In reference/Referring to/with reference to....

Mclaughlin wrote:In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that their prospects for being hired and promoted are being stunted by their habit.

(A) In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that
(B) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(C) When referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety about
(D) With reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(E) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety that

Official Answer: E

can anyone explain the difference, the correct idiom and why the OA is what it is.

mastbombay wrote:Underlined portion says...........

prospects for...x and y .......are being................

so its present tense............

Had it been past tense...........it shud have been

prospects for...x and y .......were being................

so require express..........Hence C and E

out of these.........E is better cons in currect context.

Mclaughlin wrote:In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that their prospects for being hired and promoted are being stunted by their habit.

(A) In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that
(B) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(C) When referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety about
(D) With reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(E) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety that

Official Answer: E

can anyone explain the difference, the correct idiom and why the OA is what it is.

mooreliberty wrote:

mastbombay wrote:Underlined portion says...........

prospects for...x and y .......are being................

so its present tense............

Had it been past tense...........it shud have been

prospects for...x and y .......were being................

so require express..........Hence C and E

out of these.........E is better cons in currect context.

Mclaughlin wrote:In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that their prospects for being hired and promoted are being stunted by their habit.

(A) In reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety that
(B) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(C) When referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety about
(D) With reference to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently expressed anxiety about
(E) Referring to the current hostility toward smoking, smokers frequently express anxiety that

Official Answer: E

can anyone explain the difference, the correct idiom and why the OA is what it is.

You lost me there. Here's my decision tree: in ans A, B, and D "expressed" is the wrong tense, which forced me to decide between two answers I didn't really like.

Answer C began with "When," which defined the condition when smokers expressed anxiety and thus changed the meaning of the sentence.
.... furthermore, "when" transforms the otherwise (somewhat) independent clause into a subordinate clause.

While I ended up picking E, I did so holding my nose - as I didn't like the use of "that" in place of "about."

While the use of "about" may sound correct, it is de@d wrong. "Express anxiety" needs to be modified by the "their prospects" clause for this train wreck of a sentence to make any sense.

Technically only the trusty conjunction can modify the subordinate clause... In this case, the preposition is nothing but a sleazy grammatical con artist, masquerading as the well behaved idiomatic phrase "anxious about."

My two cents used to be worth so much more . . .