Rather than continue to produce most of the items necessary for subsistence, a growing number of farm families during the first decades of the nineteenth century began to specialize in the production of grain or cotton and to use the cash proceeds from
selling their crops for buying necessities.
(A) selling their crops for buying
(B) the sales of their crops for buying
(C) their selling of crops so as to buy
(D) their selling crops for buying of
(E) the sale of their crops to buy
Notice that the answer choices include "selling" and "sales" which are the verb+ing and noun forms of the word "sell". Remember verb+ing usually refers to the action/process whereas the noun form refers to the result. Here, the farm families use the cash which is the result of their sales. Therefore, cross out ACD.
A similar problem (verb+ing vs. noun) would be (I am a new user and not allowed to include u#rl, so try searching this problem on this forum):
Contrary to earlier conjectures, it may be that increased atmospheric carbon dioxide as a result of burning fossil fuels would cool the globe by reducing the amount of solar energy absorbed by snow.This problem also tests on the idiom: use sth to do sth. Eliminate ABD: "use...for..." wrong! In C, the "so as to" is awkward. Therefore, E is the answer.Some people might be able to cross out B based on the usage of prep. phrase + noun + verbing .
However,it is hard to generalize when it is right to use prep +noun+ verbing. But the only way it is definitely wrong is when that noun is different from (or not related to) the noun in the main clause.
For example: With American cryptanalysists breaking the Japanese code, the Japanese Imperial Fleet losing the strategic element of surprise at Midway, which allowed the America Fleet to ambush the Japanese and win a decisive victory. Here, that with clause is definitely wrong.
But if we come back to the problem, I can't tell if that "from" clause if correct because they are the same nouns. But I was able to cross out other answers by looking at the idiom of use sth to do sth. _________________