Paragraph Organization: How to Arrange Jumbled Sentences Quickly

Paragraph organization is one of the six items in the official Verbal Ability scope of the Civil Service Exam. A typical item gives four or five sentences in jumbled order and asks for the arrangement that forms a logical paragraph. These items look slow, but with the right method most can be solved in under a minute. This guide shows that method.

Why the order is never random

A well-written paragraph has a structure: it introduces a topic, develops it, and ends with a result, conclusion or final point. The sentences contain clues that reveal this structure. Your job is to find the clues.

Step 1: Find the opening sentence

The first sentence usually:

• introduces the topic in general terms;
• does not depend on any other sentence, so it does not begin with this, they, it, however, also or as a result;
• often names the subject in full, such as “The town opened a new bypass road last year”, rather than “It”.

Test each sentence by asking: “Could a paragraph begin with this?” Usually only one or two can.

Step 2: Follow the pronouns

Pronouns point back to something already mentioned.

• “Trucks now use it instead of passing through the centre.” “It” must come after the sentence that introduces the road.
• “This has reduced traffic.” “This” refers to an idea or event just described.

If a sentence contains a pronoun, the sentence it refers to must come earlier.

Step 3: Use transition words

Transition words show how sentences relate.

Transition	Signals	Position
First, To begin	start of a sequence	early
Then, Next, After that	continuation	middle
Finally, Lastly	end of a sequence	last
However, But, Even so	contrast	after the idea it contrasts
As a result, Therefore, So	effect or conclusion	after the cause
For example, For instance	illustration	after the general point
Also, In addition, Moreover	adding a point	after the first point

Step 4: Look for natural order

Even without transitions, events follow a logical order:

• Time order: what happened first comes first.
• Process order: filing comes before evaluation, which comes before a decision.
• General to specific: a general statement, then details or examples.
• Cause to effect: a cause, then its result.

Step 5: Use the options

You rarely need to build the order from scratch. Once you know the first sentence, eliminate every option that starts differently. Then check one or two pronoun or transition links to choose among the rest.

A worked example

(1) This has reduced traffic in the town centre. (2) The town opened a new bypass road last year. (3) As a result, travel time to the market has fallen. (4) Trucks now use it instead of passing through the centre.

• Opening: only (2) introduces the topic without depending on anything. Start with 2.
• Pronoun: (4) uses “it” for the road, so it follows (2).
• “This”: (1) refers to trucks avoiding the centre, so it follows (4).
• “As a result”: (3) gives a further effect, so it comes last.
• Order: 2-4-1-3.

Another example, with a contrast

(1) For example, they may plant vegetables in containers. (2) Many city residents have little land. (3) Even so, they can still grow some of their own food. (4) This saves money and space.

• Opening: (2) states the situation.
• Contrast: (3) “Even so” turns the problem into a possibility.
• Example: (1) “For example” illustrates (3).
• “This”: (4) refers to the container gardening in (1).
• Order: 2-3-1-4.

Common traps

• A sentence that sounds like a conclusion but is really an example. Check for “for example”.
• Two possible openings. Choose the one that is more general; the other usually becomes the second sentence.
• Ignoring small words. Words like also, then and this carry most of the clues.

The same skills help elsewhere

Recognising topic sentences, pronoun references and transitions also helps with reading comprehension (finding the main idea) and sentence structure (choosing the right connector). Practise all three together with our sentence structure and paragraph organization set and the reading comprehension passages.