The question below consists of a set of labelled sentence parts X, Y and Z. Out of the four options given, select the most logical order of the labels to form a coherent sentence and mark your answer. Our only enemies were X - heat, thirst, and flies, but far Y - from man or beast than that awful trinity Z - rather would I have faced any danger.

Introduction / Context:
This is a sentence rearrangement question involving three labelled parts X, Y, and Z that must be placed correctly within a given frame. The opening phrase Our only enemies were is fixed, and the candidate must choose the order of X, Y, and Z that produces a grammatically correct and meaningful sentence. Such questions test understanding of sentence structure, connectors, and logical flow.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Fixed frame: Our only enemies were ...
• Label X: heat, thirst, and flies, but far
• Label Y: from man or beast than that awful trinity
• Label Z: rather would I have faced any danger
• Options: XYZ, ZYX, XZY, ZXY.

Concept / Approach:
The sentence aims to contrast enemies like heat, thirst, and flies with possible dangers from man or beast. The phrase but far rather would I have faced any danger from man or beast than that awful trinity is a stylistic way of saying the speaker would prefer danger from man or beast over suffering from heat, thirst, and flies. The logical structure requires the list of enemies first, then the contrasting preference far rather would I have faced any danger, followed by the phrase from man or beast than that awful trinity to complete the comparison.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Attach X after the opening: Our only enemies were heat, thirst, and flies, but far. This is a natural continuation because heat, thirst, and flies directly follow enemies.Step 2: Decide which phrase can follow but far. In formal English, far rather would I have faced any danger is a known comparative expression, so Z is a good candidate.Step 3: Attach Z: Our only enemies were heat, thirst, and flies, but far rather would I have faced any danger. This remains grammatically sound.Step 4: Finally attach Y: from man or beast than that awful trinity. Now the full sentence becomes: Our only enemies were heat, thirst, and flies, but far rather would I have faced any danger from man or beast than that awful trinity.Step 5: This yields the order X Z Y, which corresponds to option XZY.

Verification / Alternative check:
Test the other orders briefly. XYZ would produce ...but far from man or beast than that awful trinity rather would I have faced any danger, which is ungrammatical because far normally precedes rather in this classical structure. ZYX would start directly with rather would I have faced any danger, leaving the list of enemies awkwardly placed later. ZXY breaks the obvious logical link between enemies and the list heat, thirst, and flies. Only XZY preserves both the initial list and the standard comparative phrase far rather would I have faced any danger from man or beast than that awful trinity.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
XYZ: Places from man or beast than that awful trinity immediately after but far, creating an incomplete comparative and leaving Z stranded at the end in a clumsy way. ZYX: Begins with a preference before naming the enemies, which breaks the natural flow from enemies to their description. ZXY: Moves rather would I have faced any danger ahead of the enemy list, causing a logical mismatch and an odd sentence rhythm. These orders do not read like fluent English sentences.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates focus only on local grammatical connections like from man or beast and forget about overall sentence rhythm, resulting in incorrect ordering. Others may overlook the classical phrase far rather would I have faced, which signals that far and rather should be adjacent. Reading the full sentence aloud mentally and checking where natural pauses occur can help identify the most coherent order more reliably than relying on intuition alone.

Final Answer:
The most logical and grammatically correct order of the labels is XZY.