Put the argument in the order it needs
A passage can contain good sentences and still fail because the ideas arrive in the wrong order. Organization questions ask you to see what the reader needs first, what a later sentence depends on, and how one idea should lead into the next. A transition works only when that relationship is already clear.
Find the idea another sentence depends on
Before deciding where a sentence belongs, identify what earlier idea it depends on. A sentence that refers back to a term, a claim, or a piece of evidence cannot come before the sentence that introduces that term, claim, or evidence.
Move a sentence by logic, not proximity
A sentence's correct position is determined by what it logically depends on and what depends on it, not by which sentence it currently sits closest to. Evaluate a proposed move by checking the logical chain, not by whether the sentence feels close to related material.
Read transitions as relationships
A transition word signals a specific logical relationship: addition, contrast, consequence, or concession. When reordering sentences, check whether the transition words already in the passage still make sense in the new order, or whether they now signal a relationship that no longer holds.
Choose the paragraph break that clarifies the argument
A paragraph break should separate one stage of an argument from the next, not simply mark a length limit. The right paragraph break makes a passage's structure easier to follow; a break placed in the middle of a single developing idea makes it harder.
Use development to decide what comes next
A well-organized passage develops one idea before introducing the next, rather than returning to an earlier idea after apparently leaving it. If a passage's structure requires a reader to return to a topic already covered, that is usually a sign the organization needs revision.
Recognize a sentence that arrives too early
A sentence that references information the reader has not yet received arrives too early, even if it would make sense in a slightly later position. Watch for pronouns, transitions, or claims that depend on context the passage has not yet supplied.
Keep examples beside the claim they support
An example separated from the claim it supports by unrelated material loses its force, even if both the example and the claim are individually well written. Examples work best placed immediately beside the specific claim they are meant to illustrate.
Read the revised order as one reasoning chain
After reordering sentences or paragraphs, read the passage straight through as a single reasoning chain. A revision that solves one local ordering problem can create a new one elsewhere if the passage is not checked as a whole.
Exam diamond. A sentence belongs wherever the logical chain requires it, not wherever it happens to sit. Check what each sentence depends on and what depends on it before deciding where it goes.
How to use this on the exam
On an organization question, number the sentences' dependencies before looking at the choices: mark every pronoun, transition, and reference back, and note which earlier sentence each one needs. Then test the proposed order by reading it straight through as one chain of reasoning.