Rearrange the following parts of the sentence to form a coherent paragraph about Nelson Mandela and apartheid in South Africa. P: His story symbolises a lifelong struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Q: Nelson Mandela was born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtata, then a part of South Africa's Cape Province. R: Apartheid was a terrible form of institutionalised racism that held South African society in its grip for a long time. S: It was not easy for Mandela to fight against it, as he too was among those who were oppressed by the system.

Introduction / Context:
This rearrangement question presents four parts about Nelson Mandela, his birth, his struggle against apartheid and the nature of apartheid. The final paragraph should read like a short biographical sketch that moves from basic facts to the larger struggle and its challenges. To answer correctly, we need to track how pronouns like "it" are used and how the ideas of "apartheid" and "oppression" are introduced and elaborated.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Q gives factual information about Mandela's birth: date, place and political region.
• P states that his story symbolises a lifelong struggle against apartheid.
• R defines apartheid as a terrible form of institutionalised racism that gripped South African society.
• S explains that it was not easy for Mandela to fight against it because he himself was among the oppressed.
• We assume the paragraph will begin with biographical background, then introduce his struggle, then explain what apartheid was, and finally describe the difficulty of fighting it.

Concept / Approach:
For biographical rearrangement:

• Start with basic birth details or introductory facts about the person.
• Move to the main theme or symbolic meaning of that life.
• Introduce and explain any key terms (here, "apartheid") that appear in the discussion.
• Conclude with a sentence that combines the person and the difficult conditions under which the struggle took place.

We also pay attention to "It" in S, which should refer back to apartheid mentioned just earlier.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Q is clearly the opening sentence because it introduces Nelson Mandela with his full name, date of birth and birthplace. Step 2: P then follows logically by explaining the significance of his life story, saying that it symbolises a lifelong struggle against apartheid in South Africa. Step 3: R must come next, because it explains what apartheid actually was, describing it as institutionalised racism that gripped South African society. Step 4: S is the natural conclusion, since "It was not easy for Mandela to fight against it" uses the pronoun "it" to refer to apartheid just described in R, and comments on the difficulty of his struggle because he was among the oppressed. Step 5: The order QPRS therefore creates a smooth narrative from birth to symbolic struggle, to defining apartheid, to personal difficulty.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we read QPRS as one paragraph, there is no confusion about references. The subject is introduced, the focus of his life is stated, apartheid is defined, and the hardship of the struggle is emphasised. In QPSR, we would end on a definition of apartheid instead of on Mandela's struggle, which is less satisfying as a conclusion. QRSP places definition R right after birth details Q and then discusses struggle P and S, but P uses "apartheid" before we have clearly linked it to Mandela's story as a symbol, making the flow weaker. PRSQ cannot open with P because "His story" and "apartheid" are mentioned before Nelson Mandela has even been named, which is confusing.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• QPSR: Ends abruptly with a definition instead of completing the thought about Mandela's struggle.
• QRSP: Introduces apartheid immediately after birth details, then states that his story symbolises the struggle; this order is possible but less logically developed than first linking Mandela to the struggle and then defining apartheid.
• PRSQ: Starts with "His story" without identifying who he is, and uses apartheid without context.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overlook the need to introduce the main character by name before referring to "his story". Another common error is to ignore the pronoun "it" in S; this clearly refers to apartheid and must follow the sentence defining it. When solving such questions, always check whether each pronoun has a clear and unambiguous antecedent in the immediately preceding sentence or two. If not, the order is almost certainly wrong.

Final Answer:
The correct order is QPRS, so the correct option is QPRS.