In the same passage, choose the word that best completes the sentence "Rather than ________ a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes a hoarding, a permanent spectacle or a redundant quotation."

Introduction / Context:
This cloze question continues the reflection on how society treats saints and satyagrahis. The sentence "Rather than ________ a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes a hoarding, a permanent spectacle or a redundant quotation" contrasts the idea of remaining alive and dynamic with becoming a fixed image. The blank needs a form of the verb "be" that fits the grammatical structure and meaning. Correct selection requires knowledge of non finite verb forms and how they connect clauses.

Given Data / Assumptions:

Sentence: "Rather than ________ a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes a hoarding, a permanent spectacle or a redundant quotation."
Options: being, having been, had been, becoming.
The structure "Rather than ________ a living creature" needs a present participle or gerund that logically contrasts with "becomes".
The subject "a saint or an icon" is shared by both parts of the comparison.
The passage is in a general descriptive present tense, not talking about past events only.

Concept / Approach:
In English, the phrase "Rather than being X, someone becomes Y" is a common way to show contrast between what something could be and what it actually is. After "rather than", when we connect two alternatives for the same subject, we often use an ing form: "being", "doing", and so on. The alternatives usually share the same logical subject and time frame. Forms like "having been" or "had been" point to completed past actions and would not match a general present description. The option "becoming" would not fit because it would create a parallel "rather than becoming a living creature", which is not the intended meaning.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the two parts of the contrast: an earlier phrase after "rather than" and the main clause "a saint or an icon becomes a hoarding". Step 2: Recognise that the subject "a saint or an icon" is understood in both parts: "Rather than ________ a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes..." Step 3: Choose a form that pairs naturally with "becomes" in general present commentary. The pattern "Rather than being a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes..." is standard. Step 4: Test option A, "being": "Rather than being a living creature..." sounds natural and grammatically correct. Step 5: Test option B, "having been": "Rather than having been a living creature..." wrongly suggests a completed past state and disrupts the general present tone. Step 6: Test option C, "had been": this would produce a finite past perfect clause that does not fit after "rather than" without extra structure. Step 7: Test option D, "becoming": "Rather than becoming a living creature..." is illogical because saints are already living before being turned into icons.

Verification / Alternative check:
Reading the entire clause "Rather than being a living creature, a saint or an icon becomes a hoarding, a permanent spectacle or a redundant quotation" makes the author's idea clear. The living person, who should remain dynamic, is instead turned into a static representation. The contrast between "being a living creature" and "becomes a hoarding" is balanced and rhetorically effective. None of the other options maintains this smooth comparison or the correct tense relationship in the general descriptive context of the passage.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B, having been, is wrong because it introduces an unnecessary completed past sense that conflicts with the present tense narrative of the passage.
Option C, had been, is wrong because it would require additional restructuring and functions as a finite past perfect verb, which does not fit directly after "rather than".
Option D, becoming, is wrong because it changes the meaning, suggesting that the saint was not already a living creature, which is logically incorrect and breaks the implied contrast.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes overuse complex forms like "having been" or "had been" thinking they sound more advanced, but this often makes the sentence grammatically awkward. Another frequent issue is not paying attention to the shared subject and time frame in "rather than" structures. When you see "rather than" followed by a verb, check whether the sentence compares two states or actions of the same subject and keep the forms parallel when possible. A simple ing form often works best in such comparisons.

Final Answer:
being