A part of the following sentence is underlined. Choose the option which can replace the underlined part to improve the sentence. In case Options A, B and C are not found suitable, choose Option D: "No Improvement Required."
The minister clarified that the funds allocated for the scheme are disbursed judiciously and not misused as it has been alleged.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The sentence starts with "The minister clarified...", which establishes the past tense.
According to the rules of tenses in English, when the main verb of a sentence is in the past tense, the verbs in the subordinate clause (the "that" clause) should also typically be in the past tense to maintain consistency.
Therefore, “are disbursed judiciously and not misused” should be replaced with “were disbursed judiciously and not misused”.