Improve the bracketed part of the sentence so that it is grammatically correct and parallel in structure: "I had (not only helped her by giving hints but also by providing her links)."

Introduction / Context:
This question tests your understanding of parallel structure and correct preposition use in English grammar. Correlative conjunctions such as not only ... but also are frequently tested in competitive examinations because many learners create unbalanced or awkward sentences when using them. Here, you must choose the version of the bracketed part that makes the entire sentence smooth, grammatical, and logically parallel: I had (not only helped her by giving hints but also by providing her links).

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The full sentence describes two ways in which help was given: by giving hints and by providing links.
• The correlative pair not only ... but also is used to connect these two parallel actions.
• The correct answer must maintain the same preposition pattern before both verb phrases.
• Pronouns should be consistent (her, not suddenly him), and the tense should remain past perfect with had helped understood from the context.

Concept / Approach:
When we use not only ... but also to join two similar grammatical units, both parts should have parallel structure. If we say not only by giving hints, we should follow with but also by providing links. Repeating the preposition by keeps the structure balanced and clear. In addition, the object pronoun should remain consistent; since we helped her, we provide her links, not him links. Finally, we avoid mixing by providing with with providing in the same sentence because it breaks the parallel pattern and sounds awkward.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the two actions: giving hints and providing her links. Step 2: Note that both actions are ways of helping her, so they should be joined by not only ... but also in a balanced way. Step 3: Decide on a preposition pattern. The sentence already uses by giving hints, so the second part should naturally be by providing her links. Step 4: Check that the object pronoun remains her in both places, ensuring consistency. Step 5: Choose the option that reads not only helped her by giving hints but also by providing her links, since it meets all these requirements.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the full improved sentence aloud: I had not only helped her by giving hints but also by providing her links. This flows smoothly, keeps the correlative conjunction balanced, and uses identical structure in the two parts: helped her by + gerund phrase. Now test the alternatives. If you say helped her not only by giving hints but also with providing her links, the switch from by to with providing breaks the parallel structure and sounds clumsy. Using him instead of her introduces an inconsistent pronoun. Claiming that no improvement is required ignores these obvious inconsistencies. Therefore, Option A gives the best grammatical and stylistic version.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
helped her not only by giving hints but also with providing her links: This is wrong because it breaks the parallel preposition pattern by switching from by to with providing, creating an awkward and unbalanced sentence.
not only helped her by giving hints but also with providing him links: This is wrong for two reasons: it changes the object from her to him, causing a pronoun inconsistency, and it uses with providing instead of by providing, which again breaks parallelism.
No improvement is required in the bracketed part: This is wrong because the original wording was not fully parallel and contained awkward phrasing. The sentence clearly benefits from the cleaned, fully parallel version.

Common Pitfalls:
Many learners focus only on the presence of not only and but also and forget that the structures following them must match. Others overlook pronoun consistency, switching from her to him or mixing prepositions. In examination questions, always check for parallelism in paired structures and ensure that the same preposition, verb form, and pronoun pattern are used on both sides of the conjunction. A small change like repeating by can make a big difference in correctness and clarity.

Final Answer:
The bracketed part should be improved to not only helped her by giving hints but also by providing her links.