Question

Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.

• A. Although hard skills have traditionally ruled the roost, some companies are moving away from choosing prospective hires based on technical abilities alone.
• B. Companies are shaking off the old definition of an ideal candidate and ditching the idea of looking for the singularly perfect candidate altogether.
• C. Now, some job descriptions are frequently asking for candidates to demonstrate soft skills, such as leadership or teamwork.
• D. That's not to say that practical know-how is no longer required - some jobs still call for highly specific expertise
• E. The move towards prioritising soft skills "is a natural response to three years of the pandemic" says a senior recruiter at Cenlar FSB.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

To determine which sentence does not fit well in the paragraph, let's analyze the theme and flow of the sentences:

• Sentence 1: Introduces the idea that companies are shifting focus from hard skills to other considerations in hiring.
• Sentence 3: Supports this shift by explaining that soft skills like leadership and teamwork are now often included in job descriptions.
• Sentence 4: Provides a balanced view, stating that technical expertise is still necessary in some jobs, reinforcing the shift without discounting hard skills entirely.
• Sentence 5: Offers a reason for this shift — the impact of the pandemic — thus anchoring the change in a real-world context.
• Sentence 2: Talks about abandoning the idea of an "ideal candidate," which is not directly tied to the contrast between hard and soft skills like the others.

Conclusion: Sentences 1, 3, 4, and 5 form a cohesive narrative centered around the growing importance of soft skills in hiring practices. Sentence 2, while related to recruitment, diverges from the central theme and disrupts the logical flow.

Answer: Sentence 2 is the odd one out.