Para Jumbles: is there a reliable opener-sentence test?

✓ Accepted answer

Three positive signals for the opening sentence — all three should ideally be present: 1. No dangling reference: the sentence introduces its subject without using 'this,' 'these,' 'such,' 'that,' 'they,' or any pronoun that implies something was said before. If the sentence begins with 'This problem is widespread...' it can never open. 2. Broad before narrow: opening sentences typically establish the topic at its widest scope before the paragraph narrows. A sentence defining a term, stating a general trend, or identifying a historical context often opens. 3. No transitional word: 'however,' 'therefore,' 'thus,' 'but,' 'so,' 'yet,' 'nonetheless,' 'despite this' — all imply a prior statement. A sentence using these cannot be first. The forward-check: once you have a candidate opener, ask — can the second candidate logically follow this one? If the opener introduces concept X and the next sentence elaborates on X, you have a valid pair. Lock them in that order before attempting the rest. For TITA (no options): work with pairs and chains. The opener narrows your uncertainty from 4! = 24 arrangements to 3! = 6. Finding one more forced pair (a pronoun in sentence 3 that must refer to the subject introduced in sentence 2) reduces it to 2 arrangements, which you can usually evaluate directly.