Sentence Correction

Can somebody help explain the use of being in this question?
The answer is D.


Simply because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
become an invasive or persistent weed, according to a decade-long study published in the journal
Nature.

(A) because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
(B) because it is genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
(C) being genetically engineered does not make it any more likely that plants will
(D) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
(E) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely that it will become

Good one but wish you used spoilers to hide the answer.
Yes, being is always wrong in GMAT we are told.
Here the bigger issue is what are they and it refering to. The antecendents should be specified.
Simply because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
become an invasive or persistent weed, according to a decade-long study published in the journal
Nature.
(A) because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
(B) because it is genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
(C) being genetically engineered does not make it any more likely that plants will
between D and E , E is verbose.
(D) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
(E) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely that it will become

Being is the present continuous form of the verb form TO BE . Other forms of this word are : WAS , IS etc.

This question is checking for pronoun reference and not verb forms .

Simply because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
become an invasive or persistent weed, according to a decade-long study published in the journal
Nature.

(A) because they are genetically engineered does not make it any more likely for plants to
[The use of pronoun IT is not clear . IT can refer to -to become an invasive or persistent weed OR IT can refer to PLANT ]
(B) because it is genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
[The same issue is repeated here .]
(C) being genetically engineered does not make it any more likely that plants will
[No antecedent for IT ]
(D) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely to
[The sentence rectifies the error by replacing IT by PLANT and removes ambiguity ]
(E) being genetically engineered does not make a plant any more likely that it will become
[In this sentence use of THAT is wrong , the correct Idiom is MORE LIKELY THAN]

As said by other I will repeat it : Being is mostly avoided in GMAT , but dont eliminate an option simply on basis of BEING every option has more than one error .

Being is mostly wrong , but not always .

Nicely explained rockeyb

akahuja143 wrote:Nicely explained rockeyb

You are welcome mate .