Question

Choose the option that best corrects the underlined words:
Though she lives in New York, Jane prefers living in small towns to big cities.

• A. NO CHANGE
• B. that of big cities
• C. living in big cities
• D. that in big cities

Answer 1

Answer: (C)

living in big cities

The comparison is to be between living in 'small towns' and 'big cities', not between 'living in small towns' and 'big cities'. Since the structure of the underlined phrase does not correspond to the former phrase, we need to change it. Hence Option A is incorrect. Option C has the correct phrase which corresponds to the structure of the former phrase. Options B and D both have demonstrative nouns which are not parallel with the structure of the first phrase in comparison, hence they're incorrect.