Writing questions from the May test?

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

Even a modicum of explanation is appreciated. Thanks:)
Questions I seriously need help with from the May SAT 1 test.

  1. ( A small island forming part of) Scottish Hebrides,Luing has only about 200 inhabitants.
    a. the parenthesized portion
    c. A small island forms part of
    POE left the above possible choices, but I was wrong to choose c as the answer. So, why a?!
  1. The baker explained that the custard would be firmer (by allowing it to cool slightly before eating it) D. if allowed to cool slightly before eating it E. if allowed to cool slightly before being eaten. Yes, I again chose the wrong answer D. But why E? Being eaten sounds like a gerund and gerunds are often eliminated.
  2. (Despite) many animals gather and store seeds and other foodstuffs, humans are unique in deliberately planting and harvesting crops a. Why is Despite incorrectly used in here? The correct answer is that despite is misused.
  3. A military coup, the country's first, finally removed (out of ) power the political party that had ruled the country with increasing heavily-handedness for decades

a. why is "out of " misused in here?

  1. Recent improvements in technologies (allowing) depleted uranium to be reused (makes) the debate about nuclear power more complicated than it was decades ago. a. why is allowing correct here? b. why is makes wrong? Could you please give me more examples of the above sentence structure? I am not familiarized with it. :(
2
  1. Run on C.
  2. You need passive here.
  3. Although
  4. From. Idiom
  5. Subject verb agreement.
3
  1. "Despite" must be followed by a noun or noun phrase. It would be fine, for instance, to write "Despite the fact that many animals gather and store seeds and other foodstuffs..."
  2. This is not a tough or uncommon structure. The subject "improvements" is plural, and the verb "makes" is singular.