Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: XZY
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence rearrangement question provides three labelled segments X, Y, and Z that need to be placed correctly within a partially given sentence. The main clause already starts with The space in front of the large and ends with were, and the labelled parts must be arranged to produce a grammatically correct and logically coherent sentence. The candidate must pay attention to natural English word order, especially when dealing with inversion in phrases such as before it were placed several stools.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
The natural first step is to complete the phrase The space in front of the large hut was empty, but, which clearly requires placing X immediately after large. After that, we need to describe what was actually in front of the hut. The idiomatic expression in English here uses an inverted structure: before it were placed several stools. In this pattern, the normal order several stools were placed before it is rearranged for stylistic effect. To maintain correct subject verb agreement and a coherent flow, the parts must be ordered so that before it were immediately precedes placed several stools, completing the inversion smoothly.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Insert X after large: The space in front of the large hut was empty, but ...Step 2: Recognise that the sentence now needs a contrasting clause that explains what was present despite this emptiness.Step 3: Consider the typical inverted expression: before it were placed several stools, which uses were before the subject stools for emphasis.Step 4: To produce this inversion, Z must come before Y, because Z supplies before it were and Y supplies placed several stools.Step 5: Combining these insights, we obtain the full sentence: The space in front of the large hut was empty, but before it were placed several stools. This corresponds to the order X Z Y, which is option XZY.
Verification / Alternative check:
If we try XYZ, we get The space in front of the large hut was empty, but placed several stools before it were, which is awkward and ungrammatical because placed several stools appears without a clear subject or correct inversion. ZYX would yield The space in front of the large hut was empty, but before it were were placed several stools, which incorrectly repeats were. ZXY and other combinations similarly break the natural inversion pattern and disrupt the flow. Only XZY gives a grammatically acceptable and stylistically natural sentence.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
XYZ: The sequence hut was empty, but placed several stools before it were places the verb placed directly after but, creating confusion about the subject and producing an unnatural word order. ZYX and ZXY: Both start with before it were without first naming the hut as part of the main clause, and then either duplicate verbs or scatter the elements of placed several stools in odd positions. These options do not produce a coherent sentence that matches typical English narrative style.
Common Pitfalls:
Students often struggle with inversion structures, especially when the subject follows the verb, as in before it were placed several stools. Many try to reorder the words mentally into a more familiar pattern and then misplace the labels. A useful technique is to first identify any fixed units that clearly belong together, such as hut was empty, but and before it were placed several stools, and then assign labels accordingly. Recognising that Z and Y together form the inverted clause makes the XZY order easier to spot.
Final Answer:
The most logical and grammatically correct order of the labels is XZY.
Discussion & Comments