Select the correct option in increasing order of number of main strings in the instruments :

Question

Accepted Answer

The correct option is 1:
To answer this question, students must recall the standard number of main playing strings for each instrument. The **Violin** is universally known as a four-string instrument. The standard acoustic or electric **Guitar** typically features six main strings. The classical Indian **Sitar** is traditionally played on seven main strings, though it also has 11 to 13 sympathetic strings which are not considered the primary playing strings. Finally, the **Mandolin** features eight strings, organized into four courses or pairs. Therefore, the increasing order of main strings is: Violin (4) \< Guitar (6) \< Sitar (7) \< Mandolin (8), which corresponds correctly to Option 1.

The incorrect option is 2:
This option suggests the order Mandolin (8), Violin (4), Guitar (6), Sitar (7). This sequence is incorrect because the number of strings starts at 8, immediately drops to 4 for the Violin, and then increases to 6 and 7. The requirement is for a strictly *increasing* order of string counts. The initial placement of Mandolin, which has the highest number of main strings (8), makes this order fundamentally flawed. The subsequent placement of the Violin breaks the increasing trend completely. For an increasing order, the instrument with 4 strings must come first.

The incorrect option is 3:
This option presents the order Violin (4), Mandolin (8), Guitar (6), Sitar (7). While the Violin correctly starts the sequence with the lowest count (4), the placement of the Mandolin (8) as the second instrument is erroneous. Following the Mandolin, the string counts drop back down to 6 for the Guitar and 7 for the Sitar. Since 8 is greater than both 6 and 7, this arrangement does not maintain the required increasing order of the number of main strings.

The incorrect option is 4:
The proposed order is Guitar (6), Violin (4), Sitar (7), Mandolin (8). This option fails the test for an increasing order right from the start. The Guitar, with its 6 strings, is incorrectly placed before the Violin, which has only 4 strings. An increasing sequence must begin with the Violin, as it has the fewest main strings. The counts start at 6, immediately drop to 4, and then rise again, which is not the correct arrangement.