Improve the bracketed part of the sentence. If there is no improvement, then select 'No improvement'.
Hardly had he finished his meal (and it started) raining.

Correct option is D

The correct substitution of the bracketed words is (d) when it started.
Explanation:
In correlative negative expressions like “Hardly had…,” the correct pair is “when,” not “and.”
The structure requires inversion in the first clause and “when” to introduce the second.
Grammatical rule used:
Negative adverbs like “Hardly, Scarcely, No sooner” take inversion, and pair with:
· Hardly… when
· Scarcely… when
· No sooner… than
Correct sentence:
Hardly had he finished his meal when it started raining.
Example:
· Scarcely had the match begun when it started raining.