Question

A number of sentences are given below which, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. However, one of the statements is illogically placed. Choose the illogically placed sentence from among the five given choices so that the remaining four can construct a coherent paragraph.
A. Trade protocols were signed, the dollar as the medium of exchange was ignored, trade was denominated in rupees and the exchange rate between the two countries was to be fixed outside the ambit of free markets.
B. A young India, some years after independence fashioning her foreign policy of nonalignment, found it prudent to stay close to the former Soviet Union.
C. Therefore it led to the escalation of cold war between Soviet Union and the U.S.A.
D. Once upon a time there was a superpower named Soviet Union that attracted nations apprehensive of the global aspirations of the other superpower, the U.S.A.
E. One way of doing this was to evolve a bilateral relations in trade that could be called upon provide a buffer against the arm-twisting by the U.S.A

Hint:

The odd sentence often shifts the topic (e.g., from India’s policy to global politics) and doesn’t contribute to the main narrative.

Answer 1

Step 1: The paragraph should narrate India’s relationship with the Soviet Union post-independence, focusing on trade and foreign policy. We need to find the sentence that does not fit this narrative.
Step 2: Sentence D sets the context by introducing the Soviet Union as a superpower attracting nations wary of the U.S.A., a logical starting point.
Step 3: Sentence B follows, explaining India’s choice to align closely with the Soviet Union due to its nonalignment policy.
Step 4: Sentence E elaborates on how India achieved this closeness through bilateral trade relations to counter U.S. influence.
Step 5: Sentence A details the specifics of these trade protocols (e.g., using rupees, fixed exchange rates), concluding the narrative.
Step 6: Sentence C, which mentions the escalation of the Cold War, is irrelevant to the paragraph’s focus on India’s strategic trade relationship with the Soviet Union. It introduces a global consequence that does not connect to the specific narrative of D-B-E-A.
Verification: The sequence D-B-E-A forms a coherent paragraph: Soviet Union’s role (D), India’s alignment (B), method via trade (E), and trade details (A). C disrupts this by shifting focus to the Cold War.