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Logical Order of Words

Reasoning · Verbal Reasoning

7 Part3 worked examples14 practice questions

“Seed, fruit, plant, flower” — this is a jumbled list of four words. But think for a moment and a story is hidden in it: a seed grew into a plant, the plant bore a flower, the flower became a fruit. A logical order question asks you to find this story: arrange the given words in an order that forms a meaningful chain.

The good news is that such stories are few. Life cycles, processes of making something, units of size or time, ladders of ranks — the words of every exam come from these. We will build lists of all of them, teach how to recognise the basis of an order and give plenty of practice.

How to use this chapter

  1. Read — each part first explains the idea and then the method. Read the lists carefully; they are the real capital.
  2. Study the solved example — in the boxes marked “Example” the full solution is open, step by step. At every step ask: why was this step taken?
  3. Try it yourself — in the “Try it yourself first” questions the solution is hidden. Solve on paper first, then choose an option. If stuck, take the hint, and open the solution only at the very end.
  4. Know the level — every question is marked Basic, Standard or Advanced. Make the basic ones solid first.
NoteIn every question four or five words are given with numbers and the options are orders of numbers (such as 3 1 4 2 5). So first write the correct order of the words and then read off their numbers. The questions you solve are remembered in this browser.
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Foundation — the basis of an order, and processes

Every order rests on a basis

The kinds of order, the method of solving, and the lists of life cycles and processes.

Finding the basis of the order

Five kinds of order and the method of solving

The five bases of an order of words, the “what first, what last” method and the trick of cutting options.

To put words in order the first question to ask is: on what basis? Every order rests on one of these five bases:

BasisExampleOrder
What happens after what (event / process)Seed → Sprout → Plant → Flower → Fruitin time, what happens first comes first
Size or amountMillimetre → Centimetre → Decimetre → Metre → Kilometresmall to big (or big to small)
Time or periodStone Age → Bronze Age → Iron Ageold to new
Rank or levelDistrict Court → High Court → Supreme Courtlow to high
Alphabetical orderchain, chair, chalkdictionary order

The question often names the direction as well — “in increasing order”, “in decreasing order”, “from the first to the last”. If no direction is named, the natural direction is assumed: in a process what happens first comes first; in size the smaller first; in rank the lower first.

Four steps to solve
1. Find the basis — which story or ladder do the words belong to?2. Find the two ends — what comes very first, what very last?3. Put the middle words — every word must connect with the one before4. Read the numbers and match the options
TrickThe trick of cutting options: once the two ends are fixed most options are cut without building the whole order — an option with a wrong first or last number is wrong. Look at the middle words only when two options are left.

One caution: in many orders more than one practical form seems possible (such as when to add milk to tea). In the exam the order taken is the commonest, most natural one. The lists below hold such commonest orders.

Example 1 · Basic
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order in which a plant develops: 1. Plant 2. Seed 3. Fruit 4. Flower.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Find the basis of the order: the life cycle of a plant — in the order in which a plant develops.
  2. 2The correct order: Seed → Plant → Flower → Fruit.
  3. 3Now look at the numbers of these words: Seed = 2, Plant = 1, Flower = 4, Fruit = 3.
  4. 4So the answer is 2 1 4 3.
Answer 2 1 4 3
The two ends: the seed first, the fruit last.
BasicTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — from birth towards old age (youngest stage first): 1. Child 2. Teenager 3. Old person 4. Adult.
BasicTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of making: 1. Cloth 2. Shirt 3. Thread 4. Cotton.
BasicTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — from old age back to birth: 1. Teenager 2. Child 3. Adult 4. Infant.

Life cycles and processes

What happens first comes first

The correct order of life cycles, making processes, everyday jobs, farming and building — a full list and practice.

The easiest type is the “sequence of events”. A thing changes from one stage to another and every stage has a fixed place. The table below holds all the orders that come up again and again in exams.

Life cycles

TopicThe correct order
the stages of human lifeInfant → Child → Teenager → Adult → Old person
the life cycle of a plantSeed → Sprout → Plant → Flower → Fruit
the life cycle of a butterflyEgg → Caterpillar → Pupa → Butterfly
the life cycle of a frogEggs → Tadpole → Froglet → Frog
the water cycleEvaporation → Condensation → Rainfall → Flowing into rivers

Processes of making

TopicThe correct order
from wheat to rotiSeed → Wheat crop → Wheat grain → Flour → Dough → Roti
from cotton to a shirtCotton → Thread → Cloth → Shirt
from milk to gheeMilk → Curd → Butter → Ghee
from a tree to a tableTree → Log → Plank → Table

Orders of doing work

TopicThe correct order
making teaBoil the water → Add tea leaves → Add milk and sugar → Strain → Serve
sending a letterWrite the letter → Put it in an envelope → Stick a stamp → Drop it in the post box → Delivery by the postman
the work of farmingPloughing → Sowing → Irrigation → Harvesting → Threshing
building a houseFoundation → Walls → Roof → Plaster → Painting
from falling ill to getting wellIllness → Visiting the doctor → Diagnosis → Treatment → Recovery
TrickIn every order the first word is the raw material / the start and the last word the finished thing / the end. This gives the two ends at once: the raw material first, the finished thing last.

In some orders the middle words may seem interchangeable (such as curd and butter) — remember the correct order firmly: milk → curd → butter → ghee. Curd sets from milk, butter comes from churning the curd and ghee from melting the butter.

Example 2 · Standard
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of making: 1. Roti 2. Flour 3. Wheat crop 4. Dough 5. Wheat grain.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Find the basis of the order: from wheat to roti — in the order of making.
  2. 2The correct order: Wheat crop → Wheat grain → Flour → Dough → Roti.
  3. 3Now look at the numbers of these words: Wheat crop = 3, Wheat grain = 5, Flour = 2, Dough = 4, Roti = 1.
  4. 4So the answer is 3 5 2 4 1.
Answer 3 5 2 4 1
The raw material is the seed and the finished thing the roti — both ends fixed.
Example 3 · Standard
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the reverse order of the water cycle: 1. Rainfall 2. Flowing into rivers 3. Evaporation 4. Condensation.
Solution, step by step
  1. 1Find the basis of the order: the water cycle — in the reverse order of the water cycle.
  2. 2The correct order: Flowing into rivers → Rainfall → Condensation → Evaporation.
  3. 3Now look at the numbers of these words: Flowing into rivers = 2, Rainfall = 1, Condensation = 4, Evaporation = 3.
  4. 4So the answer is 2 1 4 3.
Answer 2 1 4 3
In a reverse-order question first make the straight order and then reverse it.
BasicTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of making: 1. Ghee 2. Curd 3. Butter 4. Milk.
BasicTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of making: 1. Thread 2. Shirt 3. Cotton 4. Cloth.
StandardTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of doing the work: 1. Serve 2. Add tea leaves 3. Boil the water 4. Strain 5. Add milk and sugar.
StandardTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of the work: 1. Delivery by the postman 2. Write the letter 3. Put it in an envelope 4. Stick a stamp 5. Drop it in the post box.
StandardTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the order of the work: 1. Stick a stamp 2. Drop it in the post box 3. Write the letter 4. Delivery by the postman 5. Put it in an envelope.
StandardTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — from old age back to birth: 1. Old person 2. Infant 3. Adult 4. Teenager.
AdvancedTry it yourself first
Put the words below in a sensible order — in the reverse order of making: 1. Log 2. Tree 3. Table 4. Plank.
BasicTry it yourself first
When from wheat to roti are put in order, which word comes between Seed and Wheat grain?
StandardTry it yourself first
When from wheat to roti are put in order, which word comes between Wheat grain and Seed?
StandardTry it yourself first
If the words Painting, Plaster, Walls, Foundation, Roof are arranged in a logical order, in the order of construction, which word will be fourth?
AdvancedTry it yourself first
If the words Flowing into rivers, Evaporation, Condensation, Rainfall are arranged in a logical order, in the order of the water cycle, which word will be first?
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The order of size, time and distance

Units, planets, animals and periods

The order of units of length, mass and time, the distance and size of the planets, the size of animals and the periods of history.

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The order of units

Length, mass, time, counting

The full list of units with their mutual ratios, and how to move from a smaller to a bigger unit.

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Planets, animals, places and periods

Distance from the Sun, size, periods and the order of seasons

The distance and size of the planets, the size of animals, the span of places, the periods of history, the seasons, the days of the week and the colours of the rainbow.

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3

The ladder of ranks and levels

Army, police, education, courts, panchayat

The ranks of the army and the police, the levels of education, the levels of courts and of Panchayati Raj.

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Ranks, levels and bodies

Low to high

The ladder of the army, police, education, courts and Panchayati Raj, a memory trick and practice.

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4

Dictionary order

Arranging words by the alphabet

How words are arranged in a dictionary: the first letter, then the second, then the third; the shorter word first; and its four forms.

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The rules of dictionary order

Comparing letter by letter

The order of comparing two words, the rule of the shorter word, and the four forms in which the order is asked — the whole order, the reverse order, the n-th word and the word in the middle.

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Practice — mixed words

Words that begin with different letters

When the words begin with different letters the comparison is quick; practice with every form.

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Strategy guide

Find the basis, fix the ends, cut the options

A firm order for every logical-order question and the slips to avoid.

The firm order

Spot the type of question and its first step

The basis of the five kinds of word order, the two ends and a step at a glance.

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Common traps

The mistakes that keep happening

The commonest reasons for losing marks in logical-order questions.

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Mixed practice

All types mixed — first find the basis

Questions of different types together, in three levels.

Basic practice

Four words, a clear order

Orders of four words — process, unit and rank — and simple dictionary order.

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Standard practice

Five words, reverse order, the word in the middle

Orders of five words, decreasing order, the n-th word and the middle word, and all four forms of dictionary order.

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Advanced practice

Six words, words far apart, long dictionary orders

Orders of six words, reverse orders and the hard forms of dictionary order.

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7

Revision — cards

Flip each card and test yourself

Think of the answer yourself first, then flip.

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