<p>The conservation organization requested that its researchers (refrain from) giving out information (in regards to) the location of rare holly bushes (for) fear that people (would move) them to private gardens. </p>
<p>The answer is B, "in regards to"
Why is C, "for", correct here?</p>
<p>“for fear that” is an idiom. it lets you avoid having to say “because they were afraid of” and thus repeat the subject again.</p>
<p>Why is B the answer? What’s wrong with it? How should it be corrected?</p>
<p>The phrase “in regards to” should be replaced by “about” or “on.” Probably there is a slight preference for “about.”</p>
<p>“In regards to” is business-ese here, and practically everywhere else–i.e., unnecessarily wordy phrasing that people who have not read a lot seem to think sounds more impressive than a single preposition.</p>
<p>Actually, “in regards to” is wrong because it should be “in regard to” or “with regard to.” Or simply regarding. This is because, in this context, “regard” is a word that cannot be pluralized. You wouldn’t use the phrase “with respects to”; you would use “with respect to.” The only time you’d pluralize regard is when you mean it as good wishes: “He left his regards in the form of a present.”</p>
<p>I agree with you, crazybandit, that “in regard to” would be better. But “about” or “on” would be better still. I check “in regards to” using Google, and one of the top hits was this one:
[The</a> UVic Writer’s Guide: In regards to](<a href=“http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/UsInRegardsTo.html]The”>http://web.uvic.ca/wguide/Pages/UsInRegardsTo.html)
This site also comments that “in regards to” and “in regard to” are both “business-ese.” I hadn’t seen this site before I posted, and thought that I was coining the term. Guess not.</p>
<p>I agree with you, but when it comes to the SAT that isn’t important.</p>