The electronic configuration of four elements are given below. Arrange these elements in the correct order of the magnitude of their electron affinity.
`(i)2s^(2)2p^(3)" "(ii)3s^(2)3p^(5)" "(iii)2s^(2)2p^(1)" "(iv)3s^(2)3p^(4)`
Select the correct answer using the codes given below `:`

Options

A. `(ii) lt (i) lt (iv) lt (iii)`
B. `(i) lt (iii) lt (iv) lt (ii)`
C. `(iii) lt (iv) lt (ii) lt (i)`
D. `(iii) lt (iv) lt (i) lt (ii)`

Explanation

To solve the problem of arranging the elements based on their electron affinity, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Identify the Elements and Their Configurations
We have the following electronic configurations:
1. (i) 2s² 2p³
2. (ii) 3s² 3p⁵
3. (iii) 2s² 2p¹
4. (iv) 3s² 3p⁴

### Step 2: Determine the Elements Corresponding to Each Configuration
- (i) 2s² 2p³ corresponds to Nitrogen (N).
- (ii) 3s² 3p⁵ corresponds to Chlorine (Cl).
- (iii) 2s² 2p¹ corresponds to Boron (B).
- (iv) 3s² 3p⁴ corresponds to Sulfur (S).

### Step 3: Understand Electron Affinity
Electron affinity is the energy change when an electron is added to a neutral atom in the gas phase. Generally, elements that are closer to achieving a noble gas configuration (full outer shell) will have higher electron affinity.

### Step 4: Analyze the Electron Configurations
- For Nitrogen (2s² 2p³): Adding an electron results in 2s² 2p⁴, which is not a stable configuration (not a noble gas).
- For Chlorine (3s² 3p⁵): Adding an electron results in 3s² 3p⁶, achieving a noble gas configuration (stable).
- For Boron (2s² 2p¹): Adding an electron results in 2s² 2p², which is not stable.
- For Sulfur (3s² 3p⁴): Adding an electron results in 3s² 3p⁵, which is closer to a noble gas configuration but not as stable as Chlorine.

### Step 5: Rank the Electron Affinities
Based on the above analysis, we can rank the elements in order of their electron affinity:
1. Chlorine (highest electron affinity, achieves noble gas configuration)
2. Sulfur (next highest, closer to noble gas configuration)
3. Nitrogen (less favorable, does not achieve stability)
4. Boron (lowest, least favorable configuration)

### Final Order
Thus, the order of the elements based on their electron affinity is:
**(ii) > (iv) > (i) > (iii)**

### Conclusion
The correct answer based on the codes given is **2 > 4 > 1 > 3**.