Introduction / Context:
This question on sentence rearrangement tests the learner's understanding of English sentence structure and idiomatic expressions. The sentence contains the well-known simile “like thread through a needle”. To answer correctly, the learner must recognise the idiom and place the parts P, Q and R in a logical order so that the sentence reads smoothly and conveys the intended emotional meaning.
Given Data / Assumptions:
- The fixed part is “Your absence has …”.
- P: “gone through me”
- Q: “through a needle”
- R: “like thread”
- The final sentence should be grammatically correct and meaningful.
- The familiar idiom is “like thread through a needle”.
Concept / Approach:
The core concept is understanding idiomatic English and natural word order. In English, similes often follow the pattern “like X through Y”. Here, “like thread through a needle” is a fixed and recognisable phrase. We first attach the correct verb phrase to the subject “Your absence has”, then complete the simile in the correct order. The aim is to see which order of P, R and Q produces this idiomatic pattern while keeping verb and object placement correct.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Start with the fixed part “Your absence has …”. The only phrase that can logically follow is P: “gone through me”, giving “Your absence has gone through me …”.
Step 2: Recognise the known simile “like thread through a needle”. This simile must appear as “like thread” (R) followed by “through a needle” (Q).
Step 3: Place R before Q to preserve the simile: “like thread through a needle”.
Step 4: Combine everything: “Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle.” This corresponds to the order P–R–Q, which is shown as PRQ.
Step 5: Check that this full sentence is grammatically correct, emotionally expressive, and uses a natural English idiom.
Verification / Alternative check:
Try the other sequences quickly. “PQR” would give “Your absence has gone through me through a needle like thread”, which breaks the idiom and sounds awkward.
“QPR” and “RPQ” both try to begin the completion with “through a needle” or “like thread”, which cannot directly follow “Your absence has”. They are therefore ungrammatical and unidiomatic.
Only PRQ reproduces the conventional phrase “like thread through a needle”, so PRQ is the unique correct sequence.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option PQR: Places “through a needle” after “gone through me”, leading to “… gone through me through a needle like thread”, which is clumsy and destroys the simile.
Option QPR: Begins the completion with “through a needle”, which cannot logically or grammatically follow “Your absence has”.
Option RPQ: Starts with “like thread” after “Your absence has”, again disrupting normal word order and leaving “gone through me” in the wrong place.
Common Pitfalls:
Many learners focus only on local grammar and ignore idiomatic usage, so they may choose an order that is technically possible but not natural.
Another common mistake is to ignore the simile as a fixed chunk and to break “like thread through a needle” into pieces placed incorrectly.
Some candidates rush and select the first option that sounds vaguely acceptable without checking all possibilities against known English expressions.
Final Answer:
The correct sequence is PRQ, giving the sentence “Your absence has gone through me like thread through a needle.”
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