In the following sentence, the bracketed part is grammatically incorrect. Choose the option that best improves the sentence: Not only do they heighten anxieties among the (targeted groups rather also they) risk giving the unacceptable a perverse acceptability.

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question deals with correlative conjunctions, specifically the pairing of "not only" and "but also". The sentence describes negative effects: certain actions both increase anxiety and risk normalising the unacceptable. You must choose the phrase that correctly completes the "not only ... but also ..." structure and produces a smooth, balanced sentence.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Original sentence: Not only do they heighten anxieties among the (targeted groups rather also they) risk giving the unacceptable a perverse acceptability.
• The earlier part of the sentence uses "Not only do they heighten anxieties ...".
• The second part must show an additional, parallel action: "they risk giving the unacceptable a perverse acceptability".
• The phrase inside brackets must link these two parts in a grammatically correct and parallel way.

Concept / Approach:
In English, "not only" must be followed by "but also" to complete the correlative pair. The structure is often: "Not only do they X, but they also Y" or "Not only X but also Y". Any deviation from this pattern tends to sound wrong or clumsy. Therefore, we look for an option that contains "but also" and preserves grammatical agreement with the rest of the sentence. The plural noun "groups" is correct because "they" heighten anxieties among multiple groups. The phrase must fit smoothly between "among the" and "risk giving".

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the correlative conjunction at the beginning of the sentence: "Not only".Step 2: Recall that the standard pair is "not only ... but also ...".Step 3: Look for an option that contains "but also" in a grammatically correct position.Step 4: Evaluate option C: "targeted groups but also they". Now the sentence reads: "Not only do they heighten anxieties among the targeted groups but also they risk giving the unacceptable a perverse acceptability."Step 5: Confirm that this structure respects the parallelism: they do one thing (heighten anxieties) and they also do another thing (risk giving acceptability).

Verification / Alternative check:
Read the entire sentence using option C. It now follows a familiar and acceptable pattern in academic and editorial writing. Even though we could make minor stylistic improvements such as moving "also" ("but they also risk"), exam questions focus on grammatical correctness rather than style perfection. Options that use "rather also" or "then also" are not recognised correlative conjunctions, so they should be rejected. The "No improvement" choice keeps a visibly problematic phrase and therefore cannot be correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Option A: "targeted group then also they" uses singular "group" and the construction "then also", which is not a standard correlative conjunction. The sentence becomes grammatically shaky.
• Option B: "targeted groups even also they" includes "even also", which is redundant and unidiomatic. The phrase does not properly complete "not only".
• Option D: "No improvement" would retain "targeted groups rather also they", which is clearly incorrect; "rather also" is not an acceptable pairing with "not only".

Common Pitfalls:
Exams often test correlative conjunctions by slightly distorting the second part, hoping that candidates will focus on the meaning and miss the structural error. A key strategy is to identify the first half of the pair and mentally supply the correct second half; for example, "either ... or", "neither ... nor", and "not only ... but also". Then compare that mental template with the options. Another pitfall is ignoring number agreement such as "groups" versus "group". Always check both structure and number when improving sentences.

Final Answer:
The correct improvement is targeted groups but also they.