With specific reference to E: It is not correct to say that the first part, which is, in fact, an adjectival modifier using the past participial ed-verb 'expended’ as Aditya pointed out, is unrelated to the second part. After all the word ‘his’ in the first refers to FM in the second part and hence they are thick and thin related.
As is well known, adjectival modifiers are always connected to the nouns they modify only by a comma. It must be noted that in the given case ‘His political capital expended on a series of small but highly controversial issues’ is just a phrase and not a clause. Only when two full clauses are involved, will a question of a comma splice arise.
I will give below two examples such appositives. From the
OG:
1. Architects and stonemasons, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport.
(A) huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport
(B) without the benefits of animal transport or the wheel, huge palace and temple clusters were built by the Maya
(C) the Maya built huge palace and temple clusters without the benefit of animal transport or the wheel
(D) there were built, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, huge palace and temple clusters by the Maya
(E) were the Maya who, without the benefit of the wheel or animal transport, built huge palace and temple clusters
Choice C is the correct answer, wherein, the introductory noun phrase ‘Architects and stonemasons’ is no more than a modifier connected by a comma to the main clause.
2. His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms finally successful, Sir Joseph Lister lent his name to the company that developed Listerine, the first antibacterial liquid.
(A) His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms finally successful
(B) Since his campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms had been eventually successful
(C) Because of the eventual success of his campaigning for sanitary conditions in operating rooms
(D) His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms being eventually successful
(E) Campaigning, eventually successfully, for conditions to be sanitary in operating rooms
The correct answer is A. In this example His campaign for sanitary conditions in operating rooms finally successful’ is a modifier connected by a comma with the main clause. You can also note that the topic under question is just a simulated version of the original
Og topic.
I agree with the first question's OA, yet I find second one just as strange as the sentence in this topic. The first one perfectly makes sense, while the second sounds/looks like an incomplete thought. His campaign what?
I do know that adjectival modifiers usually modify the closest noun, but the modifier SHOULD make sense, no? I see it as an incomplete thought, and that is why I reject such options.