What is the correct filing order for the following names? (1) Mrs. Roberta St. James (2) Ms. Rachael Ste. John (3) Mr. Robert St. John (4) Mr. Ronald St. John

What is the correct filing order for the following names? (1) Mrs. Roberta St. James (2) Ms. Rachael Ste. John (3) Mr. Robert St. John (4) Mr. Ronald St. John

• A. 3, 1, 2, 4
• B. 1, 4, 3, 2
• C. 1, 3, 4, 2
• D. 2, 1, 3, 4

Answer: (D)

Filing by surname means you look at the last-name string exactly as written (ignoring titles like Mr., Ms., Mrs.) and order alphabetically by that surname. In this case the surnames to compare are Ste. John, St. James, St. John, and St. John. When you rank these last names alphabetically, Ste. John comes first, followed by St. James, then the two St. John entries. Where the last names are the same, you break ties by the given name; Robert comes before Ronald. So the correct filing order is: Rachael Ste. John, Roberta St. James, Robert St. John, Ronald St. John.

Filing by surname means you look at the last-name string exactly as written (ignoring titles like Mr., Ms., Mrs.) and order alphabetically by that surname. In this case the surnames to compare are Ste. John, St. James, St. John, and St. John. When you rank these last names alphabetically, Ste. John comes first, followed by St. James, then the two St. John entries. Where the last names are the same, you break ties by the given name; Robert comes before Ronald.

So the correct filing order is: Rachael Ste. John, Roberta St. James, Robert St. John, Ronald St. John.