Question

Difficulty: HardFulfilling Specific Rhetorical and Writing Goals

The writer wants to arrange the following sentences to logically explain the transition from the military's tactile code to Louis Braille's refined reading system. Arrange the sentences in the most logical order.

  1. 1Charles Barbier, a captain in the French Army, originally developed 'night writing,' a tactile code of twelve raised dots that allowed soldiers to share battle secrets without speaking or lighting a match.
  2. 2However, soldiers found the system too complex to use under stress, and the military ultimately rejected it because the twelve-dot grid was too large to be read with a single fingertip touch.
  3. 3Louis Braille, a young student at the Royal Institute for Blind Youth in Paris, encountered Barbier’s invention and immediately recognized its potential.
  4. 4By reducing Barbier’s bulky grid to a compact six-dot cell that fit perfectly under a finger, Braille created a highly efficient and readable system that revolutionized literacy for the blind.

Answer

The correct sequence starts with the development of the military tactile code, followed by the limitations that led to its rejection, then the introduction of Louis Braille encountering the code, and finally his specific solution to the bulky design.
The correct order follows a logical narrative and causal sequence: first introducing the creator of the initial system (Charles Barbier), then describing the failure of that system due to its bulkiness, next introducing Louis Braille encountering this invention, and finally explaining how Braille solved the size issue by reducing the grid to a six-dot cell.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the introductory sentence that establishes the historical background and the initial subject.
The sentence about Charles Barbier developing 'night writing' (sentence_c) introduces the topic without relying on any previous context.
An effective paragraph must start with a sentence that sets the stage and defines the primary subject before discussing its modifications or limitations.
2
Find the sentence that details the direct outcome or limitation of the newly introduced system.
The sentence starting with the contrastive transition 'However' (sentence_d) explains why the military rejected the twelve-dot system.
This establishes the problem (the bulky twelve-dot grid) that needs solving, setting up the narrative conflict.
3
Determine where the transition to Louis Braille's involvement occurs.
The sentence introducing Louis Braille (sentence_a) shows him encountering the invention.
Braille cannot modify the invention (described in the final sentence) until he is first introduced and shown encountering it.
4
Locate the concluding sentence that resolves the problem.
The sentence explaining how Braille reduced the grid to a six-dot cell (sentence_b) provides the resolution.
This sentence directly addresses the 'bulky grid' problem mentioned in the second sentence and concludes with the overall impact of his work.

Key Concept

Logical sentence ordering to fulfill rhetorical goals of narrative cohesion and cause-and-effect progression.
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