Twentieth-century farmers might not have conceived of neonic insecticides to be ruinous to helpful and vital insects, but recent research has demonstrated that widespread and continuous use of them can be disastrous for untargeted insect populations.
A. Twentieth-century farmers might not have conceived of neonic insecticides to be
B. Twentieth-century farmers might not have conceived of neonic insecticides being
C. A twentieth-century farmer might not have conceived of their neonic insecticides being
D. A twentieth-century farmer might not have conceived of neonic insecticides as
E. Neonic insecticides might not have been conceived of, by twentieth-century farmers, as
I believe we don't need to know the idiom. Being as modifier isn't preferable (Though there are some usages ,which gmat uses 'being' ),so B is out. In A to be X isn't right
So,ultimately we are left with answer choice D
Source - Ready4Gmat
Comparisons Series
I chose A, but i guess it a wrong answer.
Can anybody suggest to tackle this question on split other than idiom split.
I can see Twentieth-century farmers / A twentieth-century farmer both are correct. This question hinges on entirely the usage of the correct idiom.