The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the most logical order and enter the sequence of numbers in the space provided. In established companies, putting in extra hours is usually a way to get ahead. Elon Musk once said that no one ever changed the world on a 40-hour workweek. They are less likely to be promoted too. There are also other ways to approach this question. You might argue that the optimal workweek is defined by output, not hours. You might say that this is one for policy makers. How long people actually work is not the same as how long they ought to. Jobs, incomes and cultural norms vary so wildly that there is no right answer. Nine to five is still alive. Sort of. A new survey of labour-force data finds that the world’s adult employed population works an average of 42 hours a week.

IPMAT Indore 2026 · Verbal Ability · Question 43

IPMAT Indore 2026 previous year question on Para Jumbles, with the answer and a step-by-step solution.

Para JumblesVerbal AbilityType in the answer (TITA)Medium

The sentences given below, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a number. Decide on the most logical order and enter the sequence of numbers in the space provided.

In established companies, putting in extra hours is usually a way to get ahead. Elon Musk once said that no one ever changed the world on a 40-hour workweek. They are less likely to be promoted too.
There are also other ways to approach this question. You might argue that the optimal workweek is defined by output, not hours. You might say that this is one for policy makers.
How long people actually work is not the same as how long they ought to. Jobs, incomes and cultural norms vary so wildly that there is no right answer.
Nine to five is still alive. Sort of. A new survey of labour-force data finds that the world’s adult employed population works an average of 42 hours a week.

Answer & solution

Answer: 1432

Step 1 — spot the closer first. Sentence 2 opens “There are also other ways to approach this question.” Also and other both point backwards, so 2 must come last — and “this question” needs a question to have been raised.

Step 2 — the opener. Sentence 1 sets up the cultural premise: in established companies, long hours are how you get ahead, backed by the Musk quotation. It introduces the subject of working hours without referring back.

Step 3 — bring in the data. Sentence 4 answers the premise with evidence: “Nine to five is still alive. Sort of” — the survey finding of 42 hours a week.

Step 4 — raise the question. Sentence 3 draws the distinction between how long people actually work and how long they ought to, concluding “there is no right answer”. This is “this question” that sentence 2 then refers to.

Step 5 — the sequence.

1\to 4\to 3\to 2

A note on the source: sentence 1 as printed ends “They are less likely to be promoted too”, where “They” has no clear antecedent within the sentence — the official paper appears to carry a typographical slip here. The intended order is unaffected.

Answer: 1432

Shortcut. Work backwards from sentence 2: “also other ways to approach this question” is doubly backward-looking, so it is last and something before it must pose a question. Sentence 3 is the only one that does — so 3 is second-last, and the rest follows.

IPMAT Indore 2026 · Verbal Ability · Question 43

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