In the Southern Hemisphere, mild and rainy winters produce ideal breed

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION



In the Southern Hemisphere, mild and rainy winters produce ideal breeding conditions for locusts, which creates a surge in population outpacing the authorities’ ability to control the insects’ spread.

A) which creates a surge in population outpacing the authorities’ ability to control the insects’ spread

B) which creates a surge in population that outpaces the authorities’ ability to control their spread

C) whose surge in population creates an outpacing of the ability to control their spread by authorities

D) creating a surge in population that outpaces the ability of authorities to control the insects’ spread

E) and creates a surge in population which outpaces the ability of authorities to control the insects’ spread[/quote]
• Meaning?
Ideal breeding conditions for locusts create a population surge that grows faster than the authorities' ability to control the insects' spread.

• Split #1: The Missing Antecedent for which

The word which in options A and B has no referent.

→ Logically, the word which should refer to the creation of ideal breeding conditions by mild and rainy winters, but the noun creation is not actually stated.
The word which cannot refer to an idea expressed in the previous clause but not actually stated as a noun.

→ Most of the time, because the "Touch Rule" requires that noun modifiers be as close as possible to the noun they modify, which refers to the immediately preceding noun—in this case, locusts.
That reference is illogical.
True, locusts did indeed surge in population.
But locusts did not themselves create the conditions for that surge; the creation of ideal breeding grounds did so.
(You could also argue that which refers to breeding grounds or weather conditions. Either way, which needs a plural verb._

Furthermore, grammatically, which cannot refer to locusts because the singular verb creates requires a singular antecedent, and the word locusts is plural.
There is no singular noun to which creates could plausibly refer; the Southern Hemisphere does not create a surge in the locust population.

Eliminate A and B

• Split #2: Subject/verb agreement

In option E, the singular verb creates does not agree with the plural subject winters.
Nor is creates parallel to produce.

Finally, the words which and that are not interchangeable.
→ that introduces essential material and is almost never preceded or flanked by commas.
→ which introduces nonessential material and must be preceded or flank by commas.
If you see a sentence with the word which functions as it does here and is not preceded by a comma, look at that sentence again.

In British English, which and that are interchangeable. Not so on the GMAT.

Eliminate E

• Split #3: Clearer Meaning and construction

We have narrowed the choices to (C) and (D).
If you are reading 10-20 minutes every day, choosing between those two should take very little time.
→ Option C is inferior to D.
This phrase in C is tortured prose: outpacing of the ability to control their spread by authorities
That phrase is also slightly ridiculous.
Read carefully. It suggests that the authorities themselves are facilitating the locusts' spread.

DeepakKumar24 , you are spot on to be pulled between options C and D.
Then you did the right thing: you trusted your instincts.
Option C may be grammatical. It may not suggest the nonsensical. (I think it does so).
But (C) is not as clear or logical as D, full stop.

Eliminate C

The correct answer is D.
The participle creating joins the two clauses in which it is clear that authorities are responsible for controlling the insects' spread.

Notes

GMAC really likes to test [comma + which] against [comma + ____ING]
The relative pronoun which must modify a noun.

A participle (verbING) can modify the entire preceding clause.
Fairly often, the participial phrase (the verbING phrase) will present the result or outcome of the previous clause.
The verbING phrase is not required to present a result, though.

(I cannot tell from the tone in some posts whether people believe that an ___ING word like that in (D) must present a result of the previous clause.
The answer is no: although that construction is fairly common, __ING modifiers are not confined merely to expressing results. I'm just being sure.)

Finally, keep your eye on the verb after the word which.
Because which must refer to a previous noun, if there is doubt and two nouns are different in number, let the verb that accompanies which tell you whether the antecedent is singular or plural.

COMMENTS

HoneyLemon and Urika5 , welcome to SC Butler.

I am glad to see others here whom I have not seen for quite a while.
Of course, I am happy to see all participants.

I am also happy to be listening to the news. (Generally, I cannot stand to write while I can hear other people speaking.)
A granddaughter of Chennai and of Jamaica just made history in my country.

Well-explained correct answers get kudos.