Select the most appropriate option to improve the bold part of the sentence.
She succeeded by virtue of her talent.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
The sentence 'She succeeded by virtue of her talent' is grammatically correct and idiomatic as written. However, looking at the provided options to improve the bold part:
owing of: Incorrect. The correct idiom is 'owing to”.
because: Incorrect in this context. 'Because' would require a full clause (e.g., 'because she was talented') rather than a noun phrase.
cause of: Incorrect. This does not function as a prepositional phrase for reason in this structure.
due to: This is the most appropriate alternative among the choices.
Analysis: While 'by virtue of' is perfectly fine, due to is the only grammatically viable replacement listed that maintains the sentence's meaning (indicating the cause of her success).