With cloning technology, scientists are approaching what has

[Guest]

With cloning technology, scientists are approaching what has long been the ultimate goal of modern husbandry: achieving a consistency of quality and production in farm animals as once thought to be limited to a manufactured goods.

a. same
b. achieving farm animals with a consistency of quality and production as were once thought of as
c. achieving in farm animals a consistency of quality and production that was once thought to be
d. achievement of farm animals whose consistency of quality and production are the same as what were once thought to be
e. achievement of farm animals at a consistency of quality and production once thought of as

Correct ans: c

I had really hard time deciding between A and C, and I ultimately chose A. Why is A wrong?


Thank you very much in advance!

[Selvae]

As is not a correct idiom to describe consistency of quality and production by limited to a manufactured goods.

it should have that - a restrictive clause to clearly convey the correct meaning.

Another problem is
achieving a consistency of quality and production in farm animals - the intented meaning is not properly conveyed.

the consistency in quality and production is acheieved in farm animals. so i should be written as achieving in farm animals a consistency of quality and production. -- precise and clear

[RonPurewal]

With cloning technology, scientists are approaching what has long been the ultimate goal of modern husbandry: achieving a consistency of quality and production in farm animals as once thought to be limited to a manufactured goods.

a. same
b. achieving farm animals with a consistency of quality and production as were once thought of as
c. achieving in farm animals a consistency of quality and production that was once thought to be
d. achievement of farm animals whose consistency of quality and production are the same as what were once thought to be
e. achievement of farm animals at a consistency of quality and production once thought of as

Correct ans: c

I had really hard time deciding between A and C, and I ultimately chose A. Why is A wrong?


Thank you very much in advance!

selvae's analysis is good.

some additions / clarifications:

* in analyzing choice (a), you can zero in on the idiom by temporarily eliminating the modifier "of quality and production in farm animals".
if you do that, you're left with the skeleton "achieving a consistency ... as once thought to be...", which is wrong. the "as" shouldn't be there.
that's enough to kill (a) already, but notice that the sentence would still be flawed even if you were to eliminate the "as". if you eliminate "as", you're left with "...consistency of quality and production in farm animals once thought to be limited to manufactured goods..." unfortunately, that's ambiguous; it can also be read as meaning that the farm animals themselves are "limited to manufactured goods".

(c) doesn't have these problems. you might think that the placement of "in farm animals" is awkward, but, in this case, that's the price paid for lack of ambiguity.