Numerical answer
Five jumbled sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4, 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Public libraries are often described as the last truly free public spaces, places where no one is expected to buy anything.
2. The printing press made books cheap enough that private collections spread beyond monasteries and aristocratic households.
3. In many cities they have quietly taken on roles far beyond lending books: job-search help, internet access, shelter from heat or cold.
4. Librarians increasingly find themselves acting as informal social workers, guiding visitors towards housing, health and legal services.
5. This expanded mission, however, has rarely been matched by expanded budgets or training.
1. Public libraries are often described as the last truly free public spaces, places where no one is expected to buy anything.
2. The printing press made books cheap enough that private collections spread beyond monasteries and aristocratic households.
3. In many cities they have quietly taken on roles far beyond lending books: job-search help, internet access, shelter from heat or cold.
4. Librarians increasingly find themselves acting as informal social workers, guiding visitors towards housing, health and legal services.
5. This expanded mission, however, has rarely been matched by expanded budgets or training.
Show answer and solution
Answer: 2
The paragraph is about the *present-day* social role of public libraries: 1 introduces libraries as free public spaces → 3 ('they' = public libraries) lists their widening roles → 4 describes librarians as informal social workers → 5 ('This expanded mission') notes the lack of matching funding.
Sentence 2 is about the printing press and the spread of *private* book collections. It is a historical point about book ownership, not about public libraries' current mission, and nothing in 1, 3, 4 or 5 refers back to it.
Trap: 2 contains the word 'books', which makes it look related, but it breaks the 1→3 link, where 'they' must refer to public libraries.
Sentence 2 is about the printing press and the spread of *private* book collections. It is a historical point about book ownership, not about public libraries' current mission, and nothing in 1, 3, 4 or 5 refers back to it.
Trap: 2 contains the word 'books', which makes it look related, but it breaks the 1→3 link, where 'they' must refer to public libraries.
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