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Question

Difficulty: MediumSentence Reordering and Placement

The writer wants to add the following sentence to the paragraph:

'These disparate sheets were often stored loosely in scrolls or portfolios, which made them prone to damage and difficult to consult.'

[1] In 1570, Flemish cartographer Abraham Ortelius published the *Theatrum Orbis Terrarum*, which is widely considered the first modern atlas. [2] Prior to this publication, maps were printed in various sizes and formats, making them difficult to bind or compare. [3] Ortelius resolved this issue by compiling existing maps, engraving them onto uniform copper plates, and printing them as a cohesive book. [4] This standardized format revolutionized cartography, allowing merchants and scholars to view the entire known world in a single, organized volume.

To make the paragraph most logical, where should this sentence be placed?

  1. A
    after Sentence 1
  2. after Sentence 2Answer
  3. C
    after Sentence 3
  4. D
    after Sentence 4

Answer

after Sentence 2
The correct answer is the option that places the sentence after Sentence 2. Sentence 2 introduces 'maps... printed in various sizes and formats', which provides the necessary antecedent for the pronoun phrase 'These disparate sheets' at the beginning of the target sentence. Additionally, the target sentence describes the storage and consultation difficulties of those maps, setting up the transition to Sentence 3, where Abraham Ortelius resolves 'this issue' by printing uniform maps in a single book.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify logical and grammatical clues in the target sentence.
The target sentence begins with the phrase 'These disparate sheets' and describes a problem (loose storage, damage, difficulty in consulting maps).
Recognizing the pronoun antecedent ('These disparate sheets') and the context (a problem description) helps locate where the sentence belongs relative to other sentences.
2
Locate the logical antecedent for the pronoun phrase in the paragraph.
Sentence 2 mentions 'maps... printed in various sizes and formats'. These are the 'disparate sheets' referred to in the target sentence.
A sentence containing a specific pronoun reference must follow the sentence that introduces the noun it references.
3
Evaluate the flow of the entire paragraph with the sentence inserted.
If placed after Sentence 2, the paragraph describes the pre-atlas situation (Sentence 2), details the storage problems of that situation (target sentence), and then introduces Ortelius's solution to 'this issue' (Sentence 3).
Ensuring the narrative progression makes sense chronologically and conceptually confirms the correct placement.

Key Concept

Identifying pronoun references and logical transitions to determine sentence placement.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Sentence Reordering and Placement

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