Problem: How does the sentence end?

Matthew took Samuel on a week long vacation to Italy because 
OPTIONS:
- Matthew had won the lottery.
- Samuel had won the lottery.
Answer: Matthew had won the lottery.

Problem: How does the sentence end?

Leslie was taken to the hospital but Jason wasn't because 
OPTIONS:
- Leslie contracted the virus that was going around.
- Jason contracted the virus that was going around.
Answer: Leslie contracted the virus that was going around.

Problem: How does the sentence end?

I decided to read the mystery book instead of the romance because the 
OPTIONS:
- mystery seemed less interesting.
- romance seemed less interesting.
Answer: romance seemed less interesting.

Problem: How does the sentence end?

The leather shoes felt better than the ones made out of canvas due to the 
OPTIONS:
- leather being stiff.
- canvas being stiff.
Answer:
canvas being stiff.