The last question in each TOEFL reading passage is the “prose summary” question. Here the test taker must pick three sentences (from six) that summarize the key points of the passage. Students often ask if the order in which they select the sentences matter. For instance, here’s a question posted to Reddit today:
As you know, the last type of question is a summary question in the reading section. I came across some comments saying that the order of the answers matters, is that really true? And if yes, what does it exactly mean? The alphabetical order (like C, D, then E answer) or the order according to the paragraphs (so the right order could be at first D, then E and C – because the information goes like that).
The answer is: the order does not matter. Your choices can be listed in any order.
For proof, here is a paragraph from the most recent Official Guide to to the TOEFL, published by ETS:
