As is known to all, Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world, _____. [ ] A

As is known to all, Montreal is the second largest French-speaking city in the world, _____. [ ] A. Paris is the largest B. Paris being the largest C. Paris to be the largest D. Paris be the largest

The sentence requires a non-finite clause to avoid creating a comma splice (two independent clauses joined by only a comma). "Paris being the largest" uses the present participle "being" to form an absolute construction, correctly modifying the main clause without creating grammatical errors.

Answer: B

The structure "Montreal is..., Paris being the largest" connects the two related facts grammatically. Options A creates a comma splice, while C and D use non-standard verb forms ("to be" and "be") that don't fit the sentence structure.