【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】 Rhetorical Construction; Verb Form; Logical Predication
   This sentence describes a string of adaptations of the alphabet, tracing back from the seventh century BC through two points in the eighth century BC. Because the latest of the three adaptations is temporally located in past tense, earlier adaptations should be located in the past perfect tense.
   A   Correct. This sentence is properly constructed and uses the appropriate verb forms for the relationships among the events that it describes.
   B   It is unclear what the participial phrase adapting itself earlier... refers to. The present participle could be used for an event that was simultaneous with, or part of, the event mentioned before the underlined portion. However, it is inappropriate for describing an event that took place even earlier than the seventh century BC, which has already been designated in the sentence as past tense. The reflexive form adapting itself is nonsensical in this sentence.
   C   The present tense of the reflexive participial phrase is inappropriate for describing an event prior to the seventh century BC, given that the seventh century BC has already been designated in the sentence as past tense.
   D   Without commas around itself, the pronoun appears to be reflexive. The combination of passive and reflexive then makes no sense. If itself is intended simply for emphasis, rather than as a reflexive pronoun, it would be preferable, in this context, to set it off with commas. But if it were intended in that way, it would seem to refer to the Roman alphabet, and the claim made in the sentence would be confusing and nearly nonsensical. This modifier is confusingly placed before the designation of time (in the same century) and source (from the Phoenician alphabet).
   E   The adverb earlier is misplaced before the pronoun itself, it should be immediately before the phrase in the same century.
   The correct answer is A.