Question

Which one of the following sentence sequences creates a coherent narrative?
(i) Once on the terrace, on her way to her small room in the corner, she notices the man right away.
(ii) She begins to pant by the time she has climbed all the stairs.
(iii) Mina has bought vegetables and rice at the market, so her bags are heavy.
(iv) He was leaning against the parapet, watching the traffic below.

• A. (i), (ii), (iv), (iii)
• B. (ii), (iii), (i), (iv)
• C. (iv), (ii), (i), (iii)
• D. (iii), (ii), (i), (iv)

Hint:

For ordering sentences, look for a natural timeline: background cause} $\Rightarrow$ movement/process} $\Rightarrow$ arrival/transition markers (“once…”, “then…”)} $\Rightarrow$ observation or result}.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Establish the starting context.
Sentence (iii) sets the background: Mina is returning from the market with heavy bags. This logically precedes any movement or arrival $\Rightarrow$ it should come first.
Step 2: Show movement toward the setting.
With heavy bags, she climbs upstairs and gets tired. Sentence (ii) (“she begins to pant… after all the stairs”) naturally follows (iii) as the consequence of carrying heavy bags.
Step 3: Arrival on the terrace.
After climbing, she reaches the terrace. Sentence (i) explicitly begins “Once on the terrace…” $\Rightarrow$ it must come after (ii).
Step 4: Describe what she notices.
Sentence (iv) details the man she has noticed (“He was leaning against the parapet…”). This elaborates the object of noticing mentioned in (i), so (iv) follows (i). \[ \boxed{(iii)\ \rightarrow\ (ii)\ \rightarrow\ (i)\ \rightarrow\ (iv)} \]