Detail Explanations for English Entrance Exam with Exam Techniques on: "Word Order/Jumbled Words Questions": By Million Abebe (MA in English/in TEFL and B. Ed. Degree in Pedagogy): 2023



Overview
This explanation includes two sections:
  • Exam Techniques: How to Answer Questions about Word Order/Jumbled Words"
  • Detail Explanation
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Section-1: Exam Techniques: How to Answer Questions about Word Order/Jumbled Words"

1. Problem : Using Long Method (Traditional Method)
To answer questions about ‘sentence’, mostly, many students use Traditional way (common sense). They read the whole sentence and then try to see if it gives sense or not. This method may help to answer some questions, but it does not help us to know WHY meaningless sentences are meaningless. If you use meaningfulness + elimination techniques, you will be able to answer any question about sentence.
2. Techniques: Meaningfulness + Elimination: 
This is short method! To use the techniques, rather than reading the whole sentence and trying to understand its correctness or meaningfulness:
Take the first two or three words and check their order whether each of them is grammatically correct and meaningful.
♦ If the first group of words is correct, do the same to the next phrase. 
♦ If one of them (the groups of words) is
meaningfulness, eliminate that choice.
Break →Testing→ Eliminating
Explanations
Q. Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct?
A. She very hard worked last week at school.
B. She last week very hard worked at school.
C. She worked very hard at school last week.
D. She worked at school very hard last week.
Explanation-1
Choices A&B will be eliminated since in both choices the subject (She) is not followed by verb (worked). Now, you have got 50% probability. In this sentence, you are given three adverbs:
  • very hard: manner
  • at school: place
  • last week: time
Therefore, based on the above technique (FMPT), choice D will be eliminated since the adverb at school which is adverb of place comes first.
Ans. C
Note:
If you want first to practice questions, click here for Worksheet on Word Order (Entrance)!

Section-2: Detail Explanation
Q. Stage the is it  that she were on high time. (G-12: Entrance: 2015S)
A. She is on high time that were it the stage.
B. It is hight time that she were on the stage.
C. She is on high time that it were the stage.
D. It is the stage that she were on high time.
Explanation-2
You could answer this question in one step, taking 'high time' as clue. 
'High time' is one of the ways to express unrealistic conditions/used to show something delayed (take more time than expected). 
Form: It is high time/it is time/it is about time ... subject + simple past (verb2/were) with all subjects.
Based this, eliminate all the choices that don't begin with this structure; all the choices must be eliminated except choice B.
Ans. B 
Q. Big-Bang theory the world scientist who introduced the was a prominent Stephen Hawkings. (G-12: Entrance: 2015S)
A. The world scientist who introduced the Big-Bang theory was a prominent Stephen Hawkings.
B. Stephen Hawkings introduced the world to a Big Bang theory who was a prominent scientist.
C. The prominent scientist who introduced a world to Big-Bang theory was Stephen Hawkings.
D. Stephen Hawkings was a prominent scientist who introduced the world to the Big-Bang theory. 
Explanation-3
In this sentence, it is clear that the subject/doer is 'Stephen Hawkings'; the words 'prominent' and 'scientist' describe Stephen Hawkings. Eliminate all the choices that don't begin with  'Stephen Hawkings' (as the subject): choices A and C must be eliminated. Using 'who' as clue, choice B must be eliminated. Because 'who', 'that' and 'which' are relative pronouns that are used directly after the nouns (subject) they describe in relative clauses. 
Ans. D
Q. Their a generation is like passing killing students in  exams who have actually failed. (G-12: Entrance: 2015N)
A. Passing students who have actually failed in their exams is like killing a generation.
B. Passing a generation is like killing students who have actually failed in their exams.
C. Passing students in their exams is like a generation who have actually failed killing.
D. Killing a generation is like passing students in their exams who have actually failed.
Explanation-4
Using 'who' as a clue, choices C and D must be eliminated; due to the fact that the relative pronouns 'who', 'that' and 'which' are used directly after the nouns (subject) they describe in relative clauses. Here, in this sentence, 'who' refers to students, not exams (see D) and generation (see C). Using the word 'passing' as a clue, choice B must be eliminated because it goes with students not with generation.
Ans. A
Q. Was the spot down at the criminal gunned right. (G-12: Entrance: 2000) 
A. The spot was gunned down right at the criminal. 
B. The right spot was gunned down at the criminal.
C. The right spot at the criminal was gunned down. 
D. The criminal was gunned down right at the spot.
Explanation-5
We can answer this question by applying ‘Meaningfulness Technique’ and Extending Clue Technique. *[NB. Spot means place, gun down means shoot by bullet/gun]
Look each choice of the above question. Take sentence on choice A and break into different words/group of words. Then test the meaningfulness of each group of words/phrases.
In choice A, ‘The spot’ is the phrase before the verb (was gunned down). This phrase (‘The spot’) could not be the subject of this sentence. Because ‘spot’ is place, it could not be gunned down/ shoot. It is a place where the action (gunning down) was done. It is meaningless here. Eliminate A. You have 3/4 probability.
The reason why sentence A is eliminated is that the usage of the word ‘spot’ as subject is incorrect. So, by ‘Extending Clue Technique’, look other choices in which the word ‘spot’ is used as subject and eliminate them.In choices B & C the word ‘spot’ is used as the subject: The right spot.... All are eliminated except D. 
Ans. D
Q. Mammo dog the skinny killed. (G-12: Entrance: 2007)
A. Mammo the skinny dog killed.
B. Skinny dog killed the Mammo.
C. Skinny the dog Mammo killed.
D. The skinny dog killed Mammo.
Explanation-6
Look this question, let’s take choice /sentence A and break into different words or group of words and see whether the groups of words are meaningful (separately and together) or not. Mammo/ the skinny dog killed. The word Mammo, name of person can be used at the beginning as subject (meaningful); the groups of words ‘the skinny dog killed’ is also meaningful. But when we put them together, they are meaningless. Because, the meaning is Mammo is dog. Eliminate choice A.
Brief Rule
Rule1: transitive verb: Additionally, the word ‘killed’ is transitive verb, it needs object after it. ‘Killed what?’ In English sentence: S+V+O. Look also choice C the verb ‘killed’ is used at the end. Eliminate C.
Rule 2: Article the is not used before proper nouns, especially with people’s names (the Million, the Abiy....). So the Mammo on choice B is incorrect. 
Ans. D
Q. Looking have we over you all been for. (G-12: Entrance: 2005)
A. We have been looking for you all over.
B. We all have been looking over for you.
C. You have been looking for we all over.
D. All over you have been looking for we.
Explanation-7
In the above question, the group of words are meaningful up to ‘we’, but when put these group of words (Y ou have been looking for) with ‘we’ it will be meaningless. As the sentence is affirmative, the order is S+V+O. After ‘for’ object is needed but ‘we’ is subject. So, eliminate choice A; take this as clue and look for other choices in which the word ‘we’ is used in place of object. Look choice D; eliminate it. ‘Looking for’ is phrasal verb, the preposition ‘for’ must be used with ‘looking’, it should not be separated. Eliminate choice B. 
Ans. C
Q. Plane I by travelling hate. (G-12: Entrance: 2008A)
A. By plane I hate travelling.
B. Travelling by plane I hate.
C. I hate travelling by plane.
D. I hate by plane travelling.
Explanation-8
We can answer this question by applying meaningfulness technique. Let’s begin by breaking sentence A into different groups of words and test their meaningfulness (separately and also together). Sometimes, some groups of words could be meaningful separately but meaningless when put together. For example, in ‘By plane/ I hate travelling’, the group or phrase ‘By plane’ is meaningful because we can say by car, by plane, by cycle.... “I hate travelling” is also meaningful as we can say or have this type of word orders (I/We/They hate writing/talking/ reading….).
But when we put them (the first and the second groups of words), they will be meaningless. So, eliminate choice A. Because they were interchanged, their places were exchanged. The sentence is declarative (SVO), it should begin with subject. The subject of this sentence could be "I".
Let’s exchange the places by putting “I hate travelling” first and “ by plane” second. We can get “I hate travelling by plane.” So, eliminate all choices except C. 
Ans. C
Q. World I the sail to around want. (G-12: Entrance: 2005)
A. To sail around the world I want.
B. I want around the world to sail.
C. I want to sail around the world.
D. Around the world I want to sail.
Explanation-9
(Sail means travelling on water body by ship…) “To sail around the world” / “I want.” Both groups could be meaningful separately because we can say /have word order like this (To sail around the country/city/ continent… I/We/ They want...). But when put together both groups of words, they will be meaningless. A is meaningless; we eliminate it.
The reason is that their positions were interchanged. Because the sentence is ‘declarative’, it should begin with subject. When we exchange (rearrange) the position, we can get meaningful sentence. “I want to sail around the world.”
Ans. D
Q. Next do in who class to sit? (G-12: Entrance: 2003)
A. Who do you sit next to in class? 
B. Next who do you sit in to class?
C. To who next do you sit in class? 
D. Who next to do you sit in 
Explanation-10
This question is about ‘interrogative sentence’. As a rule the word order in ‘question sentence’ should begin with ‘Wh-words or AV’. So, choice B&C could be eliminated (why?). Choice D will be eliminated by ‘Wh-word + AV’ rule.
Ans. A














 

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