og 204, please help

windcolour

204.
                    In recent years cattle breeders have increasingly used crossbreeding, in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics and partly because crossbreeding is said to provide hybrid vigor.

(A) in part that their steers should acquire certain characteristics

(B) in part for the acquisition of certain characteristics in their steers

(C) partly because of their steers acquiring certain characteristics

(D) partly because certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers（E）

(E) partly to acquire certain characteristics in their steers

Choice E is best; it best indicates purpose for crossbreeding—partly to acquire. In A, in part that does not grammatically connect the underlined portion to the first part of the sentence (the independent clause). In both A and B, in part
                is not parallel with and
                    partly in the non-underlined portion. Choice C causes a misreading, suggesting that the steers’ acquisition has caused the crossbreeding. D awkwardly and illogically shifts to the passive voice: certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers;) the steers, however, are not agents in the acquisition.

"D awkwardly and illogically shifts to the passive voice: certain characteristics should be acquired by their steers;) the steers, however, are not agents in the acquisition."  Why steers can not be the agents in the acquistion? In Merriam-Webster, "acquire" has such meaning: to come to have as a new or added characteristic, trait, or ability (as by sustained effort or natural selection) <acquire fluency in French> <bacteria that acquire tolerance to antibiotics>

mbz

because the cattle breeders are the subjects to control the process of crossbreeding

windcolour

the steers acquire characteristics just like bacteria acquires tolerance to antibiotics

zbna5

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