In the question below, a sentence is given, divided

Solution

Part C is the odd part. A opens the sentence by establishing the subject — the steady erosion of public trust in democratic institutions.  B follows A directly by introducing the first part of a contrast — stems not from a single catastrophic failure.  D follows B by completing the contrast with the coordinating conjunction “but” — but from the cumulative weight of broken promises.  E concludes by extending D, specifying what the cumulative weight consists of — and the widening chasm between electoral rhetoric and governance reality. The logical chain is A → B → D → E, forming — “The steady erosion of public trust in democratic institutions stems not from a single catastrophic failure but from the cumulative weight of broken promises and the widening chasm between electoral rhetoric and governance reality.” C is the odd part. It introduces a completely unrelated geopolitical-commercial fact — bilateral trade negotiations between the two economies stalled in 2019 — which belongs to an entirely different discussion about international trade relations. It connects to none of the other parts grammatically or thematically, and the sentence is complete and coherent without it. Hence (C) ABDE is the correct answer.