Rearrange the following sentences to form a coherent paragraph: 1. These factors include the amount of sunlight received, the composition of the atmosphere, and the Earth's orbit.2. The long-term variations in Earth's climate are influenced by a complex interplay of natural and anthropogenic factors.3. The most significant anthropogenic factor is the emission of greenhouse gases from industrial activities.4. Together, these elements determine the planet's overall energy balance and, consequently, its average temperature.
- (a)2, 1, 4, 3
- (b)1, 2, 3, 4
- (c)3, 4, 1, 2
- (d)4, 2, 3, 1
Answer
Why
Correct — A. Find the opener first. Sentence 1 begins 'These factors' and sentence 4 'Together, these elements' — both point back to something already said, so neither can open.
Sentence 3 speaks of 'the most significant anthropogenic factor', which assumes such factors are already introduced. Sentence 2 introduces them, so it opens.
Chain: 2 names the factors, 1 lists them, 4 sums up their joint effect, 3 singles out the human one → option (a).
Why the others are wrong
- (b)1, 2, 3, 4 — Opens with 'These factors', which points back to factors not yet named. Sentence 2, the one that names them, has to come first.
- (c)3, 4, 1, 2 — Opens on 'the most significant anthropogenic factor' before any factors are introduced, then puts 'Together, these elements' after a single factor, with no set to add together.
- (d)4, 2, 3, 1 — Opens with 'Together, these elements', a summing-up with nothing before it to sum. The list it refers to, sentence 1, comes last in this order.
Concept
In a jumble, pointer words decide the order. 'These', 'this', 'such' and 'together' refer back, so a sentence that opens with one cannot open the paragraph and must follow the sentence it points to.
Here 'These factors' (1) needs the factors named in 2, and 'Together, these elements' (4) needs the list in 1. Sentence 3 takes the word anthropogenic from 2 and narrows to one factor.
No climate science is needed. The pointer words fix the order and the content only confirms it.
Key facts
- A sentence opening with a pointer such as 'These factors' refers back, so it cannot begin a paragraph.
- 'Together, these elements' sums up a set, so it follows the sentence that lists the set.
- Anthropogenic means caused or produced by human activity.
Study next
Common traps
- Opening with sentence 1 because it names concrete factors — 'These factors' points back to a sentence not yet read.
- Opening with the greenhouse-gas sentence because it sounds like the main point — 'the most significant' ranks one factor among factors not yet introduced.
The identical jumble, with the same options, was set at 12 Sep 2025, 16:00, English Q.25 and keyed 2, 1, 4, 3.
Find-the-opener logic also decides English Q.25 of this shift (2-3-1-4), where 'It' points back to 'Data analytics' and 'This' to the process sentence 3 describes.
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.