Question:medium

Directions: In the following question, different parts of a sentence/passage have been jumbled. Choose the option that represents the best sequence to make the sentence/passage coherent and meaningful. Ignore punctuation marks.

P. Passengers were told to be ready to quit the ship.

Q. The rising gale fanned the smoldering fire.

R. Everyone now knew there was fire on board.

S. Flames broke out here and there.

Show Hint

Think about the natural order events would happen in a fire emergency: first the fire starts, then people notice it, then it gets worse, then action is taken.
Updated On: Jul 21, 2026
  • SRQP
  • QPSR
  • RSPQ
  • QSRP
Show Solution

The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

This passage describes a fire breaking out on a ship, and we need to find the order of events that tells the story clearly. Let's check the sequences given as options.

  1. SRQP: Flames break out first, then everyone learns there is fire on board, then the gale makes the fire worse, and finally the passengers are told to prepare to leave the ship. Each part follows naturally as the next event in time.
  2. QPSR: This starts with the gale fanning a "smoldering" fire before any flames have even broken out, and before passengers even know there is a fire, which does not follow a sensible timeline.
  3. RSPQ: This has everyone knowing about the fire before the flames have broken out, which reverses cause and effect.
  4. QSRP: This again puts the gale fanning the fire before the flames break out and before anyone is aware of the danger, so the order of events is scrambled.

Only SRQP keeps every event in the order it would actually happen: flames appear, people notice, wind worsens the fire, passengers are warned. This corresponds to option (a).

Let's summarize:

  • The passage is best solved by tracking the natural timeline of a fire emergency.
  • Any order that mentions awareness or worsening of the fire before the flames actually break out breaks the logic of the story.

So the correct sequence is SRQP.

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