I cannot understand the answer, please help me (multiple choice, grammar about the timing of an event)


Question:

>   30. ハンバーグを作るのは難しいと思っていたが、（ ）思ったより難しくなかった。
>

>
> A. 作っているうちに  
>  B. 作ったとしても  
>  C. 作ってみると  
>  D. 作った後で

I chose D, but the right answer is C, why? I think C and D both are pertinent,
can anyone clarify the discrepancy?




Using AでB directly marks the time A of the event B. This means option D will
imply that you had the thought (that the ハンバーグ was difficult to make) _after_
making it, which doesn't make sense.

> 作った後で思ったより難しくなかった。 It was more difficult than what I had thought after
> making it.

For で・に to be used in this sentence, you would have to change it to 作る前.

> 作る **前に** 思ったより難しくなかった。 It was more difficult than what I had thought before
> making it.

Of course, it still isn't a good choice because the first part of the sentence
already implies what you thought of before making it with the ~ていた form. So it
is redundant.

On the other hand, Aてみると／てみたらB is appropriate because it is a phrase
specifically to mark that expression B is what you came to notice/what came
about as a result of verb A. It does not directly mark the time of B, but
specifies that B came as a result of A.

