I came across the following multi-choice question in a bank of past exam questions of ENG1001 (taught as a compulsory subject in my university):
Randy is a very good swimmer, so he .......... swim better than I do.
A. can B. would C. may D. is going to
No answer key is given and almost all friends of mine prefer Option A. This raises two questions in my mind.
Is Randy's ability to swim better than I do the consequence of his being a very good swimmer? Rather, they are, I think, two facts simply coextensive with each other, and as such should be joined by 'and' instead of 'so'.
Is the sequence "can swim better than I can" more appropriate than "can swim better than I do"?
Is there anything wrong with my reasoning?
Thank you.