daagh wrote:
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War, Horace Pippin, a Black American painter, worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his left.
(A) Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War
(B) In spite of his right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War
(C) Because there had been a sniper’s bullet during the First World War that crippled his right hand and arm
(D) The right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War
(E) His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War
This is a topic in which one can remove a good three choices if he or she is aware that 'being' used in a modifier phrase is an instant discard in GMAT.
Being, however, is not incorrect all the times. In some cases when 'being' is used in a substantive phrase, a suitable verb will follow 'the phrase to indicate that the substantive phrase taken as a unit is acting as the subject. The other such instance when 'being' will be correct is when the word is used in a passive voice clause, in which case it will be preceded by a verb. In all other instances, use of 'being', at least in the wonderland of GMAT, will be redundant and incorrect.
Therefore we can discard A, B, and D instantly. C is saying that it is the first world war that crippled his arm and hand, a wrong allusion.
Finally, E remains.
How much more quickly can one get to the winning post?
daagh Hello, I cannot agree more that from A to D are wrong answers. But I was just thinking that if the option (E) had "with", it would be better for me to choose. (With his right hand and ~ ). In this case,
"His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War"
this part is independent modifier phrase? (sorry I don't know the exact grammatical term, what I want to say is the phrase which is added to explain independently)