He was not only accused of theft ______ of conspiracy. A. rather B. but also C. but even D. rather than

GATE 2020 · General Aptitude · English Grammar · medium

Answer: Option B: but also

  1. Identify the sentence structure: The sentence begins with 'not only accused of theft', signalling the correlative pair 'not only...but also'. The blank position corresponds to the second part of this pair.
  2. Match to the correct option: A: 'rather' alone is incomplete and non-standard here. C: 'but even' is not the standard partner. D: 'rather than' introduces contrast, not addition. Only B: 'but also' completes the standard 'not only...but also' pair.