CDS English · Sentence Rearrangement
Lock a pair, then strike the options
Find two sentences that must sit together, in a fixed order, then use that pair and one link at a time to strike options until one is left.
Why this matters
You do not need the whole order to answer. One pair you are sure of, checked against the four options, usually leaves one or two. This is also the safest way through a passage where the middle feels loose: you rely on the links you can prove, not on the order that sounds nicest.
Concept 1 of 2: Two sentences that must sit together
Some sentences cannot stand alone. 'It must be finished in 25 minutes' needs the sentence that names the task, right before it. Two such sentences form a block that moves as one.
Definition
The terms:
- Mandatory pair: two sentences that must sit next to each other, in a fixed order.
- Fixed block: three sentences that form such a chain (A then B then C).
Signs of a pair:
- The second sentence uses a pronoun or pointer for something only the first names.
- The second starts with 'And', 'The same is true of', or completes the first ('so heavy ... that it').
- The second gives the exact figure or detail for a general word in the first ('a large share' then 'exactly half').
The method:
- Find the pair, and decide its order: which sentence leans on which?
- Check whether a third sentence joins the block before or after it.
- Keep only the options that show the pair side by side, in that order.
Worked example
S1: Our cadet corps planned a three-day trek to a lake high in the hills.
P: On the third day, the weather turned.
Q: The first two days went exactly as planned.
R: Snow began to fall at noon.
S: By evening, it lay knee-deep on the path.
S6: The leader decided to turn back, and nobody argued.
(a) QPRS (b) QPSR (c) PRQS (d) QRPS
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (I) 2024 — English · Q33Hard
Example 1 · Sentence Rearrangement · Paragraph Pairs and Elimination
Directions: order P,Q,R,S between fixed first and sixth sentences
S1: The New Development Bank (NDB) has been instituted with a vision to support and foster infrastructure and sustainable initiatives in emerging economies.
S6: India is one of the largest borrowers from the Bank in the sectors of transport, health, water and financial sectors.
P: The purpose of the Bank is to mobilise resources for infrastructure and sustainable projects in BRICS and other emerging economies.
Q: Each member country has a shareholding of 20 per cent.
R: The founding members of the NDB—Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa—brought in capital USD 1 billion as initial contribution.
S: India and other four founding members have equal shareholding in the Bank.
The right pair in the wrong order
R-S and S-R are different orders. Before you go to the options, decide which sentence leans on the other; an option that reverses the pair fails.
A pair that is only likely
Two sentences on the same topic are not a fixed pair. A pair is fixed only when one cannot stand without the other: a pronoun, 'And', 'The same is true', or a figure that completes a fact.
Missing the third member
A pair can be part of a block of three. If the first sentence of your pair itself leans on another sentence, that sentence joins the block. Check before you strike options.
Concept 2 of 2: Use the options: test one link at a time
Four options are four guesses, and three of them break somewhere. You do not need to build the order yourself. Take one link you can prove, strike every option that breaks it, and repeat with the next link.
Definition
The terms:
- Elimination: removing options that break a proven link, until one is left.
The method:
- Start with your surest link: the opener after S1, the sentence S6 needs, or a mandatory pair.
- Strike every option that breaks it.
- Look at the options that remain. Find the place where they differ, and test only that link.
- Use links with a clear signal (a pronoun, a pointer, a linker, a date, a count). A link that only 'sounds better' is not proof.
- When one option is left, read it from S1 to S6 once to confirm.
Worked example
S1: The wooden footbridge over the stream had been broken for two years.
P: They began by cutting four strong poles from the forest.
Q: Last spring, the villagers decided to rebuild it themselves.
R: Then they fixed planks across the poles and tied ropes along both sides.
S: When the rains came, the children could cross to school for the first time in two years.
S6: The bridge has needed only small repairs since.
(a) PQRS (b) QPRS (c) QRPS (d) QPSR
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2026 · CDS (I) 2026 — English · Q37Moderate
Example 2 · Sentence Rearrangement · Paragraph Pairs and Elimination
Directions: In this section each item consists of six sentences that comprise a passage. The first and sixth sentences are given in the beginning as S1 and S6. The sequence of the four sentences in the middle, labelled as P, Q, R and S, has been jumbled. You are required to find the proper sequence of the four jumbled sentences and mark your response on the Answer Sheet accordingly.
S1: People fall down from staircases in different ways in different countries.
S6: This is because for the Americans, their home is usually the only place where they regularly use the stairs.
P: They rely, instead, on the ease and safety of lifts and escalators which are ubiquitous in such places.
Q: This is not because the Japanese are more reckless staircase users, but simply because Americans don't much use the stairs in public places.
R: Staircase injuries, therefore, happen mostly in the home.
S: For instance, someone in Japan is far more likely to be hurt in a staircase fall in an office, department store or railway station than is anyone in the United States.
Directions: In the following question, the first and the last sentences of the passage are numbered S1 and S6. The rest of the passage is split into four parts named P, Q, R and S. These four parts are not given in their proper order. Read the passage and find out which of the four combinations is correct.
Solving fully before looking at the options
Building the whole order costs time and invites a wrong guess in the middle. One proven link usually removes two or three options; use the options early.
Testing what the options share
If two options agree on the first two letters, those letters cannot separate them. Test only the place where they differ.
Striking on a feeling
Strike an option only on a link you can point to: a pronoun, a pointer, a linker, a date or a count. If two orders both read smoothly, find the signal word that decides between them before you mark.
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)
- The right pair in the wrong order→ Two sentences that must sit together
- A pair that is only likely→ Two sentences that must sit together
- Missing the third member→ Two sentences that must sit together
- Solving fully before looking at the options→ Use the options: test one link at a time
- Testing what the options share→ Use the options: test one link at a time
- Striking on a feeling→ Use the options: test one link at a time
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.