In this sentence rearrangement question, arrange parts P, Q, and R to form a meaningful sentence from the fragment "To begin with," followed by P: "is not that they are 'unsmart'", Q: "the problem with Indian cities", and R: "but that they are dysfunctional".

Introduction / Context:

This question evaluates your ability to reorder jumbled sentence parts into a coherent and grammatically correct statement. You are given the introductory phrase "To begin with," followed by three labelled segments P, Q, and R. The topic is "the problem with Indian cities", and the sentence contrasts a common misconception with the writer s actual criticism. You must arrange P, Q, and R in the order that creates a logical and well structured sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Introductory phrase: "To begin with,".
• P: "is not that they are 'unsmart'".
• Q: "the problem with Indian cities".
• R: "but that they are dysfunctional".
• You must pick an order from RPQ, QRP, QPR, or PRQ.

Concept / Approach:

In English, a sentence that begins "To begin with," and then introduces a topic often follows the pattern "To begin with, the problem with X is not that ..." and then introduces a contrast with "but that ...". Therefore, the natural order is to have Q immediately after the introductory phrase, then P to complete the clause "the problem with Indian cities is not that they are unsmart", and then R to present the contrast "but that they are dysfunctional". This yields a clear and balanced sentence structure where Q contains the subject, P completes the predicate, and R provides the contrasting clause.

Step-by-Step Solution:

Verification / Alternative check:

Check other possibilities quickly. If you begin with P after the introduction, you get "To begin with, is not that they are unsmart", which lacks a clear subject. Starting with R gives "To begin with, but that they are dysfunctional", which begins incorrectly with a contrast without the earlier clause. Starting with Q followed by R would read "To begin with, the problem with Indian cities but that they are dysfunctional", which is also unfinished. Only Q followed by P and then R yields a complete and logically structured sentence.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

RPQ begins with "but that they are dysfunctional", which cannot stand immediately after "To begin with," because "but" must connect two contrasted clauses. QRP places the contrast R before the negative clause P, breaking the logical pattern "is not that X but that Y". PRQ starts with a verb phrase that has no subject and therefore becomes ungrammatical. These sequences fail either grammatically or logically.

Common Pitfalls:

Some candidates focus only on grammatical correctness within single parts and ignore the overall structure of contrast, which in English is usually "not that ... but that ...". Others are confused by the quotation marks around "unsmart" and forget that this phrase must come after the verb "is". A good strategy is to identify the main subject phrase first, then attach verbs and negations to it, and finally add contrast clauses that start with conjunctions such as "but".

Final Answer:

The correct sequence is QPR, giving the sentence: "To begin with, the problem with Indian cities is not that they are unsmart but that they are dysfunctional."