Reordering of sentences (tariffs and trade war): arrange P, Q, R and S to form a coherent paragraph between S1 and S6. S1: In a globalised world, no country can hope to impose tariffs without affecting its own economic interests. S6: The ongoing trade war also threatens the rules based global trade order which has managed to amicably handle trade disputes between countries for decades.

Introduction / Context:
This passage discusses how tariffs in a trade war affect both consumers and the wider economy. The middle sentences P, Q, R and S must be ordered so that the argument flows logically from the general statement in S1 to the broader warning in S6. The key is to move from immediate consumer impact to producer and country level effects, and finally to investment behaviour.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• S1: In a globalised world, no country can hope to impose tariffs without affecting its own economic interests.
• S6: The ongoing trade war also threatens the rules based global trade order which has managed to amicably handle trade disputes between countries for decades.
• P: So both the United States and China, which have blamed each other for the ongoing trade war, are doing no good to their own economic fortunes by engaging in this tit for tat tariff battle.
• Q: Apart from disadvantaging its consumers, who will have to pay higher prices for certain goods, tariffs will also disrupt the supply chain of producers who rely on foreign imports.
• R: China, which is fighting an economic slowdown, will be equally affected.
• S: The minutes of the United States Federal Reserve June policy meeting show that economic uncertainty due to the trade war is already affecting private investment in the United States, with many investors deciding to scale back or delay their investment plans.

Concept / Approach:
The logical pattern should be:

• From S1, which gives a general warning about tariffs in a globalised world.
• To Q, which explains immediate impacts on consumers and producers.
• To P, which draws a conclusion that both the United States and China harm their own fortunes by this behaviour.
• To S, which provides evidence of how uncertainty is affecting private investment in the United States.
• To R, which adds that China, facing an economic slowdown, is also harmed.

S6 then summarises the broader threat to the global trade system.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: After S1, Q is the best follow up because it directly explains how tariffs disadvantage consumers and disrupt supply chains, making S1 concrete. Step 2: Once the immediate consumer and producer impacts are stated, P generalises the effect to both major participants in the trade war, stating that the United States and China harm their own fortunes with tit for tat tariffs. Step 3: S then offers a specific illustration showing how uncertainty from the trade war has already influenced private investment decisions in the United States, thereby supporting P's claim about harm to economic fortunes. Step 4: R adds balance by pointing out that China, already fighting an economic slowdown, will be equally affected, broadening the example to the other main player. Step 5: The sequence S1 → Q → P → S → R → S6 therefore provides a smooth development, which corresponds to Q P S R.

Verification / Alternative check:
If we start with P immediately after S1, the paragraph would jump to a conclusion about the United States and China without first explaining how tariffs affect consumers or supply chains. If S appears before P, the specific example of changed investment behaviour would come before the general conclusion about both countries, making the argument less clear. The order Q P S R best respects the movement from explanation to conclusion to evidence and then to balancing detail.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option \"S Q P R\": This brings in the Federal Reserve example too early, before readers understand the basic consumer and producer impacts described in Q. Option \"Q R P S\": Here the sentence about China's slowdown appears before the main conclusion about harm to both economies in P, weakening the structure. Option \"P S R Q\": This order places the conclusion in P first, followed by mixed examples and only then Q's explanation of consumer and supply chain harm, disrupting logical flow.

Common Pitfalls:
A typical mistake is to treat every sentence mentioning a specific country as interchangeable. Instead, focus on how the author builds reasoning: definition or explanation, then a general conclusion, then evidence, and finally balancing detail. Keeping this structure in mind helps avoid rearranging sentences purely on the basis of which proper nouns they contain.

Final Answer:
The correct sequence of the middle sentences is Q P S R, producing a clear and logically argued paragraph about tariffs and the trade war.