I really got to quit posting so much, but this is kind of addicitive and I have some free time...
GMATT73 wrote:
With cloning technology, researchers are approaching what has long been the ultimate goal of modern botany: achieving an exactness of quality and appearance in hothouse plants as once thought to be limited to manufactured items.
(A) achieving an exactness of quality and appearance in hothouse plants as once thought to be
(B) achieving hothouse plants with an exactness of quality and appearance as were once thought of as
(C) achieving in hothouse plants an exactness of quality and appearance that was once thought to be
(D) achievement of hothouse plants whose exactness of quality and appearance are the same as what were once thought to be
(E) achievement of hothouse plants at an exactness of quality and appearance once thought of as
The correct answer will be (C).
There is nothing wrong with "achieving in". Here's what's going on:
verb: achieving
object of verb: an exactness
... achieving an exactness ...
where is this "achieving" happening? -- in hothouse plants (a prepositional phrase acting as an adverb)
... achieving (in hothouse plants) an exactness ...
tell us more about that exactness: OK
... that [exactness] was once though to be limited to manufactured items.
And so (C) is correct...
achieving in hothouse plants an
exactness of quality and appearance that was once thought to be ...
I hope it's clear that
that as used above in (C) makes good sense. The usage in (A) of
as instead of
that was is -- the magic word again -- unidiomatic.
Meow