Rearrange the given parts of the sentence in the correct order to form a meaningful statement: We must urgently P) ethics that respects, and responds Q) humanely to, the strangers in our cities R) and consciously develop a new.

Difficulty: Medium

Correct Answer: RPQ

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Sentence rearrangement questions check a learner's ability to understand logical flow and syntactic structure. The sentence here is about developing a new ethics in relation to strangers in cities. The first part is fixed: "We must urgently," and the remaining segments P, Q, and R must be ordered correctly to complete the message.


Given Data / Assumptions:

  • Fixed beginning: "We must urgently"
  • P: "ethics that respects, and responds"
  • Q: "humanely to, the strangers in our cities"
  • R: "and consciously develop a new"
  • We must choose the order of R, P, Q that gives a grammatically correct and meaningful sentence.


Concept / Approach:
After "We must urgently," the sentence should continue with a verb phrase that expresses what we must do. Segment R begins "and consciously develop a new," which clearly contains the verb "develop" and directly continues the idea of what we must do. After that, we need an object for "develop," which should be "a new ethics that respects, and responds humanely to, the strangers in our cities." Segment P provides "ethics that respects, and responds," while segment Q completes the idea by specifying "humanely to, the strangers in our cities." Thus, the logical order after the start is R then P then Q.


Step-by-Step Solution:

Step 1: Attach R after the opening: "We must urgently and consciously develop a new..." This gives us a clear verb phrase and sounds natural. Step 2: After "develop a new," we need the noun phrase that names what we are developing. Segment P begins with "ethics that respects, and responds," which fits immediately. Step 3: The phrase in P is incomplete without specifying to whom it responds; Q, "humanely to, the strangers in our cities," completes this idea. Step 4: Combine them: "We must urgently and consciously develop a new ethics that respects, and responds humanely to, the strangers in our cities." Step 5: This order corresponds to R P Q, written as RPQ.


Verification / Alternative check:
If we try other orders, the sentence breaks down. For example, starting with P after the opening gives "We must urgently ethics that respects, and responds," which is ungrammatical because a verb is missing. Starting with Q gives "We must urgently humanely to, the strangers in our cities," which makes no sense. Only R provides the verb "develop," which is needed after "We must urgently." Once R is chosen, placing P then Q produces a smooth and meaningful sentence.


Why Other Options Are Wrong:

Option A (RQP): "We must urgently and consciously develop a new humanely to, the strangers in our cities ethics that respects, and responds" is clearly ungrammatical. Option C (PQR): starts directly with "ethics that respects," leaving no main verb after "We must urgently." Option D (QRP): begins "We must urgently humanely to," which is not a valid continuation. Option E (PRQ): again fails to introduce the verb immediately after "We must urgently."


Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes focus solely on whether two segments connect grammatically, ignoring the need for a main verb early in the sentence. A good strategy is first to find which segment can logically follow the fixed start, especially looking for a main verb. Then, use meaning and collocations to arrange the remaining parts. Here, recognising that "develop a new ethics" must be introduced by R is the key step.


Final Answer:
The correct order is RPQ, forming the sentence: "We must urgently and consciously develop a new ethics that respects, and responds humanely to, the strangers in our cities."

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