Select the option that represents the correct order of the given words as they would appear in an English dictionary.

Question

Select the option that represents the correct order of the given words as they would appear in an English dictionary.

i. Appear

ii. Approach

iii. Approximate

iv. Apparition

v. Apparel

1. A. iv, v, i, ii, iii
2. B. iv, i, v, ii, iii
3. C. v, iv, i, ii, iii (Correct answer)
4. D. v, i, iv, ii, iii

Correct Answer

Option C — v, iv, i, ii, iii

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is v, iv, i, ii, iii.

Key Points

• All five words begin with appa/appe/appr, so compare letter by letter from the fourth character.
• Apparel and Apparition share "appar"; the sixth letters are e and i, so Apparel comes first, then Apparition.
• Appear has e as its fourth letter, which follows a in "appar".
• Approach and Approximate share "appro"; comparing the sixth letters, a precedes x.
• Dictionary order is therefore Apparel, Apparition, Appear, Approach, Approximate — that is v, iv, i, ii, iii.

Additional Information

• Dictionary ordering compares words character by character from the left, and the first point of difference decides the order — later letters are irrelevant once a difference is found.
• Where one word is an exact prefix of another, the shorter word comes first (*app* before *apple*).
• The practical shortcut is to skip the identical opening letters and start comparing from the first position where the words diverge, which here is the fourth character.