In the 1820’s, anthracite coalfields opened in eastern Pennsylvania, and when canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, there were substantial supplies of coal that was exported to the nation’s growing mills, forges, factories, and railways.

A. when canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, there were
substantial supplies of coal that was
B. once canals and eventually railroads reaching into the region, there were
substantial supplies of coal having been
C. with canals and eventually railroads reaching into the region, there had been
substantial supplies of coal
D. canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, with substantial supplies
of coal being
E. as canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, substantial supplies of
coal were
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Only E seems okey, plain past tense and crispy construction

whats wrong with A folks..

is the presence of 'was' instead of 'were' an issue?
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Yes singular verb 'was' contradicts with plural noun "supplies of coal".

Also (A) uses wordier construction than (E)
(A) Wordier: there were substantial supplies of coal that was
(E) Concise: substantial supplies of coal were
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Just coal can mean anything i.e. in small quantity as well as in large quantity. The logic of the sentence asks for the coal in large quantity. Also, in A "that" modifies "substantial supplies of coal" and not "coal".
Regards.
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In the 1820’s, anthracite coalfields opened in eastern Pennsylvania, and when canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, there were substantial supplies of coal that was exported to the nation’s growing mills, forges, factories, and railways.

A. when canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, there were
substantial supplies of coal that was
B. once canals and eventually railroads reaching into the region, there were
substantial supplies of coal having been
C. with canals and eventually railroads reaching into the region, there had been
substantial supplies of coal
D. canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, with substantial supplies
of coal being
E. as canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, substantial supplies of
coal were

the focus of meaning in A is changed. A is considered the distorted meaning.

when the canale reached, there were something

is the focus of meaning in A.

in E,

comma+with phrase is absolute structure which provide the context for main clause, in this case, "coalfield open and canal reached" . E means
in the context that the export rises, coalfield opened. This is not logic.

E is typical wrong answer which is grammatical but contains meaning problem. absolute phrase modifying wrongly the main clause is the favorite of gmat. this situation happen often in og and gmatprep.

gmat distort the logic meaning relation into the distorted meaning relation to test out ability to convey the intended meaning or the right focus of meaning.

I couldn't find any error in D also. the sentence after 'and' is an independent one. Please check options D & E below.

D) canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, with substantial supplies of coal being exported to the nation’s growing mills, forges, factories, and railways.

E) as canals and eventually railroads reached into the region, substantial supplies of coal were exported to the nation’s growing mills, forges, factories, and railways

Clause that starts with 'as' is a conditional clause. Is it correct to use second clause with 'as' ?