UPSC EPFO EO/AO 2023 · Question 5
Question 5 of the UPSC EPFO EO/AO Recruitment Test 2023 (General Ability Test) (2 July 2023). Try it first, then open the answer and explanation.
The first and sixth sentences of a passage are given as S1 and S6. The four sentences in between have been jumbled up and labelled P, Q, R and S. Choose the proper sequence of the four sentences. S1: The history of English literature is usually divided into different periods. S6: This is the real danger of periodization, which tends to give the impression of distinct categories where there are none. P: However there are important discontinuities to be kept in mind. Q: Each period has unique features that produce certain family resemblances between the writers of a particular period. R: Scholars often specialize in periods such as Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian, and Modern literature. S: Failure to detect these discontinuities often produce a false sense of uniformity and consensus within a period.
- PQRS
- RQPS
- PSQR
- RSPQ
Show answer
Answer: (2) RQPS
The order is RQPS. R follows S1 by naming the usual periods (Medieval, Renaissance, Romantic, Victorian, Modern), and Q explains what holds a period together: features that produce family resemblances among its writers. P, opening with "However", turns to the discontinuities this view can hide, and S must follow P because "these discontinuities" refers back to them. S6's "This is the real danger of periodization" sums up the false sense of uniformity in S, so S comes last. PSQR keeps P and S together but separates S from S6. (In S, printed "produce" should strictly be "produces", agreeing with "Failure".)