Arrange the words Stilt, Stifle, Stink and Stingy in dictionary order and choose the correct sequence.

Introduction / Context:
This question asks you to arrange four similar looking words in dictionary order: Stilt, Stifle, Stink and Stingy. All of them share the starting letters “Sti”, so differences occur further along in the spelling. Such questions are common in reasoning exams and help evaluate your ability to carry out detailed alphabetical comparisons beyond the first few letters of a word.

Given Data / Assumptions:
Index mapping:
1: Stilt
2: Stifle
3: Stink
4: Stingy
Options present sequences such as 2,1,4,3 which stand for particular dictionary orders.
We assume standard English alphabetical rules for comparing words letter by letter from left to right.

Concept / Approach:
All words begin with “Sti”. Therefore, the first three letters are identical and provide no distinction. We must compare letters starting from the fourth position onward. The word whose letter at the first point of difference comes earlier in the alphabet will appear first. If one word ends exactly where another continues, the shorter word comes first. By applying these rules within this small set of words, we can determine their exact dictionary sequence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Write the words with their letters highlighted. Stifle (2): S t i f l e. Stilt (1): S t i l t. Stingy (4): S t i n g y. Stink (3): S t i n k. All share “Sti”. Differences begin at the fourth letter. Step 2: Compare fourth letters. Stifle has “f” as the fourth letter. Stilt has “l” as the fourth letter. Stingy and Stink both have “n” as the fourth letter. In alphabetical order: f comes before l, and l comes before n. So any word with “f” at position four comes first, then the word with “l”, and lastly the words with “n”. This means the partial order is: Stifle (2), then Stilt (1), then the pair Stink (3) and Stingy (4). Step 3: Order Stink (3) and Stingy (4). Both start “Stin”. Differences appear at the fifth letter. Stink: S t i n k; the fifth letter is “k”. Stingy: S t i n g y; the fifth letter is “g”. Since g comes before k, Stingy (4) comes before Stink (3). Step 4: Combine the full order. Final dictionary sequence: Stifle (2), Stilt (1), Stingy (4), Stink (3). This corresponds to the index pattern 2,1,4,3.

Verification / Alternative check:
Check the final ordered list: Stifle, Stilt, Stingy, Stink. Lexicographically, “Stif” precedes “Stil”, and both precede “Stin”. Between “Stingy” and “Stink”, the sequence “Sting” comes before “Stink” because g is earlier than k. No other option reproduces this full word by word order, so 2,1,4,3 must be correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Any option that does not begin with Stifle violates the fact that f at the fourth position is alphabetically earliest among f, l and n.
Options placing Stilt before Stifle ignore that l at the fourth position comes after f.
Sequences that list Stink before Stingy fail to note that g at the fifth position comes before k.
Hence only 2,1,4,3 satisfies all letter by letter comparisons required by dictionary ordering.

Common Pitfalls:
Because the words look very similar, candidates often focus only on the overall sound and not on individual letters at later positions. It is easy to assume that Stink, being a common word, comes before Stingy or to mix up Stifle and Stilt. The safest strategy is to write out the words clearly, mark the first differing letter between pairs, and then apply simple alphabetical comparisons based on those letters.

Final Answer:
The correct dictionary order is Stifle, Stilt, Stingy, Stink, corresponding to the numeric sequence 2,1,4,3.