Grammar: Completing Conjunction Pairs

This question tests the understanding of correlative conjunctions, which are pairs of words used to join elements in a sentence.

Understanding Correlative Conjunctions

The phrase "not only" typically requires its partner, "but also," to form a complete correlative conjunction pair. This structure emphasizes two related points.

Analyzing the Sentence

The sentence structure is: "He was accused of theft ______ of conspiracy."

The presence of "not only" before "theft" signals the need for the corresponding conjunction.

• Option 2, "but also", correctly completes the standard correlative pair: "not only... but also".

Evaluating Other Options

• Option 1, "rather", is used for contrast or preference and does not fit the correlative structure.
• Option 3, "but even", while sometimes used similarly, is less standard with "not only" than "but also".
• Option 4, "rather than", is used for comparison or preference and is grammatically incorrect here.

Therefore, the correct completion is "He was not only accused of theft but also of conspiracy."