这应该是一道SAT 语法题目,其实考的就是固定搭配.
Far away from:是指地理上的距离.而far from则是指远非,绝不,相当于not at all.
所以这句话应该去掉away,这个句子的意思就是
学者们现在主张,胡佛远非一个顽固的保守党,而是他那个时代先进的进步人士.
其中,some scholars now contend,Far away from having been a diehard conservative是个插入语.主干部分是：Hoover was the leading progressive of his day.
希望可以帮到你哦.