Paragraph cohesion

The cohesion of a paragraph depends largely on the order in which the ideas are
presented. This is especially true in introductory paragraphs, which should begin with
the broadest statement about the topic and narrow to the specific topic to be addressed.
Look at this paragraph, which introduces an essay on the potential of garlic to treat
cancer. Can you identify the topic sentence?

Garlic has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (Aboul-Enein
and Aboul-Enein, 2005), and possess anti-microbial (Sivam, 2001) and
antioxidant properties (Imai et al., 1994). This essay will explore research into
garlic's potential roles in reducing cancer risk and in treating cancer. Garlic
(Allium sativum L.) has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Its use
for healing purposes can be traced back as far as 1550BC when documentations of
its therapeutic use first appear in Egypt (Hassan, 2003; Rivlin, 2001). In modern
times belief in the beneficial effects of garlic on health has led to it being used for
a number of conditions.
Answer of Above Activity:

Just as the connection between the topic sentence and the supporting sentences in a
paragraph must be clear, so must the connections between the sentences themselves
be clear. Otherwise the paragraph can appear disjointed or even incoherent.

This is achieved by use of the following:

EXERCISE NO. 01:

Arrange the sentences A, B, C,D and E to form a logical

sequence & to construct a coherent paragraph.

 A.  Whatever the reasons may be, the effects are disastrous leading to both physical and
mental ailments like insomnia, hypertension and nervous breakdown etc.

B.   According to psychologists it is the result of fear due to  inexperience,

deprivation, isolation and feeling of inferiority among them.

C.  It is a matter of  grave concern that ‘stress’ or ‘mental pressure’ has emerged as a
deadly and silent killer for teenagers of the day.

D.  In order to prevent these catastrophic diseases, children need to be taught to ‘de-stress
themselves’ through meditation or cultural activities and this will inculcate feelings of  self
confidence in them and inspire them to  face the realities of life in a  better way.

E.   If they are observed closely, this all owes to undue pressure on their mind due to
unhealthy competitions and sky rocketing expectations of their parents and teachers from
them.

(Answer:  CBEAD )

EXERCISE NO. 2.
Arrange the sentences A,  B, C,D and E to form a logical
sequence & to construct a coherent paragraph. 

A. So basically, we should  communicate when the time is right, to the right recipient,
sending the right message using the right channel with utmost care because ultimately the
success of our message depends on the result we achieve after the communication.

B. Nowadays,workforce is mostly multicultural, i.e. teams have players with different cultural
backgrounds and this makes the scenario all the more difficult for selection of
communication channels and contents.

C. Experts suggest that humour should be strictly avoided because it is like a perfume and
you never know when and who it will hurt.  But one should be cautious that the image is not
damaged even if our recipients do not get our humour.
D.  Globalization and liberalization of economy has created another challenge for
professionals besides those inherent in the phenomenon of communication to  decide when
to communicate,what to communicate and who to communicate.

E. Communication etiquette differs from culture to culture  and therefore in order to make
our communication effective, we will have to understand the cultural background of our
recipients and be sensitive to that. 

(Answer : DBECA)

EXERCISE NO. 03:

Arrange the following jumbled sentences in a way so as to

make a meaningful paragraph. Mention the alphabets marked
against each sentence in order as answer.   

A. But sometimes, the persons of opposite nature also come closer fall in each other’s
company by accident,chance or out of ignorance vitiating the above statement to some
extent.

B. If a man moves in the  company of good, gentle and noble people, he is usually
adjudged to be a gentleman.

C. It is usual for a man to see company of those who possess tastes, tendencies and
temperaments like his own.

D.On the other side, if he keeps company with evil persons and bad characters, he is
considered to  be a man of bad character.

E.Generally, the character and conduct of a person  is gauged by the kinds of people he
mixes and moves with.

(Answer:   EBDCA)
Exercise No. 4

Arrange the following jumbled sentences in a way so as to

make a meaningful paragraph. Mention the alphabets marked
against each sentence in order as answer.   

A. With the passage of  time, vices become more apparent and virtues become objects of
jealousy and envy, thereby causing contempt and hatred in the hearts of each  other.

B. They become familiar with not only strengths but also weaknesses of each other’s
characters.

C. Generally people think that familiarity should breed love, mutual understanding and
tolerance.

D. They expect that coming together of two persons should bring them closer and forge the
bond of kinship between them. 
E. But when two persons come closer, they come to know not only strengths but also
weaknesses of each other’s character. 

(Answer : CDEBA)

Rearrangement of Jumbled Sentences to make a Meaningful

Paragraph -
Important Points to note :

1. Generally there is a central point,idea, thought or a personality about

which a paragraph is written Try to locate the sentence which contains
such matter. Mostly such a sentence forms the first or the last sentence
of the paragraph.

2. There are two methods to describe the central idea. First in the
opening sentence a central point is mentioned. Thereafter the
sentences following that give logical description or details of that and
for that some examples are given. In second method some facts are
given in the opening sentences of the paragraph and their result is
given in the concluding lines. Try to find out the sentence containing
the central idea and arrange the remaining sentences accordingly. 

3. Sentences containing proper nouns i.e. names of persons,places or

buildings etc or abstract nouns like qualities i.e. goodness or beauty etc
come in the opening line or in the few starting lines of the paragraph.

4. Sentences containing pronouns like he,his, him, she,her, they,their,

them or first or last part of a name come in subsequent part of the
paragraph.

5. Pronouns like it, this that, these or those show that these mention
about the topic already detailed in the sentences preceding them. So
these sentences generally do not form the first line of the paragraph.   

6. Sentences containing words like therefore, But, And or resultantly

etc.come in the central part of the paragraph. The first sentence of the
paragraph may contain introductory details of something and the last
line of the paragraph contains conclusions of some logical details.

7. Sometimes words like initially, eventually,finally ensuing,proceeding,

following or mentioned below or above in the sentence also indicate
the location of that particular sentence in the paragraph.

8. In some paragraphs there are sentences giving statements in favour

of or against  an argument. Try to sort out and arrange sentences of
both types separately. This helps in framing the paragraph.

To explain all this here are some examples.

Q. No. 1.

The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below are
in correct order, arrange the sentences A,B,C & D  in the correct order. Choose the correct set
as given in options below.

X. Cholesterol is a waxy fat-like substance.

A. It is used by the body to build cell walls and essential harmones.

B. Cholesterol is carried through the blood by particles called lipoproteins.
C. The  body absorbs it from the animal fats one eats.
D. It is produced by  liver.

Y. Lipoproteins are of two types Low density and High density Lipoproteins.

 Answer: DCAB

The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below are
in correct order, arrange the sentences ABCD in the correct order. Choose the correct set as
given in options below.

Q. No. 2.

X. Various studies have found that there is a huge skill gap i.e. the skill set required by the
employers and the skill set which job aspirants possess.

A. Employers always seek employees with proper skill set to enhance productivity and
reduce cost.
B. Basically skill is a learned capacity to perform a task with least possible resources, time
and efforts that enhances the productivity of the employee.
C. Employers seek both hard and soft skills in prospective employees.
D.  Skill is the key in performance of any task.

Y. Hard skills explain technical and logical aspects of a task and soft skills help an employee
to accomplish a task effectively with a  positive spirit and creativity.

Answer: DBAC
The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below are in
correct order, arrange the sentences ABCD in the correct order. Choose the correct set as given
in options below.

Q. No. 3.
X. Community colleges are the colleges which provide skill based education as per the
need of local community.

A. Thus these colleges will be strategically located nearby some industry and small
community or village so that it supplied the requisite manpower to the industry and
employment to the community and village.
B.These colleges will be blessings for those students who are forced to leave their
studies to earn livelihood and after some time they have time to study further.
C. Community colleges will run short term courses which do not require any previous
qualifications.
D.These colleges will provide courses designed guided and monitored by local
community and industry preferably through local community language.

Y. Community colleges will build a true partnership of all i.e. local community, industry
and academia.

Answers :DACB
The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below are in
correct order, arrange the sentences ABCD in the correct order. Choose the correct set as given
in options below

Q. No. 4.
X. It is a general tendency among human beings that as our familiarity with a person
increases, our aversion towards him too starts going higher.

A. when the relationship grows deeper, it brings the   shortcomings and deficiencies of a
person to the fore front.
B. As the relationship starts, the good qualities of a person come into notice and these
attract the other towards him and his other qualities of lesser grade remain in the rear.
 C. The real qualities of a person are observed only when relationship with him becomes
closer and go to the level of intimacy.
D. No person on this earth can claim himself or herself to be free from defects and
shortcomings.
Y. A person by nature brings forth his better instincts and traits to show to others and
tends to hide his weak points and shortcomings.

Answer: BCAD.
The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below
are in correct order, arrange the sentences ABCD in the correct order. Choose the
correct set as given in options below

Q.5
X. Traffic congestion is the obvious fallout of urbanization and economic development.

A. In fact in most of the parking slots it is not the dearth of space but its improper
utilization that creates parking mess in a majority of the planned cities even.
 B. The problem stems from the failure of urban planning and the absence of a long term
vision.
C. No doubt the vehicle density in various cities of India where a majority of households
own personal vehicles is adding to the parking woes.
D. That well planned cities too would come to face a shortage of parking space is a sad
commentary on the civic authorities and underlines its failure to take a suitable action.

Y. Besides this,  is the need of an efficient public transport system that will not only
tackle parking woes, but also help combat air pollution.

Ans: CBDA.
The first and the last sentences or parts of the sentences  X & Y respectively given below
are in correct order, arrange the sentences ABCD in the correct order. Choose the
correct set as given in options below

Q 6.
X. Obesity is the fastest growing medical problem all across the world and has a huge
negative impact in society. It is characterized by the excessive accumulation and storage
of fat in the body.
A. Prevention is the first and foremost treatment of every condition. Therefore in order to
fight obesity excess weight in childhood should not be ignored.
B.The excessive calories taken in by way of unhealthy ways of eating and overeating
must be burnt to avoid overweight and this can be achieved by exercise, playing sports
and changing dieting habits.
C. There are severe health complications related to obesity. It is  the single- most cause
of several  associated diseases like diabetes, High Blood pressure, heart attack, brain
stroke, blindness, kidney failure and  nerve damage etc.
D. It is considered a social stigma as obese people most often become a laughing stock
and are incapable to perform any task due to their excess weight.

Y. It is of the utmost need to create awareness about obesity among people of all ages
and areas as they are not aware of the serious complications related to obesity.

Ans: DCBA.

Q 7.
X. Changes resulting from human specific activities are the primary cause of global
warming which is leading to alterations in the weather patterns and climatic conditions
world over.

A. The reason behind global warming and consequent climate change is well established
now that atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases have increased to an
enormous level.
B. As a result, total radiation energy received by the earth system is higher and carbon
dioxide is playing the pivotal role in this regard.
C. Earth’s atmosphere permits large part of solar radiation to pass through which carries
energy to the earth’s surface.
D. There the energy gets converted into infra-red radiation and moves upward resulting
in keeping the atmosphere of earth warm and this warming is called greenhouse effect.

Y. An immediate action at global level is urgently needed to reduce the emission of

greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide of which the main source are fossil fuels.

 Ans:CDAB 
Q8
X. In a democratic country like India disenchantment of voters is really a matter of  great
concern and is indeed a  point of deeper analysis.

A. Since the different parties' purpose is to win, the reality comes before the public long
after it is all over.

B. The result is that voters flip from one party to another expecting better performance
than the last time.They also punish those who did not measure up to their standard. 

C. They,  keeping in view the immediate needs of the public, make too many
promises which are mostly hard to implement.
D. Over the years, elections have become only a futile exercise of tall promises and very
little implementation. 

Y. Whatever the case, there is one message for all secular parties that the voters are
yearning for a secular and democratic governance which we all  hard earned from our
independence struggle.

Ans : DACB

Q 9.
X. It is a known fact that food and medicines are priceless gifts that trees and forests
generously give us but the services these provide, often referred to as ecosystem
services, are far more significant.

 A. Besides controlling noise pollution by absorbing and blocking noise from the urban
environment, they provide manifold services including providing shade during summer
and shelter to many insects, animals and human beings but above all these, providing
oxygen-rich air which is indispensable for all from the smallest insect to the largest
animals.

B. Trees provide us life saving medicines, for instance, quinine from the cinchona tree
and salicyclic acid, the active compound of the most popular painkiller aspirin, from the
white willow. 

C. These improve the quality of air we breathe by absorbing dust and other air pollutants
such as ozone, carbonmonoxide and sulphur dioxide from the atmosphere.

D. They absorb toxic chemicals from the soil and fight soil erosion by keeping the soil
intact with their roots as webs of tree roots bind the soil and a canopy of leaves breaks
downpour of rain into gentle showers thereby percolating it through the soil into
underground aquifers and feeds streams and rivers.

 
Y. Like human beings, trees too grow, make their food, exchange gases from the
atmosphere and require water and like us, they too need  care to live and flourish,
  

Answer;BCAD
https://www.monash.edu/rlo/research-writing-assignments/writing/clear-communication/writing-
clear-paragraphs

http://blog.lessonenglishgrammar.com/2015/11/paragraph-rearrangement-of-jumbled.html

http://blog.lessonenglishgrammar.com/2013/10/Paragraph-Rearrangemennt-of-Sentences-to-make-it-
Meaningful.html

https://www.lessonenglishgrammar.com/usage/parajumbles-paragraph-rearrangement-of-jumbled-
sentences-to-form-a-paragraph-exercises-with-solutions/

https://www.lessonenglishgrammar.com/usage/paragraph-rearrangement-of-jumbled-sentences-cat-
para-jumble-questions/