In the following question the first and the last parts of a short story are numbered 1 and 6. The remaining parts P, Q, R and S are jumbled. The story describes how Buddha teaches a poor woman that death is inevitable. Read the passage and choose the option that gives the correct order of P, Q, R and S.

Introduction / Context:
This narrative jumble question is based on a well known Buddhist story. A poor woman who has lost her only son approaches Buddha, hoping that he will restore the child to life. Buddha uses an unusual request about mustard seeds to help her realise that death comes to every household. You need to arrange the parts P, Q, R and S in a logical sequence between the fixed first and last sentences.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Sentence 1 states that a poor woman lost her only son.
• Part S says that she came to Buddha to bring her son back to life.
• Part P states that Buddha asked her to bring mustard seed from a house where no death had ever taken place.
• Part Q explains that Buddha wanted her to understand that death is inevitable.
• Part R informs us that she could not find such a house.
• Sentence 6 concludes that the woman understood the message of Buddha.

Concept / Approach:
The story must move through the classic stages of a moral tale: problem, appeal for help, special instruction, attempt to fulfil it, and moral understanding. The request about mustard seeds must come before the failed search, and the explanation of Buddha's intention must follow or accompany that request but precede the realisation in the last sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: After the loss of her only son in sentence 1, the natural next step is that she seeks help. Part S describes this action: she comes to Buddha to bring her son back to life. Step 2: Buddha responds by giving her a task. Part P records this instruction: she has to bring mustard seed from a house where nobody has died. Step 3: The reason behind this instruction is explained in part Q. Buddha wanted her to understand that death is inevitable, so Q follows P. Step 4: The outcome of the task appears in part R, which says that she could not find such a house. This failure prepares the ground for the understanding mentioned in sentence 6.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we read the sequence 1 S P Q R 6, the narrative makes perfect sense: the woman loses her son, seeks Buddha, receives a symbolic task, fails to complete it because every house has faced death, and then realises Buddha's teaching. There are no unexplained references, and the moral message flows naturally from the events.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
In SQPR, the explanation of Buddha's intention (Q) appears before the mustard seed instruction (P), which breaks the cause effect order. In RSPQ, the failure to find a house without death appears before the instruction is even given. In SRPQ, again the order of the instruction, its purpose and the result is mixed, which damages clarity.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes place the moral explanation too early because they recognise it as important. However, in stories the instruction usually comes first, followed by action, and then understanding. Another error is to ignore time words like “next day” or implied sequencing in tasks and results.

Final Answer:
The correct order of the parts is S P Q R, so the correct option is SPQR.