I believe it's (C). That said, (C) isn't exactly elegant.

(A) "is having" implies a temporal state... whereby Australia is currently experiencing better relations (in which case, the verb "to have" would be incorrect), but will soon stop. It's an awkward phrasing that wouldn't be found in spoken/written English.
(B), (E) "they" is meant to refer to the British, however its placement suggests its referring to "Australia and the United States", changing the meaning of the sentence
(D) "in both nations" is incorrect because it implies that there was a "European settlement" (noun) in Australia and the United States instead of settlement (verb). It's also missing "is" from the end of the sentence.
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A tough one.

I will go with D.

I feel "....settlement of both nations" does not sound correct. So C is not the best choice. All other choices can easily be eliminated.

Crick

I still feel it's (C). "Were responsible for the early European settlement in both Australia and the United States" to me sounds like the British were responsible for a single "early European settlement" (using settlement as a noun) rather than "to settle".

So what's the OA?
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i'll go with D

British were responsible for the settlement ___ both nations

in the blank, in seems to be a better word than of

establishment in Australia -- looks better

establishment of Australia -- seems awkward

out of B and D

B i believe has incorrect comparisions , hence D compares Australia to Britan and US.

IMHO it is D. Settlement of looks awkward to me. At the same time "cultural links IN Australia than IN the United States" links in sounds inappropriate here.

+1 C

A is wrong. Present progressive is not necessary.
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A small request to bschhol83. Once the postings cross seven or eight, you must declare the OA and if possible OE at least under the spoiler. Now 13 postings have gone by and still we have no sight of the OA. If it is from Manhattan, please post Manhattan’s OA and OE. We are spending considerable time, because they are from reputed Institutions.

Thanks in advance for your co-operation
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Alicia Helle, an online student at the UW, "Obtaining my degree online has been a blessing. With two small children, I am able to work when it is convenient for my family and me. I have nothing but positive comments and experiences from my time at UW-Stout.”

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Really so? I mistook them as his own explanations, since he hasn’t claimed that the explanation is from Manhattan. But still won’t it be better to put OA and OE under the spoiler?
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Alicia Helle, an online student at the UW, "Obtaining my degree online has been a blessing. With two small children, I am able to work when it is convenient for my family and me. I have nothing but positive comments and experiences from my time at UW-Stout.”

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While not that desirable, it is permissible in English to refer to something as a pronoun prior to identifying the subjects themselves.

i.e. "Although it didn't please him, Johnny had to take out the trash."
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Hey all,

Had another request to verify that this was from MGMAT and we weren't able to locate it in our databases. If you think this is one of ours and can point us to where, please let us know.

Thanks!
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