Question 12.
Five jumbled up sentences (labelled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), related to a topic, are given below. Four of them can be put together to form a coherent paragraph. Identify the odd sentence and key in the number of that sentence as your answer.
1. Urbanites also have more and better options for getting around: Uber is ubiquitous; easy-to-rent dockless bicycles are spreading; battery-powered scooters will be next.
2. When more people use buses or trains the service usually improves because public-transport agencies run more buses and trains.
3. Worsening services on public transport, terrorist attacks in some urban metros and a rise in fares have been blamed for this trend.
4. It seems more likely that public transport is being squeezed structurally as people’s need to travel is diminishing as a result of smartphones, videoconferencing, online shopping and so on.
5. There has been a puzzling decline in the use of urban public transport in many countries in the west, despite the growth in urban populations and rising employment.
Question Explanation
Sentence 2 is the odd one out.
The sequence 5-3-4-1 forms a coherent paragraph.
Sentence 5 introduces the issue of the puzzling decline in public transport despite growing urban populations and employment.
Sentence 3, then explains some of the reasons for the decline, like worsening services, terrorist attacks, and rising fares.
Sentence 4 adds a structural explanation, stating that public transport is being squeezed as people travel less due to technology.
Sentence 1 provides more details about the alternatives to public transport, which are contributing to the decline in usage.
Sentence 2 talks about how more people using buses or trains improves the service, but this idea is not directly relevant to the overall discussion in the passage, which focuses on the decline of public transport usage. It shifts the focus toward an increase in usage improving services, which contradicts the central theme of decline.
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