becoolja wrote:
Never before had exporters confronted so many changed at once as they had in the WTO Agreement of 1990.
(B) at once as many changes as they were with
(C) as many changes at once as they confronted in
(D) as many changes at once as they did in
(E) so many changes at once as they confronted in
I think it's D.
A & E - are out: correct idiom = 'as many... as'
C - too wordy, 'confronted in' makes the sentence too long and doesn't necessarily add to meaning
B - can't really explain, it's just weird - doesn't sound right
Anothe issue is had/did. Some might find A appealing because the use of 'had exporters confronted.... they had' sounds parallel. But it's wrong, also because of the tenses.
1. Exporters
had confronted [Past Perfect] many changes before 1990.
2. In 1990 exporters
confronted [simple past] more changes than before.
Sentence #1 takes place before sentence #2.
Never before
had exporters
confronted as many changes at once as they did in the WTO Agreement of 1990.