The following paragraphs are from an essay about the history of the typewriter. To make the passage most logical and cohesive, arrange the paragraphs in the correct sequence.
- 1During the mid-nineteenth century, business offices were dominated by male clerks who laboriously hand-copied every document. This manual system was slow and costly, severely limiting the pace of commerce.
- 2To resolve this operational bottleneck, Christopher Latham Sholes and his colleagues invented the first commercially successful typewriter in 1868. This device promised to standardize documents and dramatically accelerate writing speeds.
- 3As offices rapidly adopted the new machinery, a pressing demand arose for skilled operators who could run the devices efficiently. Because women were entering typing academies in large numbers, employers began hiring them to fill these new clerical roles.
- 4Ultimately, this technological shift did more than just streamline administrative tasks. It reshaped the demographics of the office, establishing a permanent foothold for women in the corporate world.
Answer
The correct sequence of the paragraphs is: first, the paragraph describing the mid-nineteenth century office and manual copying; second, the paragraph introducing the typewriter to resolve the bottleneck; third, the paragraph detailing the rapid adoption of the machine and the hiring of female typists; and fourth, the paragraph concluding with the long-term impact on office demographics.
The logical flow of the passage moves chronologically and causally. It begins with the pre-typewriter era characterized by slow manual copying. Next, it introduces the typewriter to solve this bottleneck. It then discusses the widespread adoption of the typewriter and the resulting demand for women to operate the machines. Finally, it concludes with a summary of the long-term impact on office demographics.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Paragraph-Level Transitions