Question:

Choose the option that conforms most closely to Standard English usage.

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Look at what comes immediately after "not only" and after "but also" in each option. They should be the same kind of phrase. Then check the idiom with "valuable".
Updated On: Nov 7, 2026
  • Creativity in any field is regarded not only as valuable for itself but also as a service to the nation.
  • Creativity in any field is not regarded only as valuable on its own, but also as a service to the nation.
  • Creativity, in any field, is not only regarded as valuable, but also as a service to the nation.
  • Creativity in any field is regarded not only as valuable in itself but also as a service to the nation.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: Know the rule being tested:
The pair "not only ... but also ..." is a correlative pair. The words that come right after "not only" and right after "but also" must be of the same grammatical kind. This is called parallel structure.
In every option the second part is "as a service to the nation", which begins with "as". So the first part should also begin with "as" straight after "not only".

Step 2: Check option (1):
"regarded not only as valuable for itself but also as a service to the nation." The structure is parallel, but the phrase "valuable for itself" is wrong. We say "valuable in itself" when something has value by its own nature. So (1) fails on idiom.

Step 3: Check option (2):
"is not regarded only as valuable on its own, but also as a service..." The word "not" is placed away from "only", and the pair "not only" is broken. The sentence reads as if creativity is not regarded as valuable at all, which changes the sense. So (2) is wrong.

Step 4: Check option (3):
"is not only regarded as valuable, but also as a service..." After "not only" comes the verb "regarded", but after "but also" comes the phrase "as a service". A verb and a phrase are not parallel. The extra commas around "in any field" are also unnecessary. So (3) is wrong.

Step 5: Check option (4):
"is regarded not only as valuable in itself but also as a service to the nation." Both halves begin with "as", so they are parallel. The idiom "valuable in itself" is right. There is no punctuation problem. So (4) is correct.

Final Answer:
Option (4) keeps "not only" and "but also" in a parallel structure and uses the correct idiom. The answer is option (4). \[ \boxed{\text{Option 4}} \]
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