Improve the underlined prepositional phrase in the sentence: "She is bent to taking revenge against her attacker."

Introduction / Context:
This sentence improvement question focuses on a fixed English expression involving the adjective bent. The sentence She is bent to taking revenge against her attacker uses an incorrect preposition. You must identify the correct prepositional phrase that naturally follows bent when it means determined or strongly inclined.

Given Data / Assumptions:
Original sentence:

• She is bent to taking revenge against her attacker.

Options:

• bent upon
• bent in
• bent for
• No improvement

We assume the intended meaning is that she is determined to take revenge.

Concept / Approach:
In idiomatic English, the usual phrase is bent on or bent upon doing something, meaning strongly determined or resolved to do it. The preposition to is not used in this expression. Among the given options, bent upon is the closest correct choice. Bent in and bent for are not used with this meaning, and leaving the sentence as it is would keep the incorrect to.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Understand the meaning: She is strongly determined to take revenge on her attacker. Step 2: Recall the standard expression: bent on or bent upon doing something. For example, He is bent on mischief. Step 3: Replace bent to with bent upon: She is bent upon taking revenge against her attacker. This sounds natural and idiomatic. Step 4: Examine Option A, bent upon. This fits the pattern bent upon + gerund, giving a correct phrase. Step 5: Examine Option B, bent in. This does not form a recognised phrase and is grammatically odd in this context. Step 6: Examine Option C, bent for. This also does not collocate with bent in the sense of determined. Step 7: Examine Option D, No improvement. This would keep the incorrect preposition to in place. Step 8: Therefore, Option A, bent upon, is the correct improvement.

Verification / Alternative check:
Compare similar examples: She is bent on winning the prize, or They are bent upon gaining power. Both bent on and bent upon are used with gerunds (verb-ing forms) to show determination. If we say bent to winning, it sounds wrong to a native speaker. Substituting bent upon in the question sentence aligns it with these standard patterns.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Bent in is wrong because it does not connect meaningfully with taking revenge. Bent for is wrong because the phrase bent for something usually relates to a preference or tendency in a different structure, and even then it is rare. No improvement is wrong because the phrase bent to taking revenge is not idiomatic English. Only bent upon correctly expresses determination.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes think that any preposition after an adjective might be acceptable, especially if it resembles patterns in their first language. Another pitfall is assuming that to must follow any expression of intention. However, English often uses fixed preposition patterns that must be memorised, such as interested in, fond of, and bent on or bent upon. Studying these collocations with examples reduces confusion.

Final Answer:
The sentence should be improved to: She is bent upon taking revenge against her attacker.