How to prepare for Para Jumbles?

Para jumbles, also known as Sentence Rearrangement, is one of the common topics that can be found in most competitive exams. In fact, in several banking exams also you as an aspirant, will encounter questions on it. Para jumble is one of the easiest topics, which, through little application of mind can be solved quickly and correctly. Despite this many students find this topic difficult to crack. Hence, it is important that you practise more questions on it in a controlled test environment. You may even subscribe to a test series on para jumbles to improve your ability to answer all questions with a cent per cent accuracy. Nevertheless, in this article, we shall be discussing para jumbles tricks so that you can accurately solve para jumbles in less time.

However, before we jump into the tips and para jumbles tricks, let us first understand what exactly para jumbles are. In this type of question, there will be a set of sentences, generally, four or five, given in a random order each labelled with a letter. The student is required to arrange those sentences to form a coherent paragraph. Let us now look at a few tips that can be helpful in solving these types of questions.

Identify the opening sentence:

One of the para jumbles tricks is that there will be a sentence that would introduce a person, place, committee, idea or concept. In most cases, that should be the opening sentence. Also, you may come across sentences that may have connectors like though, although, since, if, until, after, alternatively, because, consequently, notwithstanding, when, and so, however, whoever, for, etc. In most cases, you will find that they are never the opening sentence and are basically following the previous sentences.

Look out for central theme

It will always be a good idea to look out for the central theme of each para jumble question. Generally, the follow of the story/dialogue/conversation will go in such a way that it will help piece together the paragraph in the right order.

Activities

In some of the questions, you might come across sentences that is talking out some activities, and so in those questions, you can solve the questions merely by analysing the sequence of activities.

Articles

The article “A” and “An” are generally used while introducing something for the first time, and also for stating general facts. For instance, “A robbery case may land you in jail for ten years”. As far “the “ is concerned, it is used to denote something or someone specific or when the person or thing for which the article has been used had already been introduced.

Pronouns

You will generally find pronouns, like he, she, they, it, them, their, him, her, etc, being used when the person being talked about has already been introduced. Hence, you may, with the help of pronouns as well, solve the questions.

Adjectives:

Adjectives are used to identify or quantify individual people or unique things and are usually positioned before the noun or pronoun that they modify. However, adjectives such as simple, better, cleverer, easier, etc. are used to compare people or things, and so they showcase a relation between another person or thing. Hence, if you come across such types of adjectives, then do take help of it while solving para jumbles.

Examples of para jumbles:

Example 1:

1. He was waiting for his bus
2. He was going to school
3. Amit was waiting at the bus stop

In this example, Statement C is clearly the opening/introductory statement, as the statement is introducing a person who is waiting at the bus stop for his bus so that he can go to school. Statement A and B are referring a person as “He”, which also means that these two cannot be an opening statement. Therefore, Statement C is the opening sentence of the paragraph as it is introducing a person (Amit) and the place (bus stop). Hence, the correct order will be C, A, B.

Example 2:

1. He eats his dinner at 9 pm and go to bed by 10 pm
2. He sells fruits throughout the day and return home late in the evening
3. Akshay is a fruit seller
4. He buys the fruits from the wholesale market in the morning

In this example, you will notice that there is a central theme, i.e. the activity of the person who is a fruit seller. The sentences are basically talking about the routine activities of Akshay and his business. Since the sentences are talking about the daily routine, Statement D will follow Statement C (i.e., the introductory statement). Following Statement D is Statement C which is basically talking about the activities Akshay does during the day. Finally, Statement A is the concluding statement as it talks about what Akshay does after he returns to home. Hence, the correct sequence will be C, D, B, A.

Example 3:

1. The boys usually have short hair and lived in the same flat
2. There are a few boys who lives in high rise building
3. And the building was second tallest in the city and is hidden behind a big garden

In this example, Sentence A is introducing the boys and their characteristics. Further, in this sentence, there is an article “The” is used at the start, which means that it cannot be the opening statement. The same is true for Statement C. Therefore, Statement B is the opening statement as it mentions that there are a few boys who lives in a high-rise building. This shall be followed by Statement A, as the statement is now talking about the boys. Besides, Statement C contains the connective “And”, which is basically used to connect two sentences, hence, Statement A, C forms a logical sequence. Therefore, the correct order will be B, A, C.

Example 4:

It was hard for the Afghans

1. leading to the subtle plummeting of the morale
2. to withstand the wave after wave of enemy attacks
3. their plight further worsened the situation
4. and the indifference of the allies towards

In the above example, the first sentence is fixed. It is only Statement B that fits the opening sentence followed by Statement B that contains a connective “And”. Statement A is talking about the consequence that happened, hence that becomes the concluding sentence.  Further, Statement C followed by A forms a logical statement as the sentence is saying that the plight of the Afghans worsened the situation thereby leading to the subtle plummeting of the morale. Hence, the correct sequence will be B, D, C, A.

Example 5:

The federation was keen on maintaining an

1. exclusive membership profile and thus introduced
2. segregational policies adopted by premier organizations
3. an invite only policy for the new entrants
4. causing a sudden outcry against the

In this example, the opening statement ends with “An”, and so Statement B, C or D cannot follow the opening statement. Hence, Statement A will follow the fixed statement. The next logical sequence following Statement A is Statement C as it is stating the policy that the federation will be introducing to maintain exclusive membership. Next comes Statement D as it talks about the outcome/impact of introducing the new policy. Also, it cannot be the concluding statement as it is ending with “The”, meaning there is something more to follow after this. Besides, Statement C and D form a mandatory pair as is mentioning that the outcry is against the policy of the organization. Hence, the correct order for the question will be A, C, D, B.

General Para jumbles Tricks:

1. The first and foremost thing you should be doing is to read the sentence well and understand what message the paragraph is trying to give
2. Once that is done, try to identify the topic and theme
3. Lok out for clues/linking words, mandatory pairs, introductory statement or concluding statement
4. You can also look out for a pair of nouns and pronouns, as noun or subjects mentioned in a statement is most likely to be replaced by a pronoun in the next sentence.
5. On many occasions you will also find that two statements based on the subject will form a pair.
6. In case you are given a set of statements having reference to time-based events, then ensure that you maintain a particular order, i.e. either past-present-future or future-present-past.
7. On top of everything, you should focus on improving your vocabulary and reading skills, as these questions will tests your vocabulary and reading skills.
8. Avoid jumping into the options at the first instance, especially, when you are practising questions on it. We agree that solving para jumbles questions with options will be slightly easier, however, you may use them during the exam as a last resort, when you are not able to figure about the logical sequence of the statements.
9. Finally, we strongly recommend you practise as many questions as possible on para jumbles in a controlled environment. This can be best done if opted for test series on para jumbles. Also, it will help you to improve your ability to answer questions on para jumbles with high accuracy in less time.

So these were all the Para jumbles Tricks. Wishing you good luck with your preparation! Stay updated on Current Affairs- Just give us a follow on Insta.