Civil Service Exam Reviewer · Ordering of Sentences · hard

Arrange the following sentences to form a coherent paragraph, then choose the correct order: (1) Even this adjustment slightly overcorrects, because the true excess is a little less than a quarter of a day. (2) The Earth takes about 365 and one-quarter days to orbit the Sun. (3) Thus 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 was not. (4) A calendar of exactly 365 days therefore falls behind by about a quarter of a day each year. (5) For that reason, century years are not leap years unless they are divisible by 400. (6) To correct this, an extra day is added to February every four years.

4-2-6-1-5-3
2-6-4-1-5-3
2-4-6-1-5-3
2-4-6-1-3-5

Answer

C. 2-4-6-1-5-3

Solution

The correct order is 2-4-6-1-5-3. Each sentence picks up an idea from the one before it: The Earth takes about 365 and one-quarter days to orbit the Sun. A calendar of exactly 365 days therefore falls behind by about a quarter of a day each year. To correct this, an extra day is added to February every four years. Even this adjustment slightly overcorrects, because the true excess is a little less than a quarter of a day. For that reason, century years are not leap years unless they are divisible by 400. Thus 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 was not. Each wrong choice swaps just one pair of neighboring sentences, which breaks one of these links.

Answer

Solution

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