Rarely does it...

Rarely _____ so heavily in South China as it did this winter.

A. does it snow B. it snows C. did it snow D. it snowed

The given answer is C. I'd like to know if A is fine too because it is generally true that there is not much snow in winter in South China. And if we are talking about this winter compared with the past winters, would it be better to use 'has it snowed' rather than 'did it snow'?

Could I ask native speakers to help me with this test item please? Thank you in advance.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by joham

Rarely _____ so heavily in South China as it did this winter.

A. does it snow B. it snows C. did it snow D. it snowed

The given answer is C. I'd like to know if A is fine too because it is generally true that there is not much snow in winter in South China. And if we are talking about this winter compared with the past winters, would it be better to use 'has it snowed' rather than 'did it snow'?

Could I ask native speakers to help me with this test item please? Thank you in advance.

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I am pretty sure that most native speakers would choose A; I would.

:up: Great question.

In what context would "Rarely did it snow so heavily..." be appropriate?

In what context would "Rarely does it snow so heavily..." be appropriate?

In what context would "Rarely has it snow so heavily..." be appropriate?