Dear moderators and friends

Taste buds are onion-shaped structures with between 50 and 100 taste cells, each of [u]them has fingerlike projections poking through the opening located at the top of the taste bud called the taste pore.[u/]

A. them has fingerlike projections poking through the opening located at the top of the taste bud called the taste pore
B. them that have fingerlike projections that poke through an opening located at the top of the taste bud, which they call the taste pore
C. which has fingerlike projections poking through the opening, called the taste pore, located at the top of taste bud
D. which having fingerlike projections that poke through an opening, which is called the taste pore, located at the top of the taste bud
E. which have fingerlike projections that are poking through an opening located at the top of the taste bud called the taste pore

BE - SV error
D which having - error
Between A and C, I am stuck. No obvious errors detectable in these 2 options.
OA C

Thanks
KH

'them' in choice a is a big big BIG error that should jump out and scream at you.
namely, that sentence is a 'comma splice': a sentence in which two independent clauses (i.e., sentences that can stand on their own as complete sentences, not subordinated to any other main clause) are joined together by a comma. that phenomenon, which creates one type of 'run-on' sentence, is ALWAYS wrong. no exceptions. choice c avoids that problem by using a genuine subordinate clause, subordinated by 'each of which...' (a relative pronoun).

the following part of choice a is also problematic:
at the top of the taste bud called the taste pore
this phrasing seems to suggest that the taste bud itself is called the taste pore, when, in fact, that name is meant to refer to the opening mentioned earlier. at best, the phrasing is ambiguous, and, at worst, it refers explicitly to the wrong thing.

Hi,

I just wonder, in c, whether "each of which has fingerlike projectives poking through the opening" is an appositive. If not, what is it?

If I drop "each of which has fingerlike projectives poking through the opening" (which I assume is a non-restrictive adjective clause or some sort), the sentence becomes

Taste buds are onion-shaped structures with between 50 and 100 taste cells, called the taste pore, located at the top of the taste bud.

OR

Taste buds are onion-shaped structures with between 50 and 100 taste cells called the taste pore, located at the top of the taste bud.

Which one is the correct structure?

I have seen a structure like [clause], [present participle phrase] or [clause] [present/past participle phrase]. Both serve different purposes and modify different things.

But I have never seen [clause], [past participle phrase]. What's its function? What's it trying to modify?

I mean "participle phrase"s modify something not the structure...
sorry

neither.

in fact, the entirety of the following is the modifier:
each of which has fingerlike projections poking through the opening, called the taste pore, located at the top of taste bud

the underlined part is actually a modifier within a modifier. if you remove that, it becomes much easier to see that what's left is ALL a modifier:
each of which has fingerlike projections poking through the opening located at the top of taste bud

therefore, the remaining skeleton sentence is just
Taste buds are onion-shaped structures with between 50 and 100 taste cells.

crazy stuff.