UPSC NDA I 2017 General Ability Solved Paper

Concept:The correct structure for comparison is $"not\ so\ much\ ...\ as"$, not $"not\ so\ much\ ...\ but"$.Explanation:The sentence uses $"not\ so\ much\ ...\ but"$, which is incorrect.The phrase $"not\ so\ much\ X\ as\ Y"$ properly compares two qualities, giving weight to Y.Here, X is "his meanness" and Y is "his dishonesty".$"As"$ is the correct word to introduce the second part of the comparison.$"But"$ shows contrast, not comparison, so it is wrong.Thus, $"\text{but\ for}"$ should be replaced with $"\text{as\ for}"$.Option (a) fixes the error.Answer:Option (a) as for.