks attention to detail when several words share the same initial letters. Here, we are given five words related to the root “fle” and “fla” and we must convert them into the correct dictionary sequence and then map that order back to the numerical labels given in the question.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To arrange words in dictionary order, we compare them letter by letter from the left. The first differing letter decides which word comes earlier. If two words are identical up to a point and one word ends, the shorter word comes before the longer one. When multiple words share the same first two or three letters, we may need to compare deeper positions such as the fourth or fifth letter. After obtaining the correct word order, we convert that back into their original numerical positions to get the final sequence.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write all words with their labels clearly: 1. Flesh, 2. Flexible, 3. Flaw, 4. Flick, 5. Fleet.
Step 2: Compare the first three letters. Flaw starts with F L A, while the others start with F L E, F L E, F L I, F L E. Since A comes before E and I, Flaw is first.
Step 3: Now compare the words starting with F L E: Flesh (F L E S H), Flexible (F L E X I B L E), Fleet (F L E E T). After F L E, the next letters are E in Fleet, S in Flesh, and X in Flexible. E comes before S, which comes before X, so the order among these three is Fleet, Flesh, Flexible.
Step 4: The remaining word Flick is F L I C K. Since I comes after both A and E, Flick must come last. Therefore, the dictionary order of the words is: Flaw, Fleet, Flesh, Flexible, Flick which corresponds to labels 3, 5, 1, 2, 4.
Verification / Alternative check:
We can quickly verify by mentally scanning the alphabet: among F L A, F L E, and F L I combinations, A appears first, followed by E, then I. Within the F L E group, E, S, X are in correct alphabetic progression. This confirms that the final sequence Flaw, Fleet, Flesh, Flexible, Flick is consistent with how a dictionary is arranged. Mapping these back to their numbers gives 3, 5, 1, 2, 4, which matches option C in the reordered choices.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A (4, 5, 1, 2, 3) wrongly starts with Flick, even though its third letter I comes after A and E. Option B (1, 2, 4, 5, 3) keeps almost all F L E and F L I words ahead of Flaw, which is incorrect because A should come before E and I. Option D (2, 4, 5, 1, 3) places Flexible and Flick too early, ignoring the basic alphabetical rules for the third and fourth letters. Option E (3, 1, 5, 2, 4) begins correctly with Flaw, but then mixes the order of the F L E words by placing Flesh before Fleet, even though E (in Fleet) should come before S (in Flesh).
Common Pitfalls:
A common mistake is to focus only on the first two letters and ignore later positions when they are identical, which often leads to errors in groups like these. Another error is to assume that longer or shorter words must automatically come later or earlier without actually comparing the letters at each position. Candidates may also forget to translate the final word order back into the correct numerical sequence, which can cause them to choose a wrong option even when the alphabetical order is correct in their mind or rough work.
Final Answer:
The correct dictionary sequence is Flaw, Fleet, Flesh, Flexible, Flick which corresponds to the label order 3, 5, 1, 2, 4. Hence, the correct answer is 3, 5, 1, 2, 4.
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