He would rather resign … part in such a dishonest deal.

Analyze the question

The sentence is "He would rather resign _ part in such a dishonest deal." We need the structure that correctly follows "would rather."

Explain the concept

The pattern is "would rather + bare infinitive + than + bare infinitive".

• "would rather" is followed by the base form of the verb (no "to", no -ing, no -s).
• "than" is used to compare the two actions, and the verb after "than" must match the first one in form.

Examples:

• She would rather stay than go.
• I would rather walk than take a bus.

Step-by-step solution

1. The first verb is "resign", a bare infinitive after "would rather".
2. The second verb must be parallel, so it must also be a bare infinitive: "take".
3. Check each option: • A. instead of taking: "would rather ... instead of" is not the correct idiom, and it doubles up on the meaning. • B. than taking: the -ing form breaks the parallel structure. • C. than takes: the third-person -s form is wrong after "would rather". • D. than take: bare infinitive, parallel with "resign". Correct.

Complete sentence: "He would rather resign than take part in such a dishonest deal."

Exam tip

When you see "would rather ... than ...", make sure both verbs are in the same form, usually the base form. Think "rather X than Y", where X and Y are matching verbs. Options with -ing or -s endings are usually traps.