Q: Selling two hundred thousand copies in its first month, the publication of The Audacity of Hope in 2006 was an instant hit, helping to establish Barack Obama as a viable candidate for president.

A: (choice E) The Audacity of Hope, published in 2006, was an instant hit: it two months, it sold two hundred thousand copies and helped establish its author, Barack Obama, as a viable candidate for president.

How can an answer choice E be correct? Choice E says ... in two months ... but the question said in "... in its first month ..." Where are they getting the two months from? Is that a mistake? I'm really curious. Btw, I chose "C".

Fortunately, we don't have to question the data contained in the question - we only have to look at the structure and wording of the sentence. Honestly, I have no idea how many copies the book sold and in what period of time.
The grammar is the only portion of concern to us here.
In A, we have a bad modifier -- Selling x copies, the publication of Y... is in error. The publication of something didn't sell copies... The book sold copies.
In C, we again have the publication of a book helping establish O as a candidate. Really, the BOOK helped establish this -- not its publication.
I think you're getting tangled in the one month versus 2 month issue, but the grammar should really be your focus on this one.

Veritas Help

Great explanation - and let me chime in here since I initially wrote this question...I doubt the data change was intentional, but it brings up a pretty important point. One of my favorite GMAT misconceptions is the incorrect idea that you "can't change the meaning of the original sentence". In actuality, the only meanings that are incorrect are those that are illogical; if an answer choice has a different meaning from the original, that doesn't make it wrong - you have to check the logic.

There's nothing "incumbent" about answer choice A - if its meaning is illogical, then the meaning must be changed in the correct answer. And the GMAT does test logic-of-meaning, so it's worth being aware of.

Hi- i am also confused with this problem# 76 (SC1). In general the content of the sentence does not get changed but tense, organization are changed to correct it but here content also got changed .So I dont agree with the explanation provided here.

Please see the explanations above regarding the importance of favoring grammar vs. content.

- Veritas Help