In the following sentence, the bracketed part is grammatically incorrect. Choose the option that best improves the sentence in terms of tense and meaning: With its overall popularity sliding, (the party will have been working hard) to bring in the next generation of leaders.

Introduction / Context:
This question checks your understanding of future obligation and correct adverb placement in English. The sentence describes a political party whose popularity is going down. In such a context, the writer wants to say that the party needs to put in a lot of effort in the future to bring in a new generation of leaders. You must select the option that expresses this idea in natural and grammatically accurate English.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Original sentence: With its overall popularity sliding, (the party will have been working hard) to bring in the next generation of leaders.
• The popularity is already sliding at present.
• The party is expected to exert effort in the future to improve the situation.
• The bracketed part describes an obligation or necessity, not a completed future action.

Concept / Approach:
The structure "will have been working" is a future perfect progressive tense used to highlight the duration of an action before a specific future point. In this sentence, however, the focus is on what the party needs to do, rather than on how long it will have been doing it. Therefore, a simple modal of obligation "will have to" plus the base verb "work" is more appropriate. You must also pay attention to the position of the adverb "hard". In English, "work hard" is a common collocation in which "hard" directly follows the verb. Expressions like "hardly work" mean "almost not work", which is the opposite of what is intended here.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the meaning: the party needs to make a strong effort in the future because its popularity is sliding.Step 2: Recognise that this meaning is best expressed by "will have to work", which shows future necessity.Step 3: Check the collocation: we say "work hard" when we want to show strong effort, not "hardly work".Step 4: Test option A in the full sentence: "With its overall popularity sliding, the party will have to work hard to bring in the next generation of leaders."Step 5: Observe that this version is clear, natural, and matches formal written English, so option A is correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the sentence with each option and focus on meaning. Options that suggest the party will scarcely work are clearly wrong because they contradict the idea that extra effort is required. Similarly, a form that suggests a completed ongoing action before a specific date is too complex and does not fit the sense of obligation the writer wants to express. The clarity and simplicity of "will have to work hard" confirm that option A is the correct improvement.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option B: "the party will have to hardly work" implies that the party will almost not work at all, which is opposite of the intended meaning.
• Option C: "the party will have to work hardly" is not idiomatic; native speakers do not use "work hardly" in this way, and the adverb is placed in an unnatural position.
• Option D: "No improvement" would keep "will have been working hard", which is unnecessarily complex and does not correctly focus on obligation.

Common Pitfalls:
Students often confuse adverbs "hard" and "hardly". "Hard" means "with great effort", while "hardly" means "almost not at all". This difference in meaning is crucial in exam questions. Another pitfall is using advanced tenses like the future perfect progressive where a simple modal structure is more appropriate. Exam setters deliberately insert complicated tenses to distract you, so always check whether the tense truly matches the intended meaning before choosing it.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement of the bracketed part is the party will have to work hard.