She is not only talented _____ also extremely hardworking.

• A. and
• B. but (Answer)
• C. or
• D. nor

'Not only...but also' is the fixed correlative pair used to add emphasis to two related points. 'And', 'or', and 'nor' cannot complete this specific fixed pairing — only 'but' correctly partners with 'not only'.

_____ the manager nor his assistant was aware of the change in schedule.

• A. Either
• B. Neither (Answer)
• C. Both
• D. Not

'Neither...nor' is the correlative pair used to negate two alternatives together. 'Either...or' presents a positive choice between two options, which does not match the negative meaning here. 'Both...and' would require a positive verb ('were aware'), contradicting the sentence's implied lack of awareness.

You can _____ pay online or visit the branch in person to complete the transaction.

• A. neither
• B. both
• C. either (Answer)
• D. not only

'Either...or' presents two alternative options, matching the sentence's meaning of a choice between paying online and visiting in person. 'Neither' requires a negative meaning, contradicting the permissive 'can'. 'Both...and' would imply doing both actions. 'Not only...but also' adds emphasis to combined facts, not alternative choices.

The scheme is designed to benefit _____ urban residents and rural farmers alike.

• A. either
• B. neither
• C. both (Answer)
• D. whether

'Both...and' joins two elements that are equally included — urban residents and rural farmers are both beneficiaries. 'Either...or' presents a choice, not inclusion of both. 'Neither' would exclude both groups, contradicting 'benefit'. 'Whether' introduces a condition in a different grammatical structure and does not pair correctly here.

_____ did the storm damage the crops, but it also destroyed several homes.

• A. Not only (Answer)
• B. Neither
• C. Either
• D. Both

'Not only...but also' requires subject-auxiliary inversion when placed at the start of a sentence: 'Not only did the storm damage...'. 'Neither' and 'Either' do not pair with 'but also' at all, and 'Both...and' does not trigger inversion or fit the continuing structure with 'but it also destroyed'.

The proposal was rejected _____ by the board nor by the shareholders.

• A. either
• B. neither (Answer)
• C. not
• D. no

The word 'nor' later in the sentence signals the correlative pair must be 'neither...nor'. 'Either' pairs with 'or', not 'nor'. 'Not' alone does not form a grammatically complete correlative pair with 'nor' in formal English, and 'no' is not part of any correlative conjunction structure.

The new employee is _____ diligent nor particularly skilled, making his rapid promotion surprising.

• A. not only
• B. either
• C. neither (Answer)
• D. both

'Neither...nor' is required because the sentence describes the absence of two positive qualities, matching the surprise expressed despite his lacking both traits. 'Either...or' would present a choice, not a joint negation. 'Not only...but also' adds emphasis to combined positive facts, contradicting the negative meaning here, and 'both...and' would incorrectly affirm both qualities.

The film appealed _____ to critics for its artistry and to audiences for its entertainment value.

• A. both (Answer)
• B. not only
• C. neither
• D. either

'Both...and' shows the film succeeded in two distinct ways simultaneously. While 'not only...but also' could work in a similarly worded sentence, the given structure matches 'both...and' precisely, since 'not only' requires 'but also' rather than a second 'and'. This distinguishes correlative pairs that must match exactly.

_____ the CEO resigns immediately, or the board will be forced to take drastic action.

• A. Either (Answer)
• B. Neither
• C. Both
• D. Whether

'Either...or' presents two alternative outcomes — the CEO resigning, or the board taking drastic action. The word 'or' later in the sentence confirms the required pairing. This ultimatum-style structure ('Either X, or Y') is a common formal-register construction.

The report was praised _____ for its thoroughness and for its clarity, setting a new benchmark for internal audits.

• A. both (Answer)
• B. not only
• C. so
• D. such

'Both...and' correctly joins the two praised qualities — thoroughness and clarity — as jointly true. 'Not only' would require 'but also', not a second 'and', making it incompatible here. 'So' and 'such' are intensifiers used in result clauses and do not function as correlative conjunctions pairing two qualities.