Given below are four jumbled parts of a sentence. Select the option that gives their correct order. A) by the intricate tapestry of B) the philosopher was captivated C) that define human existence D) moral and ethical dilemmas

Correct — B. B has the subject and a passive verb: the philosopher was captivated. A passive verb takes its doer in a by-phrase, so A follows: by the intricate tapestry of.

Of needs a noun, and D supplies it: moral and ethical dilemmas.

C, that define human existence, is a relative clause whose plural verb define agrees with dilemmas, so it closes the sentence. B-A-D-C, option (b).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  DBAC — DBAC takes dilemmas away from of, leaving tapestry of that define human existence, where of has no noun and define has no plural noun to agree with.
• (c)
  ABCD — ABCD opens with the by-phrase before the verb it belongs to, and puts that define straight after captivated, with no plural noun for define to agree with.
• (d)
  CBAD — CBAD opens with that define human existence, a relative clause with no noun before it to describe. A relative clause follows the noun it describes.

Two links fix this order.

A passive verb (was captivated) takes its doer in a by-phrase, so A follows B.

A relative clause (that define human existence) follows the noun it describes, and its verb agrees with that noun. Define, not defines, points to a plural noun: dilemmas, not tapestry.

Full sentence: The philosopher was captivated by the intricate tapestry of moral and ethical dilemmas that define human existence.

Key facts

• Passive verb + by + doer: was captivated by the tapestry.
• A preposition such as of must be followed by a noun phrase: tapestry of dilemmas.
• A relative clause's verb agrees with the noun it describes: dilemmas that define, a tapestry that defines.

Common traps

• Attaching that define to tapestry: the plural verb define rules that out.
• Placing the by-phrase before the passive verb it completes.

No directly related past PYQ was found.