A "Unlike" is comparing a conviction with a person.
B "Being" is incorrect because it's not part of a noun phrase or a passive voice construction.
C "Being" is incorrect here for the same reasons as above.
D Correct.
E "Being" is incorrect here for reasons previously noted.

In this sentence, can conviction and convinced be used interchangeably?
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Hello Shiv2016,

The sentence does not use conviction and convinced interchangeably. With the change in the structure of the answer choice, the noun conviction and the verb were convinced has been used to suit the structure so that the choice can express the intended meaning.

But yes, both these words have been used to the same effect.


Hope this helps.
Thanks.
Shraddha
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Hello Everyone!

This is a great example of a comparison/contrast sentence you might find on the GMAT! Let's tackle it, one problem at a time, to determine which option is the correct choice! First, here is the original sentence with any major differences between the options highlighted in orange:

Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were relatively simple and static, Barbara McClintock adhered to her own more complicated ideas about how genes might operate, and in 1983, at the age of 81, was awarded a Nobel Prize for her discovery that the genes in corn are capable of moving from one chromosomal site to another.

(A) Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were
(B) Although many of her colleagues were of the conviction of genes being
(C) Contrary to many of her colleagues being convinced that genes were
(D) Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were
(E) Even with many of her colleagues convinced of genes being

After a quick glance over the options, there are some things we can focus on:

1. What subordinate conjunction to begin with: Unlike/Although/Contrary to/Even though/Even with
2. Active vs. Passive Voice
3. Conciseness/Wordiness

Let's start with #1 on our list: subordinate conjunctions. Whenever we're using them to create a contrast, we need to check for 2 things:

1. The two things being contrasted are similar in wording/number/type
2. They are the right conjunction to show the intended meaning

Here is how our options break down when we focus on subordinate conjunctions:

(A) Unlike the conviction held by many of her colleagues that genes were
This is INCORRECT because it's creating a false comparison! It's comparing "conviction" to Barbara McClintock, rather than comparing her colleagues to her (both of which are people).

(B) Although many of her colleagues were of the conviction of genes being
This is OKAY for now, so let's keep it for later.

(C) Contrary to many of her colleagues being convinced that genes were
This is OKAY for now, so let's keep it for later.

(D) Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were
This is OKAY, so let's save it for later.

(E) Even with many of her colleagues convinced of genes being
This is INCORRECT because "Even with" isn't a subordinate conjunction in English. Since this isn't idiomatically correct, let's rule it out.

We can rule out options A & E because they either create a non-parallel comparison or used a conjunction that doesn't exist in English.

Now that we're left with 3 options, let's tackle #2 & #3 on our list. There are two main things we need to focus on here:

1. Are the phrases written using active or passive voice? The GMAT always prefers active over passive voice, so try to rule out any that use passive voice.
2. Are they overly wordy or confusing? The GMAT doesn't like that either!

(B) Although many of her colleagues were of the conviction of genes being
This is INCORRECT because the phrase "of the conviction of genes being" is overly wordy and confusing for readers. It's also passive voice, so let's rule this out.

(C) Contrary to many of her colleagues being convinced that genes were
This is also INCORRECT because the wording is confusing. By adding in the word "being," it created a modifier that needed a comma before the word "being" to even work.

(D) Even though many of her colleagues were convinced that genes were
This is CORRECT! It's clear, concise, and doesn't create any grammatical problems!

There you have it - option D is the correct choice! It creates a strong, clear, and concise contrast between Barbara McClintock and her colleagues! If you pay close attention to trends in the GMAT exam (active vs. passive voice / conciseness vs. wordiness / parallelism), you can easily spot problems and rule out options quickly!


Don't study for the GMAT. Train for it.
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Hi Experts
Can this trick for eliminating options containing being be used as a thumb rule in all SC questions?
I can recall Manhattan pointing out that when in doubt pick "Passive Construction" but often it's said that 9 out of 10 times "use of being" is incorrect!

RashedVai , thank you for the notification. Edited. It is definitely okay to let us know about errors.

The best way to notify us of an error, though, is to use the "report a problem" option in the lower right hand corner of the post that contains the prompt.
You can look at this picture to see where that option is located.




RashedVai , the first of the two next statements does NOT apply to you. (In my experience, you are unfailingly and refreshingly gracious.)

To others: I speak only for myself about this first point: (1) a human being who works hard for the sake of everyone picks up the "report a post" notification and fixes the issue. Keep the "human being who works hard" part in mind.

And (2) please do not use that "report an error" option to report that a regular forum member's answer is incorrect.
If you want to point out that an answer is incorrect or that an important typo exists in a non-prompt post, please post on the thread.
Thanks.
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