Arrange the following social factors into a logical cause→effect sequence. Items: 1) Pollution 2) Population 3) Death 4) Disease

Introduction / Context:
We must order socio-environmental terms in a realistic cause→effect chain. Typically, rapid growth in population increases pressure on resources and environment, which elevates pollution levels; prolonged exposure to pollution raises the incidence of disease, and severe or untreated disease increases deaths.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Population growth tends to raise waste generation and resource use.
• Pollution is a downstream environmental effect.
• Disease prevalence often rises with higher pollutant exposure.
• Death follows from serious disease burden.

Concept / Approach:
Place upstream drivers first and terminal outcomes last. The clean directional order is Population → Pollution → Disease → Death.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:
Epidemiological models frequently link crowding to sanitation stress and air/water degradation, which precede morbidity and mortality.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• 2, 3, 4, 1: Puts death before disease and pollution, reversing causality.
• 3, 4, 2, 1: Starts with outcomes (death, disease) rather than causes.
• 1, 2, 3, 4: Treats pollution as the first cause, ignoring population pressure.

Common Pitfalls:
Confusing correlation (pollution ↔ population) with causation order; keep the primary driver up front.

Final Answer:
2, 1, 4, 3