The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.

(A) being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that

(B) having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously

(C) one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity

(D) one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly

(E) being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one

Source : Manhattan Prep Online Question Bank Q#8
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A being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity even though it was expensive before that

B having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an
affordable commodity even though it had previously been expensive

C one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity despite its previous expense

D one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity despite the fact that it had previously been expensive

E being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously expensive commodity to an affordable one

This is a MGMAT problem and they say that the OA is D. However, they agree that the problem is not perfect.

Check out this link: http://www.manhattangmat.com/forums/the ... t3207.html

The invention of the cotton gin, being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that.
a. being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity; it was costly before that - Use of being & HAD is incorrect. Moreover, use of IT is ambiguous.

b. having been one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, costly previously - The original intent does not allows for any Cause & Effect, thus use of "Having been" is incorrect

c. one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable, however costly previously, commodity - CORRECT

d. one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity, whereas it had previously been costly - Use of IT is ambiguous as it can refer either to CLOTH or to COMMODITY. WHEREAS does not make any sense at all.

e. being one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one - Same error as in A; moreover use of TO is incorrect.

So IMO answer has to be option C.

Fame
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Let me give it a shot.
Option D seems to be the best answer.

Option A -
"being" is redundant. Removing "being" does not alter the meaning of the sentence.
the usage of past perfect is unnecessary in the first clause -
"The invention of the cotton gin had turned cotton cloth into an affordable commodity" - simple past tense will suffice.
"before that" - the usage of the demonstrative adjective "that" is incorrect. It must always be used with a noun.

Option B -
"having been" is redundant. Removing "having been" does not alter the meaning of the sentence.
"costly previously" seems to modify "affordable commodity".

Option C -
"however costly previously" seems to refer to "affordable"

Option D -
"whereas" is used to indicate contrast. (it was costly earlier; now it is affordable).
Also note that pronoun ambiguity is not tested on the GMAT. (see what can logically stand for the pronoun. If such a noun exists, then there is no pronoun ambiguity).

Option E -
"being" is redundant.
if we say X turned Y from A to B. this implies that A was the previous state.
"turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one" - "previously" seems to be redundant.
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The invention of the cotton gin, one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth, which had previously been quite costly, into an affordable commodity

Errors in the other options, highlighted in red, correct answer must be (D)
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Official Explanation from Manhattan:

The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier "being one of the most significant developments . . ." Moreover, the past perfect verb "had turned" coupled with the simple past verb "was" reverses the chronological order of the events. The tenses run counter to the logic of the sentence by incorrectly suggesting that the invention of the cotton gin happened before the cotton cloth became expensive.

(A) This choice is incorrect as it repeats the original sentence.

(B) The words "having been" are unnecessary in the opening modifier. Moreover, the ending phrase "costly previously" is too concise; it fails to strike the contrast between the earlier and the later state of affairs.

(C) This choice interrupts the connection between the adjective "affordable" and the noun "commodity," making the sentence hard to follow. Also, the use of "however" changes the meaning: "however costly" implies that the cotton gin would have made cotton cloth affordable no matter how costly it was previously. In contrast, the original sentence only states that cotton cloth had previously been costly.

(D) CORRECT. The modifier "one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century" eliminates the unnecessary word "being." The simple past verb "turned" coupled with the past perfect "had previously been" correctly expresses the fact that cotton cloth was "turned ... into an affordable commodity" after it "had previously been quite costly." The later past event uses the simple past tense, whereas the earlier past event uses the past perfect tense. Moreover, the relative pronoun "which" correctly modifies "cotton cloth" and resolves any ambiguity.

(E) The word "being" is unnecessary in the opening modifier.
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Isn't had previously also redundant in E. I dont think redundancy is issue in E. There probably is some rule which we dont understand regarding being.

Got correct in the second attempt.
A and E have a redundant "being" in them.
B changes the meaning by the usage of "having been"; it continues to be a significant development of the 19th century and simple past tense would be the correct usage.
C is awkward in "however costly previously".
D doesn't seem perfect but the best of the lot.

My doubt is whether "however costly previously" is really a critical information for the meaning in the sentence?

If something turned into an economical commodity, it was obviously a costlier commodity earlier and thus, this phrase didn't sound critically important to me and I chose