Last visit was: 26 Apr 2026, 00:37 It is currently 26 Apr 2026, 00:37
Home
Messages
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
   1   2 
avatar
Pranjal3107
avatar
Current Student
Joined: 13 Apr 2020
Last visit: 06 Jul 2022
Posts: 133
Own Kudos:
18
Given Kudos: 1,709
Location: India
Schools: NTU (A) ISB '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 710 Q45 V41
GPA: 3
Schools: NTU (A) ISB '23 (D)
GMAT 1: 710 Q45 V41
Posts: 133
Kudos: 18
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 06 Nov 2020, 05:32
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
metallicafan
adalfu
E works fine here.

The starting modifer is an absolute phrase (His right arm crippled by bullet...) modifying the noun Horace.

All the other choices just seem so wordy... with "there had been" or "being crippled."

How does this phrase modify the noun Horace? If you don't add a word to show the contrast (i.e. Despite or In spite of); there wouldn't be a logical link between the phrase and the main clause.

Please your comments.
Show more

I have the same doubt. I chose B only because I felt the sentence needed some logical link. Some contrast.
E is clearly the best answer grammatically but shouldn't there be a link ? Despite having his hand crippled, H held the brush with his right hand.
Can someone explain ?
avatar
Insane09
avatar
Joined: 17 Jan 2021
Last visit: 10 Dec 2022
Posts: 14
Own Kudos:
7
Given Kudos: 455
Location: India
Posts: 14
Kudos: 7
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 11 Sep 2021, 21:50
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Use of His before Noun is looking incorrectly as per my knowledge
Please can anybody help with this topic.
User avatar
100mitra
User avatar
Joined: 29 Apr 2019
Last visit: 06 Jul 2022
Posts: 707
Own Kudos:
634
Given Kudos: 49
Status:Learning
Posts: 707
Kudos: 634
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 13 Sep 2021, 10:02
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Correct option : E

This SC question needs to be tagged under Modifier.

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

With one Bullet, A, B, and D can be eliminated for use of present participle of "TO BE" being
C is eliminated because of "Becasue" usage, Worng tense use of "Had been", and Wordy

Remaining is E , the complete phrase modifiy <His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War> Horace Pippin
User avatar
sid0791
User avatar
Joined: 09 Aug 2020
Last visit: 28 Feb 2024
Posts: 81
Own Kudos:
19
Given Kudos: 16
Posts: 81
Kudos: 19
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 27 Sep 2021, 13:37
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
egmat

In option E, isn't construction wrong?

His right hand and arm 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.

Now doesn't it contain two IC?

1st IC- His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War
2nd IC- Horace Pippin worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movements with his left.

So shouldn't they be connected with a semicolon or a ", + FANBOY"?

Or are they both not IC? If not can you help me understand, that why they are not IC?

Thanks
avatar
bojunk
avatar
Joined: 27 Feb 2022
Last visit: 31 Aug 2024
Posts: 21
Own Kudos:
6
Given Kudos: 121
Products:
My Reviews
Posts: 21
Kudos: 6
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 31 May 2022, 06:55
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
GMATNinja egmat

I understand the problem of C, but could you elaborate the absolute phrase in E?
User avatar
DmitryFarberMPrep
User avatar
Manhattan Prep Instructor
Joined: 22 Mar 2011
Last visit: 03 Mar 2026
Posts: 3,005
Own Kudos:
8,627
 [1]
Given Kudos: 57
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 745 Q86 V90 DI85
Posts: 3,005
Kudos: 8,627
 [1]
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 31 May 2022, 14:32
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
bojunk

An absolute phrase is a modifier consisting of a noun and its own modifier. So "His arm crippled" just adds clarifying detail to the following clause. Why did Pippin use his brush in this way? Because his arm was crippled by a bullet.

It's important to note that this phrase is NOT a clause. "His arm" is not the subject of the sentence; it's just part of a modifier.
User avatar
EducationAisle
User avatar
Joined: 27 Mar 2010
Last visit: 25 Apr 2026
Posts: 3,906
Own Kudos:
3,586
Given Kudos: 159
Location: India
Schools: ISB
GPA: 3.31
Expert
Expert reply
Schools: ISB
Posts: 3,906
Kudos: 3,586
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 01 Jun 2022, 04:45
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Incidentally, our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Absolute modifiers, their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
User avatar
Tanchat
User avatar
Joined: 31 Jan 2020
Last visit: 20 Jun 2023
Posts: 215
Own Kudos:
21
Given Kudos: 139
Posts: 215
Kudos: 21
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 20 Jun 2022, 10:03
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
EducationAisle
Incidentally, our book EducationAisle Sentence Correction Nirvana discusses Absolute modifiers, their application and examples in significant detail. If you or someone is interested, PM me your email-id; I can mail the corresponding section.
Show more

Can I have that detail? I have never heard about Absolute Modifiers before.

I used to read sentences similar to this : Horace Pippin, his right hand and arm crippled by a bullet, worked by ...... .
But can his right hand.... come before "Horace Pippin" ?
User avatar
notgivingupami
User avatar
Joined: 01 Aug 2022
Last visit: 01 Mar 2023
Posts: 4
Own Kudos:
6
 [1]
Given Kudos: 177
Location: India
WE:Project Management (Other)
Posts: 4
Kudos: 6
 [1]
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 26 Oct 2022, 07:25
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
@GMATNinja can you please share an example or two explaining the "BEING" rule further? It has been mentioned multiple times across the thread but still not able to wrap my head around it.

Thanks :)
User avatar
Raman109
User avatar
Joined: 17 Aug 2009
Last visit: 28 Jul 2025
Posts: 706
Own Kudos:
212
Given Kudos: 33
Posts: 706
Kudos: 212
Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet duri 24 Oct 2023, 13:30
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
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.

Option Elimination -

(A) Having the right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War - "being" used as a modifier is wrong as it wrongly conveys that the right hand and arm are being crippled as we speak. This happened long ago, during the First World War, not now. Avoid the use of "being" as a modifier. Generally wrong on GMAT (except when used as a noun/noun phrase such as Being punctual is an essential trait in the business world/The philosophy course explores the nature of being (here the nature of being refers to the philosophical inquiry into existence and reality) or passive continuous verb such as - The car is being repaired by the mechanics).

(B) In spite of his right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War - I know this sounds pretty interesting as it presents the contrast, but we have the same issue of being.

(C) Because there had been a sniper’s bullet during the First World War that crippled his right hand and arm - "Because" introduces a subordinate adverbial clause that modifies the subject and a verb in the following clause, i.e., Horace Pippin worked...It gives a weird meaning: "Because there had been a bullet...., Horace Pippin worked. Not good.

(D) The right hand and arm being crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War - the same issue of being.

(E) His right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War - At first, this sounds very weird, but if we look closely, it's just a modifier that is modifying Horace Pippin. So here we have two modifiers for "Horace Pippin." One after and one before. This is usually done to avoid confusion because if put both modifiers after "Horace Pippin," it'll look bizarre: Horace Pippin, a Black American painter, his right hand and arm crippled by a sniper’s bullet during the First World War...Another issue with noun modifiers is that we must put them as close to the noun they modify, unlike the adverbials. So, the best solution here is to add one noun modifier before and put another one after the noun.
   1   2 
Moderators:
GMATNinja
GMAT Club Verbal Expert
7391 posts
AbhishekP220108
506 posts
bhanu29
361 posts