On my way home, I saw a …

Analyze the question: This tests the order of adjectives before a noun. English has a fixed order for stacking adjectives, and WASSCE often tests it.

Concept: the usual order of adjectives

Opinion → Size → Age → Shape → Colour → Origin → Material → Purpose → Noun

Another common way to remember it is: Opinion, Size, Age, Shape, Colour, Origin, Material, Purpose.

Applying it to the options:

The adjectives are:

• mad: describes a condition or quality of the person (a judgment or state, so it comes first)
• one-legged: a physical characteristic or condition
• young: age, which comes close to the noun

The natural order is therefore: mad → one-legged → young → man

Checking the options:

• A. one-legged young mad man: "mad" is too close to the noun, so the order is wrong
• B. young one-legged mad man: age comes first, which is wrong
• C. one-legged mad young man: "mad" is placed after "one-legged", which is wrong
• D. mad one-legged young man: this follows the order of quality or condition, then physical description, then age, then noun

Answer: D

Tip: When adjectives are stacked, the one about age (young, old) usually sits close to the noun, after opinion and condition words. Test each option by reading it aloud. "A mad one-legged young man" sounds the most natural.

One caution: adjective order here is partly a matter of idiom, so the exam board's key is the final guide.