Sentence Correction

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


A really good question for practice. I checked some old posts but I still have some doubts.

My reasoning and doubts:


a) having conveys present tense but we need past tense here.

I read BEING is usage incorrectly here. Please explain why?

Also, please explain the correct usage of BEING in GMAT

b) read on some old posts

I read BEING is usage incorrectly here. Please explain why?

What about IN SPITE OF? Is it used correctly?

c) had is wrong here.

d) the right hand and arm......THE makes it wrong because it this didn't tell whose arm and hand we are talking about.

e) correct one

When I read this sentence at first glance I was sure of option A and marked A because I have seen this kind of structure in many official sentences.

vishalwin wrote: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

A VERBing modifier implies CONCURRENT ACTION: an action happening AT THE SAME TIME as the main verb.
A and D: the right hand and arm being crippled
B: his right hand and arm being crippled
In these options, being crippled implies that Horace Pippin was BEING CRIPPLED at the same time as he WORKED (the main action).
This sequence is nonsensical.
Eliminate A, B and D.

C: Because there had been a sniper's bullet, Horace Pippin worked by holding the brush in his right hand and guiding its movement with his left.
Here, the clause in red implies that the EXISTENCE of a bullet caused Horace Pippin to work in a particular way.
Not the intended meaning.
The intended meaning is that Horace Pippin worked this way not because of the bullet's existence but because of an ACTION: the bullet HAD CRIPPLED him.
Eliminate C.

The correct answer is E.