Official Explanation
Choice (A): Here, the subject is indirect, the “ability of neuroscientists.” Then, there’s modifiers & modifiers, and five miles away is the main verb, “have become.” The subject is singular and the verb is plural: a SVA mistake. This choice is incorrect.
Choice (B): The words “able” and “ability” idiomatically take an infinitive 100% of the time. Even when “ability” is the subject and the action is after the verb, the action still has to be in infinitive form. Here, we have the “ability … in pinpointing.” This is idiomatically wrong. This choice is incorrect.
Choice (C): This is a direct and well organized sentence. In the “where” clause, the verb elegantly comes before the subject, because that subject “complex sensory responses” is followed by a long noun modifier.
Choice (D): The phrasing “where … responses are to occur” is very strange. This phrasing suggests some preordained plan, as if we knew the fundamental designs of the human brain from on high. Everything about this phrasing is inconsistent with the nature of science and the subject of the sentence. This choice is incorrect.
Choice (E): As in (A), the main subject is “ability,” a punchless choice, and the verb is five miles aware. The verb here is “became”: the past tense of this verb is inconsistent with the subject matter, which discusses current scientific research.
The only possible answer is (C).