Directions: Five coherent statements are given below. Rearrange them into a logical sequence and answer the question that follows.

(A) In the post-war era, the state placed primary focus on industrial expansion across regional territories.

(B) A newly passed environmental bill aims to reintroduce forty gray wolves into the national sanctuary by importing them from Canada.

(C) Although uncontrolled poaching severely threatened the apex predator, the loss of contiguous woodland territory significantly accelerated its disappearance.

(D) The objective of this restoration program is to reinstate the historic ecological balance while establishing an interconnected metapopulation of wolves.

(E) This rapid industrial growth required extensive forest clearance, which directly eroded the wolf's natural hunting grounds.

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

Correct Answer: (D)

To determine the correct logical order of the statements, we can analyze the cause-and-effect relationships and keyword links between them step-by-step:

Step 1: Identify the introductive statement (1st position)
Statement (A) introduces the historical context ("In the post-war era, the state placed primary focus on industrial expansion across regional territories"). It provides a broad baseline topic without relying on any prior pronouns or references, making it the ideal starting sentence.

Step 2: Trace the direct link to industrial growth (2nd position)
Statement (E) opens with the phrase "This rapid industrial growth...", which directly connects back to the "industrial expansion" mentioned in statement (A). It explains that this expansion led to extensive forest clearance, eroding the wolf's natural hunting grounds. Therefore, (E) logically follows (A).

Step 3: Detail the impact on the apex predator (3rd position)
Statement (C) elaborates on the consequences of habitat loss introduced in statement (E), noting that the loss of contiguous woodland territory accelerated the apex predator's disappearance. Thus, (C) logically follows (E).

Step 4: Introduce the modern restoration effort (4th position)
Statement (B) transitions to present-day action by bringing up a newly passed environmental bill aimed at reintroducing gray wolves to restore their population. Hence, (B) follows (C).

Step 5: Define the objective of the restoration program (5th position)
Statement (D) begins with "The objective of this restoration program...", which refers specifically to the reintroduction bill introduced in statement (B). It concludes the passage by detailing the ultimate goal of establishing ecological balance and an interconnected wolf metapopulation.

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

Thus, the fifth statement after rearrangement is (D).