The following questions present a sentence, part of which or all of which is underlined. Beneath the sentence, you will find five ways of phrasing the underlined part. The first of these repeats the original; the other four are different. If you think the original is best, choose the first answer; otherwise choose one of the others.
These questions test correctness and effectiveness of expression. In choosing your answer, follow the requirements of standard written English; that is, pay attention to grammar, choice of words, and sentence construction. Choose the answer that produces the most effective sentence; this answer should be clear and exact, without awkwardness, ambiguity, redundancy, or grammatical error.
As automobiles replaced horses as the primary means of transportation, it was widely anticipated that the time spent in transit by the average traveler would decrease.（）
A. As automobiles replaced horses as the primary means of transportation, it was widely anticipated that
B. Insofar as automobiles replaced horses as the primary means of transportation, it was anticipated widely
C. With horses being replaced by automobiles as the primary means of transportation, there was wide anticipation that
D. As the primary means of transportation replaced horses with automobiles, many anticipated that
E. Automobiles replacing horses as the primary means of transportation produced anticipation widely that