Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer. Moderate
1. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant.
2. New research suggests exposure to some common perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) cause changes to gene activity and that these changes are linked to health problems including multiple cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune disease.
3. These Pfas compounds are dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down in the environment.
4. The research may also point toward other diseases potentially caused by Pfas that have not yet been identified.
5. The findings are a major step toward determining the mechanism by which the chemicals cause disease and could help doctors identify, detect and treat health problems for those exposed to Pfas before the issues advance.
Answer
Correct Option: 3
Rationale: The coherent paragraph revolves around the topic of new research into the human health effects of PFAS. Sentence 1 defines the substances and their uses, setting the context. 1, 2, 4, 5 can form a tight para about research on health effects of PFAS:
1 → defines PFAS
2 → introduces new research linking PFAS to gene-activity changes and diseases
5 → says findings help understand mechanisms and treatment
4 → adds that the research may point to other PFAS-caused diseases
Sentence 3, which discusses the compounds being dubbed “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, introduces the environmental persistence of PFAS, which is a different angle and breaks the narrative flow focused on the research, health, and medical mechanism established by the other four sentences. Difficulty: Medium
Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence out and key in the number of that sentence as your answer. Moderate
1. Sporting a copper-coloured pixie cut and a pair of pink feather antlers, Torres himself resembles a child’s doodle.
2. His casual millennial delivery, peppered with “um”s and “ah”s, makes surreal concepts sound like items on a brunch menu.
3. Though he may have failed so far in his colour-scouting mission (he hasn’t yet found a new one, he admits), this hour leaves you tickled pink.
4. Like his previous show, My Favourite Shapes, this is an hour of sit-down comedy aided by an overhead camera which relays Torres’s theories – illustrated with crayon squiggles – on to a screen behind him.
5. His inquisitive mind produces interconnected ideas about Catholicism, the blandness of Pixar and what orange sounds like, while his insights train us to spot “highly purple behaviour”.
Answer
Correct Option: 3
Rationale: The coherent paragraph formed by sentences 1, 2, 4, and 5 is focused on describing the appearance, format, style, and content of the comedian Torres’s performance. Sentence 1 describes his appearance. Sentence 4 describes the show’s format and mechanics (sit-down comedy, overhead camera, theories, crayon squiggles). Sentence 2 describes his delivery style. Sentence 5 details the content and ideas of the show (Catholicism, Pixar, colour theories).
4: format and overhead camera + crayon squiggles
1: his look (pixie cut, feather antlers) tying into the doodle/squiggle vibe
5: his inquisitive mind and topics/themes
2: his delivery style
Sentence 3 is the reviewer’s subjective conclusion and final summary statement of the performance (“this hour leaves you tickled pink”). It uses terms like “may have failed” and “leaves you” which mark it as a summarizing judgment, rather than a descriptive detail of the show itself, thus breaking the flow of description provided by the other four sentences. Difficulty: Medium
