Sequential questions do not order elements in space. Sequential questions can be classified according to the criteria used to order the elements:
- Chronological (before, after, etc.)
- Quantifiable (size, height, etc.)
- Ranking (first, second, etc.)
Chronological Questions
Chronological questions order elements in a time-sequence. For example, Jamshaid was born before Ghafoor who was born before Kamran who was born before Salma. In the line-up questions that we studied earlier, the elements were ordered spatially. In chronological ordering questions, the elements are ordered sequentially. This is true of many of the questions that we will study here. Because these questions are sequential in nature, their diagrams can be quite different from those used to solve spatial and hybrid questions.
One of the most common and efficient types of diagrams is the flow chart. In these diagrams the
elements are connected by arrows.
In general, a question with no fixed elements should be solved using a flow chart.
In constructing a flow chart, follow these guidelines:
- Look for a condition that starts the “flow”.
- Build the chart around the element that occurs in the greatest number of conditions.
- Keep the chart flexible; it will probably have to evolve with the changing conditions.