Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: QRSP
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
Rearrangement questions test your ability to understand logical flow, cause–effect relations, and paragraph structure. Here you are given four labelled sentences P, Q, R and S, all related to the idea of comfort and how it spreads. Your job is to choose the order that produces a smooth, meaningful paragraph. This type of question improves reading skills and is highly relevant for competitive exams.
Given Data / Assumptions:
Concept / Approach:
To solve such questions, we usually look for: (1) the best opening sentence, which introduces the topic in a general way; (2) sentences that explain or give reasons; (3) sentences describing consequences; and (4) a suitable concluding sentence. We also track pronouns ("it"), logical connectors ("the more... the more"), and time or contrast words. All four sentences here develop the idea that comfort spreads by itself and shapes human attitudes.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the best opening. Q says, "Comfort is now one of the causes of its own spread." This makes a general statement about comfort and introduces the central claim. So Q is a natural start.Step 2: After stating that comfort spreads itself (Q), we expect an explanation of how this happens. R provides this: "The more comfort is brought into the world, the more it is likely to be valued." This sentence explains the mechanism by which comfort causes its own spread.Step 3: Once comfort is valued more and more (R), S follows logically: "It has now become a physical habit, a fashion, an ideal to be pursued for its own sake." The pronoun "It" clearly refers to comfort, and this sentence describes the result of the process mentioned in Q and R.Step 4: Finally, P concludes by describing the effect on individuals: "To those who have known comfort, discomfort is a real torture." This is a natural closing remark showing the impact of comfort on people's tolerance for discomfort.Step 5: Putting these together, we get Q–R–S–P, which corresponds to option A (QRSP).
Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full paragraph in QRSP order: "Comfort is now one of the causes of its own spread. The more comfort is brought into the world, the more it is likely to be valued. It has now become a physical habit, a fashion, an ideal to be pursued for its own sake. To those who have known comfort, discomfort is a real torture." The thought moves smoothly from general statement to explanation, to consequence, and finally to a human reaction. Other options break this flow. For example, QPRS places P immediately after Q, jumping from a general claim to a very specific effect without explanation. QSRP puts S before R, so the description of habit and fashion appears before the cause–effect pattern, which is less logical.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
QPRS (option B) interrupts the cause–effect chain by placing P too early, before the process is explained. QPSR (option C) ends with R, which sounds more like an explanation than a conclusion. QSRP (option D) inverts the logical sequence by describing comfort as a fashion before explaining why it spreads. RQSP (option E) begins with R, but R's "The more comfort..." clearly expects a preceding sentence about comfort's spread, which Q provides.
Common Pitfalls:
Many students focus only on the last sentence and choose the order that "sounds nice" at the end. A better strategy is to identify the topic sentence first and then track how each subsequent sentence adds cause, result, or example. Look carefully at pronouns ("it") and comparative structures ("the more... the more") to see which sentences they depend on. Doing this will make rearrangement questions much easier.
Final Answer:
The most logical order of the sentences is QRSP.
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