Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar.....

[Infinite7]

Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco was also of interest to the French throughout the first half of the twentieth century because they assumed that if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure.
(A) if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure
(B) without it their grip on Algeria would never be secure
(C) their grip on Algeria was not ever secure if they did not hold it
(D) without that, they could never be secure about their grip on Algeria
(E) never would their grip on Algeria be secure if they did not hold it

[harishr1981]

is it B??

[arindambanerji]

B all the way..we have proper pronoun referent in B. Also the construction is correct.

[nverma]

NO DOUBTS: Its B

[samarpan_bschool]

Affording strategic proximity to the Strait of Gibraltar, Morocco was also of interest to the French throughout the first half of the twentieth century because they assumed that if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure.
(A) if they did not hold it, their grip on Algeria was always insecure
(B) without it their grip on Algeria would never be secure
(C) their grip on Algeria was not ever secure if they did not hold it
(D) without that, they could never be secure about their grip on Algeria
(E) never would their grip on Algeria be secure if they did not hold it

'This, That, These, and Those' are Demonstrative pronouns (Manhattan SC guide 4th edition) and they should not be used in place of nouns. (unless we modify that or those). With this we can eliminate D.

Option E -> 'it' is ambiguous. 'It' should refer back to Morocco, but the noun closest is 'Algeria'. So we can rule this option out.

I will go with B. Clear and Concise

[Infinite7]

OA is B.