Directions: Arrange the following five statements in a coherent order to create a meaningful paragraph, then answer the question.

(A) Yet that habit of merely blocking proposals cannot, by itself, address the present challenge.

(B) Campaigners have therefore opposed projects such as new mines, expanded highways, and waste-disposal sites.

(C) For many years, community advocacy has largely involved resisting developments considered harmful.

(D) At the same time, ageing public systems must be renewed rapidly with lower-impact alternatives.

(E) Meeting this goal will demand substantial investment in new public infrastructure.

After arranging the statements into a coherent paragraph, which statement appears in the fourth position?

The correct option is D.

To find which statement appears in the fourth position, we must arrange the five given statements into a coherent and logical paragraph by analyzing opening premises, cause-and-effect transitions, and demonstrative reference words.

Step 1: Identify the opening statement (First position)
Statement (C) ("For many years, community advocacy has largely involved resisting developments considered harmful.") introduces a broad, standalone historical context. It serves as the ideal introductory sentence for the paragraph.

Step 2: Establish the cause-and-effect link (Second position)
Statement (B) ("Campaigners have therefore opposed projects such as new mines, expanded highways, and waste-disposal sites.") begins with the transition word "therefore," directly providing concrete examples of the resistance described in (C). This forms the mandatory pair (C) ⇒ (B).

Step 3: Introduce the shift in perspective (Third position)
Statement (A) ("Yet that habit of merely blocking proposals cannot, by itself, address the present challenge.") uses the phrase "that habit of merely blocking proposals" to refer directly back to the opposition efforts detailed in statement (B). The word "Yet" signals a shift from past resistance to current needs. This extends our sequence to (C) ⇒ (B) ⇒ (A).

Step 4: Define the current requirement (Fourth position)
Statement (D) ("At the same time, ageing public systems must be renewed rapidly with lower-impact alternatives.") elaborates on what must be done alongside the shift mentioned in (A) using the connector "At the same time." Hence, statement (D) logically occupies the fourth position.

Step 5: Identify the conclusion (Fifth position)
Statement (E) ("Meeting this goal will demand substantial investment in new public infrastructure.") refers to "this goal," which directly points to the goal of rapidly renewing ageing public systems stated in (D). Thus, (E) completes the paragraph.

Complete Paragraph Sequence:
(C) ⇒ (B) ⇒ (A) ⇒ (D) ⇒ (E)

Position 1: Statement (C)
Position 2: Statement (B)
Position 3: Statement (A)
Position 4: Statement (D)
Position 5: Statement (E)

Therefore, the statement that appears in the fourth position is statement (D).