Difficulty: Medium
Correct Answer: RPSQ
Explanation:
Introduction / Context:
This sentence arrangement question discusses the problem of smart phones, social media and networking sites distracting students and the need for parents, teachers and the government to respond. The task is to sequence four labelled sentences into a logically flowing paragraph. The core ideas move from introduction of the distraction, to the behaviour of young people, to the description of wasted time, and finally to a call for remedial action.
Given Data / Assumptions:
R introduces smart phones, computers, social media and networking sites as sources of major distraction for students.
P states that young boys and girls seem to have become inordinately addicted to these sites.
S says that they are thoughtlessly and uselessly wasting their precious time on these sites.
Q calls on parents, teachers and the government to look into the problems and formulate a strategy to curb or stop the negative influence of these sites on youth.
We assume the paragraph is intended as a short opinion piece highlighting a modern educational concern.
Concept / Approach:
In para jumbles, the most common pattern is introduction of the topic, followed by description or evidence, and ending with suggestion or conclusion. Here, sentence Q clearly contains a recommendation, so it likely comes last. The sentence that has the widest scope and introduces both the devices and the sites is the best candidate to open the paragraph. The rest must describe the addiction and its consequence in a natural order.
Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: The sentence with the broadest, most introductory feel is R, which lists devices and networking sites and names them as a source of major distractions for students. R is therefore the opening.
Step 2: After this, we naturally want to know who is affected. P answers this by saying that young boys and girls have become inordinately addicted to these sites. So P follows R.
Step 3: S then explains the result of that addiction, namely that these young people are wasting their precious time on the sites without thought or usefulness. Thus S follows P.
Step 4: Finally, Q proposes that parents, teachers and the government should study these problems and create a strategy to curb or stop the influence of networking sites. This call to action is appropriate as the concluding sentence.
Step 5: Putting these in order gives R P S Q, corresponding to option RPSQ.
Verification / Alternative check:
When read together as RPSQ, the paragraph flows smoothly from the technology and sites themselves, to the affected group, to the behaviour, and finally to a social response. The pronoun these sites in P and S clearly refers back to the networking sites mentioned in R. The phrase the problems being caused by these networking sites in Q refers back to the situations described in P and S, which confirms that Q belongs at the end. There are no abrupt shifts or missing links in this order.
Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option PRQS starts with the addiction of young boys and girls without explaining first what they are addicted to. Option PSQR moves from addiction to waste of time, then to the call for action, and finally back to the general description of the sites, which breaks chronological logic. Option QRPS begins with the call to action, which makes no sense before the problem is even described. The additional option RPQS incorrectly places Q before S and leaves the consequence of addiction to be stated after the solution, which is not persuasive writing.
Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake is to treat P as the opener simply because it mentions young boys and girls, which seems like a natural subject. However, good writers usually begin with the broader phenomenon before focusing on particular victims. Another error is to place Q too early because it mentions parents and government, but recommendations should only come after a clear picture of the problem has been painted.
Final Answer:
The coherent paragraph is formed by the order RPSQ, so option RPSQ is correct.
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