Directions (18-22): Five coherent statements are given. Rearrange those in a meaningful order and answer the questions following to that.

(A) During the decades preceding independence, as well as those after, India’s sole emphasis was on agriculture.

(B) Recently Indian government announced reintroduction of 8 cheetah in Indian forest by translocating them from Namibia.

(C) While over-hunting was a major contributing factor for the cheetah’s extinction, the decimation of grassland-forest habitat also played a role.

(D) The aim behind the translocation is not only to restore India’s ‘historic evolutionary balance’, but also to develop a cheetah ‘metapopulation’.

(E) This included acquiring off grassland, which led to a decline in the cheetah’s habitat.

Which of the following will be the first statement after rearrangement?

The correct option is C (Statement C).

To determine the correct sequence of the given statements, let us analyze the logical connection between them and identify the opening statement:
1. Statement (C) serves as the ideal introductory statement as it introduces the main theme of the passage—the primary reasons behind the extinction of cheetahs in India, mentioning both over-hunting and habitat decimation.
2. Statement (A) follows (C) by elaborating on the historical reason behind habitat decimation, citing India's sole emphasis on agriculture before and after independence.
3. Statement (E) connects directly to (A) using the demonstrative pronoun "This" to explain that the agricultural focus included clearing grassland, leading to habitat decline.
4. Statement (B) transitions to recent developments, introducing the Indian government's initiative to reintroduce 8 cheetahs from Namibia.
5. Statement (D) concludes the paragraph by explaining the specific objectives behind the translocation mentioned in statement (B).

Thus, the logical and coherent order of the statements is C – A – E – B – D.

Therefore, the first statement after rearrangement is (C).