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 third statement after the correct rearrangement?

Correct Answer: E

To determine the correct logical sequence of the given statements, let us analyze the thematic connections, cause-and-effect relationships, and reference words present in each sentence:

1. Identifying the Context (First Statement):
Statement (C) introduces the central problem of the passage: the disappearance of the apex predator (the gray wolf) and how the loss of contiguous woodland territory accelerated this decline. This serves as an effective opening statement by establishing the primary topic.

2. Establishing the Historical Background (Second Statement):
Statement (A) explains the background behind the loss of woodland territory mentioned in (C), stating that during the post-war era, the state focused heavily on industrial expansion across regional territories.

3. Linking Industrial Expansion to Habitat Destruction (Third Statement):
Statement (E) begins with the demonstrative phrase "This rapid industrial growth", which directly refers back to the "industrial expansion" introduced in statement (A). Statement (E) explains that this growth required clearing extensive forests, thereby directly eroding the wolf's natural hunting grounds. Thus, statement (E) forms the third statement in the coherent sequence.

4. Introducing the Solution and Its Goal (Fourth and Fifth Statements):
Statement (B) transitions from historical habitat destruction to a modern solution: a newly passed environmental bill aimed at reintroducing gray wolves.
Statement (D) concludes the passage by detailing the objective of "this restoration program" (referring to the bill described in B), which aims to reinstate ecological balance.

Final Rearranged Sequence:
C → A → E → B → D

Therefore, the third statement after the correct rearrangement is (E).