Which of the following words comes first in correct English dictionary order: Carrom, Cramming, Carrier or Cartoon?

Introduction / Context:
This verbal reasoning question asks you to identify which word would appear first in an English dictionary from a given list. The words all start with the same letter, and several even share the first three letters, which means you must carefully compare them letter by letter. Knowing how alphabetical order works beyond the first character is essential for such problems.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The words given are Carrom, Cramming, Carrier and Cartoon.
• We assume a standard English dictionary with usual alphabetical rules.
• All words are capitalised here, but dictionaries ignore case when ordering.
• The task is to find which word would be listed first among the four.
• We compare characters from left to right and use letter order A to Z.

Concept / Approach:
To place words in dictionary order, compare them character by character. The first letter is the same for all (C), and the second letter is also the same (a). Then we look at the third letter and so on until a difference appears. The word with the earliest differing letter in the alphabet comes first. When two or more words share a longer prefix, we must continue the comparison further along the spelling.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: List the words clearly: Carrom, Cramming, Carrier, Cartoon.Step 2: Compare the first letters. All words start with C, so move to the second letter.Step 3: The second letter is a for all four words, so we move to the third letter.Step 4: The third letter is r in every word, so we move to the fourth letter.Step 5: At the fourth position, we have r in Carrom and Carrier, t in Cartoon and m in Cramming. To decide which comes first overall, note that all words starting with Carr will come before those starting with Cart or Cram, because r comes before t and m in the alphabet is earlier than t but the sequence of letters matters in order.Step 6: Focus on Carrom and Carrier, as they both start with Carr. Compare after Carr: we get o in Carrom and i in Carrier at the next differing position. Since i comes before o in the alphabet, Carrier comes before Carrom.Step 7: Any word starting with Carr will still come before Cartoon (which effectively begins Cart) and Cramming (which begins Cram) because after Car the letters r, t and m must be compared appropriately. But once we have found Carrier as the first among the Carr words, no later starter like Cart or Cram can move ahead of it.

Verification / Alternative check:
An alternative way is to imagine a mini dictionary: starting from Ca, then check the sequence Car, Cart and Cram. Within Car, we compare the next letters and see that Carrier lexicographically precedes Carrom because the letter at the first differing position, i in Carrier, is earlier than o in Carrom. Since any word starting with Car will naturally appear before Cramming, Carrier is firmly the earliest word in the entire list.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Carrom is also a Car word but comes after Carrier because of the later letter o. Cartoon starts with Cart and will appear after all Carr words, including Carrier and Carrom. Cramming starts with Cra, so at the position where r, r, r and m are compared, m in Cramming comes after the r in the Car group when considering the full prefix sequence, placing it later in the dictionary. Therefore none of these can precede Carrier.

Common Pitfalls:
A common error is to look only at the third or fourth letter and make a snap judgment, especially when words look similar. Another mistake is to assume that the shortest word always comes first, which is not correct; dictionary order is decided by sequence, not length alone. Always compare the first differing letters carefully until you are certain of the order.

Final Answer:
The word that comes first in dictionary order is Carrier.