SlowTortoise
The meaning conveyed by (E) seems very wrong. I was stuck between (D) and (E), and (D) seemed to be the lesser of the two evils.
(E) seems to convey that "Acid rain and snow result from chemical reactions between X and Y to produce Z". It seems as though "Acid rain" and "snow" result from these chemical reactions with the intent to produce Z. How can that be possible? How can they have an intention?
I know this is an old question, but I need to know if I should be okay with such objects/phenomena having an intention.
"To" doesn't always communicate that there is an intention. So, the (E) version doesn't actually communicate that acid rain and snow do something on purpose.
At the same time, the (E) version of the sentence is terrible. So, your analysis actually is pretty reasonable.
This question is an older question from before SC was improved. You can hope that you don't see such a bad question on your test, and you likely won't.