Guidelines to remember before starting to solve a question on Sentence Rearrangement (PQRS questions)

In a question on SENTENCE REARRANGEMENT (PQRS) we are given a jumbled paragraph or sentence, but the sentences or parts of a sentence are not in right order.  We have to rearrange the order so that it makes a logical sense. Whenever you solve such questions apply the following tricks.

1. There are four jumbled sentences/parts of a sentence in each question; try to link any two of them in proper order. Then see that order (PQ, PS, RP, or any that you find right) in the answer options. That answer option will be the correct one. However, if such pairs are more than one in the options, you should check the adjoining choices also to know whether their order is sensible.

2. Once you are successful in doing that you are also advised to check the order of all the choices in the option you selected.

3. For this we need to have fair knowledge of nouns, pronouns, relative pronouns, verbs, modals, etc. as they help greatly in establishing the link logically.

 

Practice Set 1: Sentence Rearrangement (Solved)

1.
1. Be kind to the environment
P. First, because they are light weight and compact, a meal for five or six people        weighs under a kilogram and takes up very little space in a backpack.
Q. Second, hotdogs can be prepared over a small fast fire.
R. Take a hot dog for lunch.
S. The humble wiener makes a great back country meal for hikers.
6. The small amount of firewood required can be gathered near the path without
trampling large areas of the delicate forest floor.

A) SRPQ       B) RSPQ       C) PQSR       D) QPSR

2.
1. Several sub-cities have been planned around capital.
P. Dwarka is the first among them.
Q. They are expected to alleviate the problem of housing.
R. It is coming up in the south west of capital.
S. It will cater to over one million people when completed.
6. Hopefully the housing problem will not be as acute at present after these sub-cities are built.

A) QPRS       B) PRSQ       C) PQRS       D) QRSP

3.
1. Canoeing is the best way to relax and relieve your stress.
P. Canoeing has its most soothing effect when you can lie back in the middle of a deserted lake and stare up at nothing more complicated than a bright cloudless sky.
Q. Canoeing always makes you feel comfortable with your life.
R. Gliding across a still lake on a summer day, nothing but silence and bird songs will break the quiet and interrupt your thoughts.
S. In addition, the slow rhythmic strokes of the paddle can help you unwind so that all your troubles will fade into the background.
6. No wonder canoeing makes me feel so good.

A) SRPQ       B) RSQP       C) PQRS       D) RSPQ

4.
1. Advocates of space programme argue for spending huge amounts of money on exploring Mars.
P. But there is no firm evidence of any valuable mineral that can be extracted from Mars and transported to Earth.
Q. Worst, nobody has any idea what undesirable microbes or poisonous materials we will be importing from Mars
R. They are also unrealistic about the cost of transportation that will be involved in interplanetary movement of mean and materials.
S. These enthusiasts argue that Mars could be a perennial source of materials for us earthlings.
6. Our race to Mars is likely to be a wild goose chase.

A) SPRQ       B) QPRS       C) PRSQ       D) SRQP

5.
1. First, I have never met a German shepherd whose intelligence wasn’t above average.
P. In addition, German shepherds are dedicated to their owners.
Q. They can learn how to turn door knobs, follow a trail, or identify illegal substances.
R. My dog Max waits patiently at the end of the driveway every night until I come home.
S. Not even a juicy bone will tempt him to move.
6. Finally, he is usually suspicious of all strangers, so he barks or growls when anything or anyone unknown is near his family.

A) SQPR       B) QPSR       C) QSPR       D) QPRS

6.
1. Forecasting the weather has always been a difficult business.
P. During a period of drought, streams and rivers dried up, the cattle died from thirst and were ruined.
Q. Many different things affect the weather and we have to study them carefully to make accurate forecast.
R. Ancient Egyptians had no need of this — weather in the Nile Valley hardly ever changes.
S. In early times, when there were no instruments, such as thermometer or the barometer, man looked for tell-tale signs in the sky.
6. He made his forecasts by watching flights of the birds or the way smoke rose from fire.

A) PRQS       B) QPRS       C) QRPS       D) SPQR

7.
1. Riding a bike can give you lots of good exercise everyday.
P. When somebody stole my bike, I was heartbroken, but the police found it two days later.
Q. I use my bike to get to work every day.
R. I take my bike to get groceries also.
S. I often ride my bike out to the country on week-ends just for a change of scene.
6. Without my bike, I wouldn’t get any exercise at all.

A) RQPS       B) QRPS       C) PRQS       D) SQPR

8.
1. As he passed beneath her he heard the swish of her wings.
P. He was not falling head long now.
Q. The monstrous terror seized him.
R. But it only lasted a minute.
S. He could hear nothing.
6. The next moment he felt his wings spread outwards.

A) PSQR       B) QSPR       C) QSRP       D) PRQS

9.
1. Paragraphs are a form of written communication.
P. Each sentence in a paragraph “talks about” or develops one single main idea.
Q. If your paragraph does this, it is said to have unity.
R. In addition, each sentence in a paragraph must be tied to the one before and after it, like links in a chain, by using special words called transitions.
S. It should contain a minimum of five sentences.
6. If your paragraph contains these links, it is said to have coherence.

A) RQPS       B) SPQR       C) QRPS       D) PQRS

10.
1. Throughout history man has used energy from the sun.
P. Today, when we burn wood or use electric current we are drawing energy.
Q. However we now have a new supply of energy.
R. All our ordinary life depends on sun.
S. This has come from the sun.
6. This energy comes from inside atoms.

A) SQPR       B) RQPS       C) QSRP       D) PSRQ

11.
1. Every year, we see more and more cars on our roads.
P. In other countries, people are trying to reduce the amount of oil and petrol they use.
Q. As they are aware that it pollutes the atmosphere and causes global warming.
R. Many of them have very big engines which use a lot of petrol and produce a lot of pollution.
S. They do this by driving smaller cars and by using public transport, or even walking.
6. I think it’s time we started to reduce our fuel consumption.

A) PRQS       B) QSPR       C) RPQS       D) QSPR

12.
1. A lot of people simply dump their rubbish in open bins.
P. All sorts of diseases are carried by the flies.
Q. Then they come into the house and infect uncovered foot.
R. In this rubbish the flies breed and multiply.
S. Such carelessness invites flies to the rubbish.
6. Consumption of such food can only bring disease and sickness.

A) SPQR       B) RQPS       C) RPQS       D) SRQP

13.
1. We should try to use the car as little as possible.
P. The exercise will surely be good for us.
Q. It’s good for the muscles.
R. We should go to the shops on foot and get what we want.
S. We should even sometimes cycle to work.
6. Another suggestion is that we should have, at least in big cities, one day without cars.

A) RSQP       B) SRQP       C) QRSP       D) PQRS

14.
1. I suddenly began to climb swiftly, and the next I knew it was speeding eastward again till it became a speck in the blue morning.
P. I didn’t know what force they could command, but I was certain that it would be sufficient.
Q. My enemies had located me, and the next thing would be a cordon round me.
R. This made me do some savage thinking.
S. The aeroplane had seen my bicycle, and would conclude that I would try to escape by the road.
6. In that case, there might be a chance on the moors to the right or left.

A) RQPS       B) QPSR       C) PSRQ       D) SRQP

15.
1. In earlier days those who had overseas business which they believed should be discussed personally, took ship and set out across the sea.
P. Once aboard they transacted their affairs, engaging in commercial and social matters or conducting government business.
Q. And airplanes soar overhead.
R. But above them all, words speed through the sky – telephone conversations quickly bring together in the most personal fashion people who are separated by thousands of miles.
S. Today ships and passengers continue to sail the seven seas.
6. So distance is not a factor now.

A) SPRQ       B) RPSQ       C) QRSP       D) PSQR

16.
1. His penance grew harder, he abjured even fruit.
P. Then the water, too, that the girl offered him in leaf-cups lay untouched.
Q. Birds pecked at them as they lay rotting at his feet.
R. She gathered wild blossoms and laid them humbly before him.
S. The girl mused in sorrow, “Is there nothing left for me to do”.
6. The ascetic took no notice.

A) RQPS       B) SRQP       C) QPSR       D) PSRQ

17.
1. There is a common belief that while the dog is man’s best friend, the coyote is his worst enemy.
P. Provided valuable farm animals are protected, the coyote will often free the property of other animals, like rabbits, which are ruinous to crops and certain trees.
Q. It hunts at night and is particularly destructive to sheep, young pigs, and poultry.
R. The bad reputation of the coyote traces back to his fondness for small animals.
S. Yet it is sometimes wise to encourage coyotes.
6. It is especially beneficial in keeping down the rodent population.

A) RQSP       B) QRPS       C) PRQS       D) QPRS

18.
1. In other words, grammar grows and changes, and there is no such thing as correct use of English for the past, the present and the future.
P. ‘The door is broke.’
Q. Yet this would have been correct in Shakespeare’s time!
R. Today, only an uneducated person would say, ‘My arm is broke.’
S. For example, in Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet’, there is the line.
6. All the words that man has invented are divided into eight classes which are called parts of speech.

A) PSQR       B) SPRQ       C) QPSR       D) RSPQ

19.
1. Make sure your glasses fit well.
P. Take your glasses for adjustments to the place you bought them.
Q. Keep your glasses in a case when you’re not wearing them.
R. The earpieces should be at eye level and don’t try to adjust the earpieces yourself.
S. This will prevent scratches.
6. Keep the glasses clean and a soft cloth is best for cleaning.

A) PRQS       B) RPQS       C) QSPR       D) SPQR

20.
1. Why then, do sharks attack?
P. “The only way a shark can warn you is with its mouth and teeth,” says Baldridge.
Q. In murky water it may simply be a case of mistaken identity.
R. Snork bumps and open mouthed slashings are ways of trying to frighten you off.
S. But, the most persuasive explanation is that they perceive their victim as a threat.
6. Attacks of this kind may be generated by a swimmer who unwittingly interrupts a courting procedure, trespasses in a shark’s territory and cuts off its escape route.

A) PRQS       B) PRSQ       C) QPRS       D) QSPR

21.
1. Costs were low that year.
P. There was a good person for each job and the market remained firm.
Q. The output was also high.
R. There were no losses from fire also.
S. Thankfully no market fluctuations caused havoc.
6. All in all it was the best year in the history of the company.

A) PQSR       B) SQPR       C) QPSR       D) RSPQ

22.
1. Instantly, the full load yanked Gordy towards the side of the bridge.
P. But the pull of the cable was too much.
Q. He could hardly feel the cable, slipping through his fingers, ripping off his cloves, and streaking over the railing like an escaping snake.
R. It smashed his hands hard against the top of the railing, causing a split-second feeling of fierce pain followed by numbness.
S. He held on to the cable; it had been hard work lifting it, and he did not want to have to start over again.
6. Feeling a sharp burning sensation where the cable was speeding between his things, Gordy rose tip-toe and as he did, the slithering coil of cable tightened around his left foot and yanked him over the railing.

A) PRQS       B) QSRP       C) RPQS       D) SPRQ

23.
1. It is often said that lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
P. Go ask the forest rangers.
Q. But this isn’t true.
R. They will tell you that every thundershower brings several bolts of lightning to their lookout stations.
S. Rangers spend their summers as fire-fighters.
6. So lightning does strike twice in the same place.

A) QSPR       B) SQPR       C) SPQR       D) QPSR

24.
1. Even the newsmen and spectators were not spared.
P. A home guard in the gallery was hit on the face.
Q. They went only inches over the heads of newsmen in the press gallery.
R. Three bludgeons which are hurled missed their mark.
S. This made the scribes run Helter-skelter.
6. He fell down, his bleeding eye bulging.

A) PSRQ       B) QRPS       C) RQSP       D) SRQP

25.
1. Politeness is not a quality possessed by only one nation or race.
P. One may observe that a man of one nation will remove his hat or fold his hands by way of greetings when he meets someone he knows.
Q. A man of another country will not do so.
R. It is a quality to be found among all peoples and nations in every corner of the earth.
S. Obviously, each person follows the custom of his particular country.
6. In any case, we should not mock at other’s habits.

A) PRQS       B) QPRS       C) RPQS       D) RPSQ

Answer Keys

1. A	2. A	3. C	4. A	5. B	6. C	7. B	8. C	9. B	10. D
11. C	12. D	13. A	14. D	15. D	16. D	17. A	18. B	19. B	20. C
21. C	22. C	23. D	24. D	25. D

Solution with explanation

1. Option ‘A’ (SRPQ)

THEY in P is the pronoun for the plural of HOT DOG; so RP is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘A’.

HOT DOG = A hot dog is a long bread roll with a hot sausage inside it. SAUSAGE = a food made of meat that has been cut into very small pieces, mixed with spices, and put into a thin and usually edible tube.

BACK COUNTRY = an area that is a long way from any city and has very few people living in it.

WIENER = a sausage or hot dog.

2. Option ‘A’ (QPRS)

1 says sub-cities have been planned around capital; Q is telling us THE PURPOSE OF IT – why they have been planned. P should be our next choice, not the first. Means QP is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘A’.

3. Option ‘C’ (PQRS)

CANOE = a small, light, narrow boat, pointed at both ends and moved using a paddle (= a short pole with a flat blade).

S should be our last choice. In each of the sentence P, Q, R is the same thing – quality of CANOEING. Phrase IN ADDITION TO in S suggests that it should be the last of all. S as the last choice is only available in option ‘C’.

4. Option ‘A’ (SPRQ)

BUT I normally used for making contrasts between two things. S says that there could be unending (perennial) materials on Mars; P is contradicting this by saying THERE IS NO FIRM EVIDENCE. Therefore SP is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘A’.

5. Option ‘B’ (QPSR)

P says German shepherd dogs are very faithful to their owners. S is only supporting the idea by saying that no temptation can turn it to be unfaithful to its owner. Therefore PS is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘B’.

6. Option ‘C’ (QRPS)

THIS in R is standing for FORECAST in Q; means Ancients Egyptians did not need to forecast the weather as it never changed in the Nile Valley. Of course Nile Valley is in Egypt. Therefore QR is making a good pair. This pair is available in two options ‘C’ and ‘D’. But option ‘D’ is not possible because S should be our last choice as it matches well with 6. S says that man looked in the sky to forecast the weather; 6 says he made his forecast by watching flights of the birds and rise of smoke; of course birds fly in the sky and smoke goes in the sky.

FORECAST = a calculation or estimate of future events, especially coming weather or a financial trend.

TELLTALE SIGNS = that clearly shows something has happened or exists, often something that is a secret; e.g.

They examined the child carefully, looking for telltale signs of abuse.

8. Option ‘C’ (QSRP)

P as first choice is not matching with 1 at all. So our first choice can only be Q. As we see in the answer option QS is making a good pair. This pair is available in two options ‘B’ and ‘C’. But P is not making a sense immediately after S, so option ‘B’ is rejected.

SWISH = a hissing or rustling sound; e.g.

He could hear the swish of a distant car.

9. Option ‘B’ (SPQR)

R should be our last choice. R says each sentence in a paragraph must be tied like LINKS in a chain; 6 is supporting the idea by saying if our paragraph has these LINKS it is said to be very good. R as the last choice is only available in option ‘B’.

10. Option ‘D’ (PSRQ)

Q should be our last choice. Q says now we have a new type of energy; 6 says this energy comes from atoms. Q as the last choice is only available in option ‘D’.

12. Option ‘D’ (SRQP)

R says in the rubbish the flies take birth (breed); Q says then they come into the house. Therefore RQ is making a good pair. The pair RQ is available in two options ‘B’ and ‘D’. But S can’t be our last choice, so option ‘B’ is rejected.

14. Option ‘D’ (SRQP)

It’s clear from the given text that this is an extract of description of a past event. IT in 1 is the pronoun for the noun AEROPLANE mentioned earlier before 1. By this it’s obvious that S should be our first choice. S as first choice is only available in option ‘D’.

NOTE: SPECK = a very small spot. We know when an aeroplane or anything else keeps going farther from us it starts looking smaller in size. So, the aeroplane was looking as a speck then.

15. Option ‘D’ (PSQR)

1 says people doing business used to go abroad (across the sea) to spread their business; P says what they did once they were abroad. By this P should be our first choice. P as first choice is only available in option ‘D’.

16. Option ‘D’ (PSRQ).

1 says he abjured even fruit; it means he rejected fruit, he did not touch it. P says he did not also touch the water offered him by the girl. So, P should be our first choice. P as first choice is only available in option ‘D’.

17. Option ‘A’ (RQSP)

1 says the coyote is thought to be man’s worst enemy; R says how did it got this bad reputation (image). So we can say R should be our first choice. R as first choice is only available in option ‘A’.

COYOTE = a small wild animal like a dog that lives in North America

18. Option ‘B’ (SPRQ)

S says there is the line in his play Hamlet; P says what that line is – THE DOOR IS BROKE. Therefore SP is making a good pair. This pair is available in two options. But R cannot be our first choice; so option ‘D’ is rejected.

19. Option ‘B’ (RPQS)

R asks you not to try to adjust the earpieces yourself; P says that for adjustment you should take them to the shop from where you bought them. Therefore RP is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘B’.

20. Option ‘C’ (QPRS)

All the given options begin with either P or Q. But if we take the sentence given at P as our first choice it’s not making a sense, so both Options ‘A’ and ‘B’ are rejected. Now according to the other two options we have to check P and S. We see that S is not making a sense immediately after Q. Means P will come after Q.

21. Option ‘C’ (QPSR)

P says the market remained firm; S is supporting the idea by saying there were no market fluctuations. So PS is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘C’.

22. Option ‘C’ (RPQS)

If you’ll read the whole paragraph carefully, THE FULL LOAD is of the CABLE. So R should be our first choice, then P. R as first choice is only available in option ‘C’.

23. Option ‘D’ (QPSR)

All the given options begin with either Q or S. But if we take the sentence given at S as our first choice it’s not making a sense, so both Options ‘B’ and ‘C’ are rejected. Now according to other two options we have to check P and S. We see that S is not making a sense immediately after Q. S should come after P. Means P will come after Q.

24. Option ‘D’ (SRQP)

Q says the bludgeons went over the heads of newsmen in the PRESS GALLERY; P says a home guard in that gallery was hit. It suggests QP is making a good pair. This pair is only available in option ‘D’.

BLUDGEON = a heavy stick that is thick at one end and is used as a weapon.

 

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