Despite recent increases in sales and cash flow that have propelled automobile companies' common stocks to new highs, several industry analysts expect automakers, in order to conserve cash, to set dividends more conservatively than they were
A. to set dividends more conservatively than they were
B. to set dividends more conservatively than they have been
C. to be more conservative than they have been in setting dividends
D. that they will be more conservative than they were in setting dividends
E. that they will be more conservative than they have been to set dividends
如果前面是conservatively,后面就没法用have been (conservative)了,因为前面是副词,后面是形容词,不平行了.set在这里是及物动词,即便补成have been setting,也是不完整的;如果补成have been setting dividents,既罗嗦,还不达要点.因为这句话要点就是讲conservative.所以不如用C选项简洁明了