Sentence Jumbles

Never try to read the four parts as a paragraph and "feel" the order. Work by evidence, in this order.

1. Find the opening sentence. It introduces a subject by its full name, contains no pronoun pointing backwards, and never begins with however, therefore, moreover, also, so, this or these. A sentence starting with a pronoun cannot open a paragraph.
2. Chain by reference words. A pronoun or a demonstrative — it, he, they, this, these, such, the fort, the scheme — must have something earlier to point at. Put the sentence that names the thing before the sentence that refers to it.
3. Use the connectives. however and but signal a turn, therefore and thus signal a result, moreover and besides signal addition, finally and today usually close.
4. Respect time order. Founding before growth, growth before the present day. Full form of a name comes first, the short form later.

The single most common mistake is starting with a sentence that carries a pronoun or a connective — it reads smoothly on its own, so it feels like an opener. It cannot be one: there is nothing before it for the pronoun to refer to.

How to spot the answer fast: decide only the first part and the last part, then look at the options. In a four-part jumble that alone usually leaves one choice standing.

Opener = full noun, no pronoun, no however/therefore/this · pronouns and "the + noun" must point back, so they come later · however = turn, therefore = result, finally/today = close · fix only the first and last parts, then eliminate options

Arrange P, Q, R, S into a paragraph. P: It was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674. Q: Raigad is a hill fort in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. R: Today it draws thousands of visitors every year. S: The fort served as the capital of the Maratha empire. → Q opens, because it alone names Raigad in full and carries no backward reference. P follows, since "It" now has something to point at. S continues the history, and R closes with "Today". Order: Q P S R. Sanity check: read it through — every "it" and every "the fort" has a noun before it, and the time line runs 1674, then the empire, then today.