Question about clauses

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>SAT Writing question:
Perched atop a sandstone mesa, Acomba Pueblo is the oldest inhabited community in North (America, currently a population of) about fifteen families.
D. America, whose current population is
E. America and currently has a population of</p>

<p>I don't know whether a clause is needed. The correct answer is E but I think D is also correct grammatically. Also, D seems more concise than E.</p>

2

<p>In the case of D, “whose” refers to what precedes it (North America), so the meaning is distorted. In SAT all relative pronouns refer to what is right before them.</p>