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Question

Difficulty: HardSentence Reordering and Placement

The following paragraph contains numbered sentences.

[1] In 1998, a medieval prayer book known as the Archimedes Palimpsest was purchased at auction, opening a window into lost ancient Greek mathematics. [2] Centuries earlier, in the thirteenth century, scribes had scraped away the original text of several treatises by Archimedes to reuse the valuable parchment for religious texts. [3] Modern conservationists, however, faced the daunting task of reading the erased, underlying writing without damaging the fragile leaves. [4] By illuminating the parchment under different wavelengths of light, scientists captured a series of high-resolution digital photographs. [5] Computer algorithms then processed these digital images, enhancing the contrast between the two overlapping layers of writing.

The writer is considering adding the following sentence to the paragraph:

'This technique, known as multispectral imaging, allowed them to document the erased text hidden beneath the medieval ink.'

To make the paragraph flow in the most logical order, where should the writer place this sentence?

  1. A
    Before Sentence 1
  2. B
    After Sentence 2
  3. After Sentence 4Answer
  4. D
    After Sentence 3

Answer

After Sentence 4
The correct option is placing the sentence after Sentence 4. Sentence 4 describes a process of illuminating the parchment under different wavelengths of light to capture digital photographs. The new sentence begins with the phrase 'This technique,' which logically refers back to this illumination process. Furthermore, placing the sentence here ensures that Sentence 5, which starts with 'these digital images,' has a clear and immediate connection to the digital photography and imaging described in Sentence 4 and the new sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the logical clues, such as pronouns, transitions, or temporal markers, in the sentence to be placed.
The sentence to be placed contains the phrase 'This technique,' indicating it must immediately follow the description of a specific method or technique.
Demonstrative pronouns like 'this' require a clear and immediate antecedent in the preceding text to maintain coherence.
2
Scan the paragraph to find where a specific technique or method is described.
Sentence 4 describes the method of 'illuminating the parchment under different wavelengths of light' to capture digital photographs.
This illumination process is the only method in the paragraph that can logically be referred to as 'This technique.'
3
Verify the connection between the placed sentence and the sentence that follows it.
If the new sentence is placed after Sentence 4, Sentence 5 ('Computer algorithms then processed these digital images...') follows naturally because the new sentence describes documenting the text using 'imaging' to produce those digital files.
Checking the flow both before and after the insertion point ensures the paragraph's overall unity is maintained.

Key Concept

Sentence Reordering and Placement
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Topics

Sentence Reordering and Placement

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