Reorder Paragraphs presents text boxes in the wrong order. Your task is to arrange the complete boxes so they form a coherent passage. A box may contain more than one sentence, so treat it as a single unit.
The most useful clues are relationships: an introduction followed by a reference, a cause followed by a result, or one step followed by the next.
Read every box before committing
First, identify the general topic and the role of each box. One may introduce a subject, another explain a problem, and another describe the response.
A likely opening often introduces the topic without depending on information that has not yet appeared. However, avoid rigid rules such as “a box beginning with a connector can never come first.” Judge whether the meaning has a clear starting point.
Build strong pairs
Look for a direct connection between two boxes. Useful clues include:
- References: this plan, these results, it or they pointing back to something already introduced.
- Specificity: a new service introduced before the service is discussed further.
- Cause and response: a problem followed by an action taken to address it.
- Sequence: stages of a process or events with a clear dependency.
- Contrast: an expectation followed by a limitation or different result.
A pronoun alone is not enough. Confirm that its meaning and number match the proposed earlier reference.
A worked practice example
Box A: The trial involved opening the library two hours later on Wednesday evenings for one month.
Box B: A survey found that many residents could not visit the local library before it closed.
Box C: Attendance during those additional hours was high, so the library made the change permanent.
Box D: In response to the survey, the library announced a trial of longer opening hours.
Correct order: B → D → A → C.
B introduces the problem revealed by the survey. D explicitly responds to that survey and introduces a trial. A explains what the trial involved. C refers to those additional hours and gives the outcome.
The sequence is supported by several links, rather than by a vague sense that the paragraphs sound smooth together.
Check the whole passage
Once you have a likely order, read it from beginning to end. Check that every reference has a clear earlier meaning and that no result appears before the event needed to explain it.
Dates can help, but do not simply sort every date from earliest to latest. A passage may introduce a current situation and then explain its history. Follow the function of each box as well as its time reference.
If two boxes could both follow an opener, compare their links to the remaining boxes. A strong local pair must also fit the complete passage.
Practise explaining why boxes connect
After an item, write a brief reason for each adjacent pair: “introduces the trial,” “explains its details” or “reports the outcome.” This develops transferable reading skills instead of memory for an answer sequence.
In everyday reading, notice how writers introduce a topic and refer back to it. Short explanations, announcements and news paragraphs provide useful practice in recognizing those links.
