CDS English · Sentence Rearrangement
Start from the frame: what S1 sets up and what S6 needs
In a six-sentence passage, S1 and S6 are fixed. Read them first: S1 tells you which sentence can come next, and S6 tells you which sentence must come just before it.
Why this matters
This six-sentence format has appeared in every CDS English paper since 2017, and nearly half of these items are rated hard. Most students start by trying to order all four middle sentences. The faster way is to use the two sentences you are given: one sure link to S1 or to S6 often leaves only one option standing.
Concept 1 of 2: Find the sentence S1 sets up
S1 is the start of the paragraph, and it is given to you. Read it and ask: what does it leave open? A plan needs its first step, a person needs a name or a role, a claim needs a reason. The middle sentence that answers that question comes first. Often only one option starts with it.
Definition
The format:
- S1 is the first sentence of the passage and S6 is the last. Both are fixed.
- The four middle sentences are marked P, Q, R and S, in jumbled order.
- Each option is an order of the four letters, for example QPSR. Read it as S1, Q, P, S, R, S6.
- You must pick the order that makes one connected paragraph from S1 to S6.
The routine:
- Read S1 and S6 first. S1 tells you where the passage starts; S6 tells you where it must arrive.
- Read P, Q, R and S once. Mark the words that lean on an earlier sentence: he, it, they, this, these, such, the latter, but, however, also, so, then, later.
- A sentence that leans back cannot come right after S1 unless S1 gives it what it needs.
- Find one sure link: the sentence that must follow S1, the sentence S6 needs before it, or two sentences that must sit together.
- Go to the options. Keep only those that respect the sure link. Then read the survivor from S1 to S6 to check it.
The opener:
- Ask what S1 leaves open, and find the middle sentence that answers it with no help from P, Q, R or S.
Worked example
S1: Last winter our school decided to plant a vegetable garden behind the library.
P: Within a month, the first green shoots had come up.
Q: The job of clearing the ground was given to the senior students.
R: They removed the stones and weeds in two weekends.
S: Then the junior classes sowed seeds of spinach, beans and tomatoes.
S6: Today the garden sends fresh vegetables to the school canteen every week.
(a) QRSP (b) SPQR (c) PQRS (d) RQSP
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2018 · CDS (I) 2018 — English · Q46Hard
Example 1 · Sentence Rearrangement · Paragraph Frame: S1 and S6
Directions: order middle sentences P/Q/R/S between S1 and S6
S1: I was the secretary of the Philosophical Society of the Patna College.
S6: I have been to Kolkata many times since, but never has it been more pleasant than that first visit.
P: It was my first visit to the city and its impression on my mind was indelible.
Q: In that capacity, I once led a trip to Kolkata.
R: I felt I had landed in the midst of beautiful dream world of a fairy land.
S: I saw the roads, the trams, the skyscrapers and the magnificent shops at the Chowranghee lane.
Opening with a sentence that leans back
A sentence that starts with He, It, This, That, Then, But, However, or has 'also' in it, needs something before it. If S1 does not supply it, that sentence cannot come first. Check what its first word points at.
Picking the sentence that sounds like a beginning
A broad, general sentence often feels like a start. But S1 is already the start. The first middle sentence must follow S1, so look for the one that answers what S1 leaves open.
Marking after one link
Two options can start with the same letter. After you fix the opener, test one more link where those options differ, then read the order through from S1 to S6.
Concept 2 of 2: Find the sentence S6 needs before it
S6 is fixed, so the fourth middle sentence must lead straight into it. Read the first words of S6. If it points back ('These...', 'He', 'that camp', 'But...'), only one middle sentence can sit just before it.
Definition
The method:
- Read S6 and underline what it leans on: a pointer (this, these, that, such), a pronoun (he, she, it, they), a linker (but, so, therefore, also) or a named thing with 'the'.
- Find the middle sentence that supplies it. That sentence goes fourth.
- Keep only the options that end with that letter. If more than one survives, test one more link where they differ.
- If S6 leans on nothing, use it the other way: it shows where the passage must arrive, so the sentence closest to its topic usually comes last.
Worked example
S1: For years, our town library was almost empty.
P: First, she kept it open late on weekdays.
Q: Last year a new librarian decided to change that.
R: She also started story sessions for children on Saturday afternoons.
S: Office workers began to drop in on their way home.
S6: These Saturday sessions are now so popular that parents book seats a week ahead.
(a) QPSR (b) QRPS (c) RQPS (d) QPRS
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (I) 2024 — English · Q39Moderate
Example 2 · Sentence Rearrangement · Paragraph Frame: S1 and S6
Directions: order P,Q,R,S between fixed first and sixth sentences
S1: Digital Locker is a key initiative under Digital India, aimed at transforming India into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.
S6: These legacy documents can be electronically signed using the eSign facility.
P: Targeted at the idea of paperless governance, Digital Locker is a platform for issuance and verification of documents and certificates in a digital way.
Q: Organisations that are registered with Digital Locker can push electronic copies of documents and certificates directly into citizens' lockers.
R: Citizens can also upload scanned copies of their legacy documents in their accounts.
S: Indian residents, who sign up for a DigiLocker account, get a dedicated cloud storage space.
Ignoring S6
Many students order P, Q, R and S as if the passage could end anywhere. S6 is fixed. Its first words often decide which letter is fourth, and that one check can remove three options.
Matching a word instead of the reference
If S6 says 'that camp', the sentence before it must be the one that sets up the camp, not any sentence that mentions doctors or patients. Match what the pointer refers to, not a word that only looks related.
A conclusion that is not the fourth sentence
A sentence that sounds like an ending ('Thus...', 'In this way...') is not always fourth. If S6 leans on a different sentence, that one goes fourth, and the 'concluding' sentence sits earlier.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Watch out for (6)
- Opening with a sentence that leans back→ Find the sentence S1 sets up
- Picking the sentence that sounds like a beginning→ Find the sentence S1 sets up
- Marking after one link→ Find the sentence S1 sets up
- Ignoring S6→ Find the sentence S6 needs before it
- Matching a word instead of the reference→ Find the sentence S6 needs before it
- A conclusion that is not the fourth sentence→ Find the sentence S6 needs before it
Test yourself on Sentence Rearrangement
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.