Question

Difficulty: EasySentence Reordering and Placement

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

'After completing this initial step, they activated a digital timer to measure the speed of the dye's expansion.'

[1] To begin the experiment, the researchers placed a single drop of the blue dye onto the agar plate. [2] The solution immediately began to spread outward in a concentric circle. [3] Within minutes, the dye had completely disappeared, leaving the gel clear once again. [4] This rapid absorption surprised the team, who had expected the process to take much longer.

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

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

Answer

after Sentence 1
The correct choice is the option that places the sentence after Sentence 1. Sentence 1 describes the first step of the experiment: placing a drop of dye. The target sentence refers back to 'this initial step' and introduces starting a timer, which logically fits before Sentence 2 describes the dye beginning to spread.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the target sentence to find logical or transition clues.
The target sentence contains the phrase 'this initial step', indicating it must follow a sentence that describes the first action of the process.
Demonstrative pronouns and phrases require clear, preceding antecedents to establish logical continuity.
2
Locate the sentence describing the initial action in the paragraph.
Sentence 1 describes the first step of the experiment: placing a single drop of blue dye onto the agar plate.
This establishes that the target sentence must be placed after Sentence 1.
3
Verify chronological order with the remaining sentences.
Activating the timer to measure the speed of expansion must occur before the expansion actually begins in Sentence 2 and finishes in Sentence 3.
Ensuring the sequence of events flows chronologically prevents logical contradictions in the text.

Key Concept

Using demonstrative phrase pointers and chronological sequences to determine the logical placement of sentences.
Estimated Time:45s
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