Select the most appropriate option that can substitute the highlighted segment in the given sentence.
Land with unoccupied possession is pretending to be more valuable.

Correct option is D

The correct substitution of the highlighted words is (d) is likely to be.
Explanation:
The sentence describes a present possibility regarding land value. The correct expression for something expected to happen or appear a certain way in the present or future is “is likely to be”. “Pretending to be” is incorrect in this context, as land cannot pretend — only animate beings can.
Grammatical Rule Used:
" Be likely to + verb" is a modal construction used to indicate probability or expectation in the present or future.
Example: He is likely to win the match.
Here, the subject “land” is singular, so “is” is the correct form of the verb “to be”.
Information Booster:
· “Likely to be” must be preceded by the correct helping verb depending on subject-verb agreement.
· Only animate subjects can “pretend”; inanimate subjects use expressions of likelihood.