Sentence Rearrangement
🔒 Log in to trackThe PQRS method: label, anchor, chain, eliminate
🔒 Log in to trackThe classic item shows six labelled slots: sentence 1 fixed, sentence 6 fixed, and the four middle parts P, Q, R, S scrambled. The answer is a letter string (e.g. QPSR). Work it as a chain, not by trial:
- Read S1 and S6 first — they are free information. S1 sets the topic; S6 shows where the thought must land.
- Read P, Q, R, S and tag each one's role: opening of the middle (general statement), development (example/detail), contrast (but/however/now), conclusion (thus/so/that is why).
- Find the mandatory pairs — a pronoun and its noun, a cause and its effect, a 'the' that needs an earlier 'a'. Pairs are unbreakable links.
- Chain the pairs and check the whole story against S1 and S6.
- Eliminate option strings pair by pair: each wrong string breaks some pair. If pair (S→must follow P) holds, only strings containing P-S survive; a second pair usually finishes the job. Never match four strings against the full story — kill them one broken link at a time.
Role tags cheat-sheet:
| Signal inside a part | Likely position |
|---|---|
| Full noun phrase, no pronouns, general statement | just after S1 |
| Pronoun (he, she, it, this, these) | right after the part naming its noun |
| But / However / Yet / Now | after the claim it contrasts |
| This has led to / As a result / Therefore | after the cause |
| Thus / Hence / That is why / The need of the hour | last, before S6 |
| One day / Last winter / Soon after | start of a time chain |
The method reduces a 4! = 24-case problem to about 3 comparisons — that is where its 30-second budget comes from.
Detailed notes
What the four middle parts are doing
Every PQRS middle is a small paragraph with a job to do between S1 and S6. Before you look at the options, give each part a one-word role:
- Lead — continues S1's subject with a general statement or a pronoun that points back to S1.
- Support — an example, a figure, a detail ('for example', 'in Kerala', 'children who read daily').
- Turn — a contrast or problem ('But', 'However', 'Yet', 'Sadly', 'Unfortunately').
- Close — a result, a solution or a lesson ('therefore', 'thus', 'that is why', 'the next step'). Once each part has a role, there are usually only one or two orders left to check.
Two skeletons that cover most items
Argument skeleton: Lead -> Support -> Turn -> Close. Solar power is spreading -> panels light homes -> as a result children study -> however panels break down -> training technicians is therefore the next step.
Problem skeleton: Problem -> Cause -> Effect -> Response. Lakes are dying -> sewage flows in -> this fills them with weeds -> citizens now clean them. The Response part nearly always sits just before S6, because S6 usually looks ahead.
If the parts fit one skeleton, write the order down before you look at the options.
S1 and S6 are clamps
- S1 names the subject. A part that begins 'Its route...', 'They do so because...' or 'The name referred to...' can only make sense directly after S1. That is the S1 hook, and it fixes the first letter.
- S6 often points backwards. 'It was the tastiest lunch...' needs the meal to have been mentioned just before; 'Subsidies for such machines...' needs the machines. Ask what S6's pronoun or 'such' points to. The part that supplies it is the last letter. That is the S6 pull-back.
With the first and last letters fixed, only two orders remain for the middle two parts, and one mandatory pair decides between them.
The two-pair lock
Most items are designed so that two links settle everything. For example, with P-S (a pronoun pair) and R-Q (an 'as a result' pair), the answer must contain both blocks. Only PSRQ and RQPS are possible, and S1 or S6 decides which. Look for the two strongest links first instead of building the whole paragraph in your head.
How setters build the wrong options
The three wrong strings are rarely random. Usually each one:
- swaps two neighbouring parts (breaks one pair),
- moves the Close part into the middle, or
- opens with a pronoun or connector part. When you pick your answer, name the link each wrong string breaks. If you cannot find one, check again.
Quick revision
- Tag every part: Lead, Support, Turn, Close.
- Argument: Lead -> Support -> Turn -> Close. Problem: Problem -> Cause -> Effect -> Response.
- S1 hook fixes the first part; S6 pull-back fixes the last one.
- Two strong pairs usually decide the item — find them before reading the options.
- Every wrong string breaks a pair: name the pair it breaks.
Types of questions asked
Every way this subtopic shows up in exams — how to recognise it, the formula or logic to use, and a solved example.
Type 1: Argument skeleton (claim, support, turn, close)very common2 practice Q
S1 makes a general claim; one part adds a detail or result, one begins with However/Yet, one carries therefore/thus.
- Tag the parts: Lead, Support, Turn, Close.
- Place the Support directly after what it supports (look for 'as a result', 'for this reason').
- The Turn follows the good news it contradicts; the Close sits before S6.
Why it works: opinion paragraphs in exams almost always follow this fixed order.
Example: S1: Solar power is spreading. Parts: panels light homes / as a result children study / however these panels break down / training technicians is therefore the next step.
Lead (panels) -> Support ('as a result') -> Turn ('However, these panels') -> Close ('therefore') before S6.
Type 2: Problem skeleton (problem, cause, effect, response)common2 practice Q
S1 states a problem (lakes dying, stubble burning); parts give a reason, a consequence introduced by 'This has...', and a response or remedy.
- Find the cause part — it explains S1 directly ('Untreated sewage flows in', 'They do so because').
- Attach the effect to it ('This has filled...').
- The response or remedy goes last, just before S6.
Why it works: a remedy cannot come before the harm it answers, so the chain runs in only one direction.
Example: S1: Lakes are dying. Parts: sewage flows in / this has filled them with weeds / as the weeds choke the water, fish vanish / citizens now clean them.
Cause -> 'This has' effect -> 'the weeds' result -> response last.
Type 3: S6 pull-backvery common2 practice Q
S6 begins with a pronoun, 'such', or a word that needs something mentioned just before it (It was the tastiest lunch; Subsidies for such machines).
- Read S6 first and circle what it points back to.
- The part that supplies that noun is the last part.
- Build the rest backwards from it.
Why it works: S6 is fixed, so whatever it refers to must come directly before it.
Example: S6: It was the tastiest lunch the school had ever served. One part: The harvest was cooked for the midday meal.
'It' in S6 = the midday meal, so the harvest part is last; the other three follow the growing season before it.
Type 4: S1 hookcommon2 practice Q
One part begins with a word that only makes sense directly after S1: Its route..., The name referred to..., They do so because...
- Find the part whose first words point to S1's subject or action.
- Make it the first letter.
- Continue the chain from it using pairs.
Why it works: 'The name' or 'They do so' has nothing to refer to anywhere except S1.
Example: S1: Chess was born in India as a game called chaturanga. Part: The name referred to the four divisions of an ancient army.
'The name' = chaturanga in S1, so this part comes first; 'These divisions' must follow it.
Type 5: Two-pair lockcommon2 practice Q
Two parts are tied by pronouns or 'this + noun', and another two by 'as a result', 'because of these', or 'Its price'.
- Find the two strongest pairs and write them as blocks.
- Only two strings can contain both blocks.
- Use S1 or S6 to choose between them.
Why it works: two unbreakable blocks cut 24 possible orders down to two.
Example: Parts: He used sand and clay / Because of these cheap materials, it cost little / Its low price made it popular / Impressed by this demand, an agency ordered more.
Each part points back to the one before it, so the chain is fixed: materials -> cost -> price -> demand.
Shortcut tricks
⚡ Pairs before strings
Do not read the four option strings first. Build 2–3 mandatory pairs from P/Q/R/S; then check which strings respect them. Strings die by broken links, not by vibes.
⚡ S1–S6 frame test
After chaining, read S1 + your chain + S6 as one paragraph. If any 'it/this/they' lacks its noun, the chain is wrong.
⚡ Adjacent-swap distractors
Wrong strings usually swap two adjacent parts. Find the ONE swap each wrong string commits and name its broken pair — that is your verification.
Where students lose marks
Reading all four strings against the full paragraph — slow and error-prone.
Letting a pronoun open the chain when its noun comes later.
Ignoring S6 — the conclusion word inside a middle part often belongs just before S6.
Forcing the string you 'like' instead of eliminating by pairs.
Practice sets — 12 questions
Sets of 10, mixed across the question types above. Each answer comes with a step-by-step explanation.
Topic test · 12 questions
Suggested time 9 min · wrong answers go to your mistake notebook automatically.