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 second statement after rearrangement?

The correct answer is A.

To determine the logical sequence of the given statements, let us analyze the context, keyword links, and narrative flow:

1. Opening Statement (B): Statement (B) introduces the main topic of the passage—a modern initiative to bring back wolves: "A newly passed environmental bill aims to reintroduce forty gray wolves into the national sanctuary by importing them from Canada." This serves as an ideal introductory topic sentence.
2. Second Statement (A): Following the introduction of the bill, the narrative transitions to the historical background explaining why the wolf population declined: "In the post-war era, the state placed primary focus on industrial expansion across regional territories." Thus, statement (A) logically forms the second statement.
3. Third Statement (E): Statement (E) contains the mandatory pronoun link "This rapid industrial growth", which directly refers back to the "industrial expansion" mentioned in statement (A). It states: "This rapid industrial growth required extensive forest clearance, which directly eroded the wolf's natural hunting grounds."
4. Fourth Statement (C): Statement (C) builds upon the "forest clearance" discussed in statement (E) by explaining its consequences on the wolf population: "Although uncontrolled poaching severely threatened the apex predator, the loss of contiguous woodland territory significantly accelerated its disappearance."
5. Fifth Statement (D): Statement (D) concludes the passage by highlighting the objective of the restoration program introduced in statement (B): "The objective of this restoration program is to reinstate the historic ecological balance while establishing an interconnected metapopulation of wolves."

Complete Logical Order: B → A → E → C → D

Therefore, the second statement after rearrangement is A.