Rearrange the parts of the sentence to form a correct and meaningful statement about tax proposals: "He spent a third ... of the time describing his tax proposals, but made sure that none of them was of any consequence."

Introduction / Context:
This is a jumbled sentence question where three labelled parts P, Q, and R must be arranged to complete the sentence that begins "He spent a third…". The sentence concerns how much time he spent describing tax proposals and the fact that he ensured those proposals were not important. The test checks your understanding of natural English word order and logical flow in complex sentences.

Given Data / Assumptions:
The full jumbled sentence is indicated as:

• He spent a third
• P: was of any consequence
• Q: made sure that none of them
• R: of the time describing his tax proposals, but

We must attach P, Q, and R appropriately after "He spent a third" to form a coherent sentence.

Concept / Approach:
We know from normal usage that:

• "a third of the time" is a standard phrase about duration.
• The contrasting clause is likely to start with "but made sure that none of them was of any consequence".

So the solution must:

• First complete the time expression: "a third of the time describing his tax proposals, but…"
• Then add a clause about his deliberate choice: "made sure that none of them was of any consequence".

We therefore need R immediately after "a third", followed by Q and P to form a logical statement.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start with the fixed beginning: "He spent a third…". We need a phrase that naturally follows "a third" to describe time. Step 2: Part R is "of the time describing his tax proposals, but". This clearly completes the time expression and leads into a contrast with "but". So R should come immediately after "a third". Step 3: After "but", the sentence should describe his precaution: "made sure that none of them was of any consequence". Step 4: Part Q is "made sure that none of them", and part P is "was of any consequence". Q must come before P to keep subject verb order ("none of them was of any consequence"). Step 5: Putting it together: RQP gives "He spent a third of the time describing his tax proposals, but made sure that none of them was of any consequence."

Verification / Alternative check:
Test each option:

• QRP: "He spent a third made sure that none of them of the time describing his tax proposals, but was of any consequence." This is ungrammatical and breaks the time phrase.
• QPR: "He spent a third made sure that none of them was of any consequence of the time describing…" also breaks both time and clause structure.
• PRQ: Starting with "was of any consequence" after "He spent a third" makes no sense; there is no subject for "was".
• RQP: Assembles into a logical and grammatically correct sentence.

Therefore, RQP is the only acceptable order.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• QRP: Moves the verb phrase "made sure" immediately after "spent a third", leaving "of the time" stranded later and breaking the idiom "a third of the time".
• QPR: Places "was of any consequence" before "of the time describing…", creating confusion about what "was" refers to.
• PRQ: Begins directly with "was of any consequence" after "a third", which is grammatically impossible because "was" then has no clear subject.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often try to match P and Q together first because they obviously form "none of them was of any consequence", but then they forget that R must directly follow "a third" to complete the time phrase. A safe strategy is to locate fixed expressions like "a third of the time" and build around them before arranging the remaining logical clause.

Final Answer:
The correct order is RQP, forming the sentence: "He spent a third of the time describing his tax proposals, but made sure that none of them was of any consequence."