The Paragraphs in This Essay Are Out of Order

question 3

Multiple Choice

The paragraphs in this essay are out of order. Select the best order for an essay. ​
Moving From Red to Black
(a) _____ Now, I'm happy to report that my three-step plan worked for me. It wasn't always easy, but I stayed strong and determined, and my hard work paid off. Today, I carry zero balances on my credit cards, have money in the bank, and should be able to afford my new car very soon!
(b) _____ The first thing I did was to figure out my goals, and I decided that I wanted to achieve three things. I wanted to pay off my credit cards, I wanted to have a savings account for emergencies, and I wanted to start saving money for a down payment on a new car. It was important to decide on these goals at the outset because they determined how I completed the next step in the process.
(c) _____ Two years ago, my finances were a complete mess. I had a job, but I was in debt, I had no money saved, and I was living paycheck to paycheck. I was just one emergency away from a total disaster, so I resolved to change my financial situation. I knew that the solution did not have to involve winning the lottery or trying to find a higher-paying job. I just needed to do some things differently. So I decided to improve my financial health by following a three-step money management plan.
(d) _____ After creating a budget, I stuck to it. I'll be honest: this was sometimes difficult to do. Temptations to stray were always arising. For example, it was hard to have to pass up opportunities to go to concerts and to resist buying new clothes because I didn't have enough left over in my budget. But I stuck to my plan and kept reducing my expenses in order to have the extra cash to pay for my credit card debts and save a little. I also resisted every impulse to get something I wanted by charging it.
(e) _____ Once I knew what my goals were, I drew up a monthly budget. I listed all of my fixed expenses, such as rent, phone bill, and credit card payments. Then I budgeted extra money toward my credit card payments so that I could get them paid off. I also set aside a monthly amount to add to my savings account. Once I did that, I had very little money left over for entertainment and nonessentials, like a Netflix subscription. However, I kept reminding myself that I would be able to buy these kinds of things once I met my goals.

• A) c, b, e, d, a
• B) b, e, c, a, d
• C) c, a, b, d, e

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Definitions:

25%

Represents a quarter or one-fourth of a total amount, often used to describe a portion, increase, or interest rate.

Canadian Dollar

The official currency of Canada, represented by the symbol CAD or C$.

Euro

The official currency of the Eurozone, which is used by most European Union countries.

Percentage Terms

A way of expressing values or changes as a fraction of 100, used to describe proportions relative to a whole.