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Difficulty: HardSentence Reordering and Placement

[1] In the early twentieth century, astronomer A.E. Douglass sought to understand the relationship between sunspot cycles and Earth's climate. [2] However, he realized that reliable meteorological records extended back only a few decades. [3] To overcome this limitation, Douglass began analyzing the growth rings of ancient trees, noting that wider rings indicated wet years and narrower ones indicated dry years. [4] This innovative technique, which he named dendrochronology, soon expanded beyond climate science. [5] Archaeological remains of prehistoric dwellings, for instance, could now be dated with annual precision by matching their timber rings to the master sequence. [6] By comparing these patterns across regional samples, he constructed a continuous, year-by-year chronological record.

To make the paragraph flow most logically, where should Sentence 6 be placed?

  1. A
    After Sentence 1
  2. After Sentence 3Answer
  3. C
    After Sentence 4
  4. D
    Where it is now

Answer

After Sentence 3
Placing the sentence after Sentence 3 is correct because it ensures that 'these patterns' immediately follows the description of the growth rings (wider and narrower rings) in Sentence 3. Furthermore, constructing a chronological record is the final step in developing the methodology before it is formally named 'dendrochronology' in Sentence 4 and applied to other fields in Sentence 5.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the logical markers and pronoun clues in the target sentence, Sentence 6.
The phrase 'these patterns' must refer back to a previously described set of patterns, and the pronoun 'he' must refer to a male individual (A.E. Douglass).
Tracking logical and pronoun indicators is crucial to finding where the sentence connects to the rest of the text.
2
Locate the description of the patterns and the individual referred to in the paragraph.
Sentence 3 describes the patterns of 'wider rings' and 'narrower ones' in tree growth, and introduces A.E. Douglass's methodology.
This establishes Sentence 3 as the source of the reference for 'these patterns'.
3
Evaluate the placement of Sentence 6 immediately after Sentence 3 to see if it maintains chronological and thematic coherence.
Placing Sentence 6 after Sentence 3 creates a logical sequence: analyzing rings -> constructing a master chronological record by comparing patterns -> naming the technique dendrochronology (Sentence 4) -> applying the technique to archaeology (Sentence 5).
This positioning ensures a smooth transition from basic data collection to the synthesis of a master timeline, and finally to its broader scientific applications.

Key Concept

Logical sentence placement in a paragraph is determined by transition words, pronoun antecedents, and chronological or thematic flow.
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Topics

Sentence Reordering and Placement

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