Need help with couple of questions that I have in regards to this question from the Sentence Correction question bank

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.

Let's ignore the first 3 answer choices on this question because they were clearly incorrect

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

The reason why e is incorrect is because of the usage of "being" in the sentence

My questions -
1. Would e be the right option if being were not present
i.e.
one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century, turned cotton cloth from a previously costly commodity to an affordable one

The comparison looks correct

2. When will the usage of "being" in a sentence considered correct ? I have gone through the OG and most occasions than not , usage of "being" is simply considered incorrect without any reasoning. If possible, can you please explain the correct usage of "being" in sentences?

Thanks in advance

1. The word "to" should be "into"..

2. "debmalya is a human being." :) There aren't many correct uses of the word "being" on the GMAT. If used properly as a verb, it is most likely conveying a continuous state: "i am being calm" versus "i am calm"; the former is ongoing while the latter is a one-time observation. "being" could also be used as a gerund: "being calm is a healthy way to live"..

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

thanks Tim

you're welcome!

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Please explain why D is correct...

don't we have a rule that says:

<subject> .... <parallel marker> <pronoun> => pronoun points to subject.

so called Correct answer choice D has this mistake

<The invention>.... <whereas> <it> => it points to "the invention" and not the "cloth"

Not sure why d is correct, i felt E is correct because -
1) "into" sounds like invention cotton changed the state of cloth from one form to another....
2) is "from ... to" not a correct idiom?

kindly explain....

You should NEVER ask why a SC answer is correct. It is correct when the other choices are wrong. E is wrong as we've seen because the word "being" is used improperly in E..

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor

Tim - thanks for the tip... though i do go for POE process, but at times when I get answer wrong, i tend to reason out why the "correct" answer is correct. but surely, ur approach sounds better.

You're welcome!

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Chris Brusznicki
MGMAT Instructor
Chicago, IL

Gentlemen,

I still don't get it.

The invention! is one of the most significant developments of the nineteenth century NOT cotton gin!

Noun modifiers modify the closest noun.

OA is wrong because of the llism issues. Would MGMAT staff be so kind to comment?

Thanks and regards

Found the answer myself. For those who faced the same problem - in "invention of cotton gin" cotton gin is mission critical modifier, so "one of..." modifies the whole phrase starting from invention

glad to hear you cleared that up, Alex..

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Tim Sanders
Manhattan GMAT Instructor