Arrange the following words in correct dictionary order and choose the option that shows their sequence: 1) PHYSICAL 2) PHYSICS 3) PHYSIOLOGY 4) PHYSICIAN 5) PHONE.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your ability to arrange words in strict dictionary order. You are given five words that all start with the prefix PH but diverge later: PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, PHYSIOLOGY, PHYSICIAN, and PHONE. The task is to determine the sequence in which they would appear in a standard English dictionary and then pick the option that matches this sequence of indices.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Words with indices: 1. PHYSICAL, 2. PHYSICS, 3. PHYSIOLOGY, 4. PHYSICIAN, 5. PHONE.
• All words start with P and H, but diverge soon after.
• Standard dictionary rules apply: compare letters left to right; when letters match, move to the next position.
• The options list only index sequences, not the words themselves.

Concept / Approach:
Dictionary order, also called lexicographical order, is based on the alphabet sequence of letters. First, we compare words at the earliest position where they differ. If one word has a letter that comes earlier in the alphabet at that position, it comes earlier overall. If one word ends while another continues but all letters up to that point match, the shorter word appears first. This method is applied systematically to all five given words to determine their correct order.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Compare PHONE with the PHYS words. After PH, PHONE has O as the third letter, whereas PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, PHYSIOLOGY, and PHYSICIAN all have Y as the third letter. Since O comes before Y, PHONE comes first.Step 2: Now order the remaining four words: PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, PHYSIOLOGY, PHYSICIAN, which all begin with PHYSI or PHYS.Step 3: PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, and PHYSICIAN share the prefix PHYSIC, while PHYSIOLOGY has PHYSIO. After PHYSI, we have C in PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, PHYSICIAN and O in PHYSIOLOGY. Since C comes before O, PHYSIOLOGY will come after the PHYSIC group.Step 4: Within PHYSICAL, PHYSICS, and PHYSICIAN, compare letters after PHYSIC. PHYSICAL has A, PHYSICIAN has I, and PHYSICS has S. Alphabetically A comes before I, which comes before S, so the order is PHYSICAL, PHYSICIAN, PHYSICS.Step 5: Finally, append PHYSIOLOGY after these three, since O comes after C at the position following PHYSI.Step 6: The overall dictionary ordering of the five words is: PHONE (5), PHYSICAL (1), PHYSICIAN (4), PHYSICS (2), PHYSIOLOGY (3). So the required index sequence is 5,1,4,2,3.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify the ordering logically by imagining a dictionary where PH entries are grouped. First, all PHO words like PHONE appear before PHU or PHY words. Next, within PHY words, those with PHYA, PHYE, or PHYS cluster appear. The comparison after PHYS is between I and other letters. Treating PHYSICAL, PHYSICIAN, PHYSICS, and PHYSIOLOGY as a micro list and sorting them by letter position after PHYS confirms the earlier detailed ordering. Cross-checking with the given options shows only one option matches the index sequence 5,1,4,2,3.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option 5,1,2,3,4 is wrong because it places PHYSICS before PHYSICIAN, ignoring the alphabetical order of A, I, S.Option 1,4,5,2,3 and option 1,5,4,3,2 are wrong because they do not place PHONE first, even though it clearly comes before all PHY words.

Common Pitfalls:
Many students rely on intuition instead of carefully checking each letter, which can lead to misordering very similar looking words. Another common issue is to treat words with the same root, such as PHYSICAL and PHYSICS, as if they can be ordered by meaning rather than strict alphabetic rules. Writing words in a column and comparing position by position is the best way to avoid such mistakes and ensures accurate dictionary ordering every time.

Final Answer:
The correct dictionary order corresponds to the index sequence 5,1,4,2,3.