Which option best represents the correct order of the four strokes in a cycle engine?

• A. Intake, Compression, Power, Exhaust
• B. Power, Intake, Exhaust, Compression
• C. Exhaust, Power, Compression, Intake
• D. Compression, Intake, Power, Exhaust

Answer: (A)

In a four-stroke cycle engine, the charge must go through a fixed sequence to convert chemical energy into useful work: the intake stroke draws in the air-fuel mixture, the compression stroke squishes it to a high pressure for a stronger burn, the power stroke uses the combustion to push the piston and produce work, and the exhaust stroke clears the burnt gases out of the cylinder. This order—Intake, then Compression, then Power, then Exhaust—is what allows the engine to continually draw in fresh charge, prepare it for combustion, convert that energy to motion, and reset for the next cycle.

Other sequences break the basic flow: placing the power stroke before any intake means there’s nothing to burn, and expelling exhaust before compression would waste energy and prevent building the necessary pressure for efficient ignition.