(Another) writing question

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>Far (away from) having been a diehard conservative, (Hoover was), some scholars (now contend), the leading progressive (of his day.) (No Error)</p>

<p>The answer is A -- it does sound awkward to me, but I couldn't think of a good reason so I just chose E. Does anybody know why the answer is A?</p>

2

<p>The expression is usually "Far from having been a diehard conservative," rather than "far away from." They're just testing your understanding of the colloquialism.</p>

3

<p>Away denotes location.</p>