Arrange the following words in the order in which they would appear in an English dictionary and then select the correct sequence of roman numerals from the options. i. Manufacture ii. Manualism iii. Manumission iv. Manual

Introduction / Context:
Dictionary order questions involving closely related words are very common in verbal reasoning. They test the ability to apply strict alphabetical rules when words share long common prefixes. In this problem, all four words begin with the root “manu”, which makes it necessary to compare letters deeper in each word and to remember that, when one word is a complete prefix of another, the shorter word appears earlier in a dictionary.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Words with roman numeral labels:
  • i. Manufacture
  • ii. Manualism
  • iii. Manumission
  • iv. Manual
• We must determine the correct alphabetical order and then express it using the roman numerals.
• Standard English dictionary ordering is assumed.

Concept / Approach:
When arranging words alphabetically, we compare them letter by letter from left to right. All four words start with M A N U, which means the first four letters are identical. Therefore, the decision depends on the letters that follow this shared prefix. Additionally, if one word is exactly the beginning of another, then the shorter word comes first. In this case, the root “manual” appears in two of the words, and we must remember that Manual comes before Manualism because it is shorter while sharing the same starting sequence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the words after the common prefix MANU: Manufacture (facture), Manualism (alism), Manumission (mission), Manual (al). Step 2: Compare Manual and Manualism. Both share “manual” at the start, but Manual ends there, while Manualism continues further. The shorter word Manual must therefore come first. Step 3: Compare Manufacture and Manumission with the other words. Since their fifth letters differ from those of Manual and Manualism, we consider their full forms: Manufacture and Manumission come after words beginning with “manual” because “manuf” and “manum” follow “manua” in alphabetical order. Step 4: Between Manufacture and Manumission, compare letters after MANU: Manufacture has F, while Manumission has M. Since F comes before M in the alphabet, Manufacture comes before Manumission. Therefore, the dictionary order is Manual (iv), Manualism (ii), Manufacture (i), Manumission (iii), which is iv, ii, i, iii.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative check is to list all four words in full and mentally run through the alphabet after the shared MANU prefix. We can think of the sequence as MANUAL, MANUALISM, MANUFACTURE, MANUMISSION. Checking the fifth letters for MANUF and MANUM confirms that F precedes M. This quick scan agrees with our detailed comparison and once translated back to roman numerals gives iv, ii, i, iii as the correct option.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B (iii, ii, i, iv) starts with Manumission, which is wrong because it clearly comes later than words beginning with MANUAL and MANUF. Option C (ii, iv, i, iii) places Manualism before Manual even though Manual is shorter and must appear first when the prefix is shared. Option D (i, ii, iii, iv) starts with Manufacture and ends with Manual, which contradicts alphabetical comparisons. Option E (iv, i, ii, iii) incorrectly places Manufacture immediately after Manual, ignoring the fact that Manualism should come before Manufacture due to the second group of letters after the prefix.

Common Pitfalls:
Common mistakes include ignoring word length when one word is a perfect prefix of another and failing to compare letters beyond the first few positions. Many students also try to arrange words in their head without writing them down, which leads to confusion when words share complex prefixes like MANU. It is important to consciously compare the letters that differ and to remember that the shorter word wins in a prefix pair.

Final Answer:
The correct dictionary order is Manual, Manualism, Manufacture, Manumission which corresponds to iv, ii, i, iii in terms of the given roman numerals.