请教nn一道语法题...谢谢:)

On the Great Plains, nineteenth-century settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, doing it without timbers and nails.

A settlers used mud and grass to build their homes,doing it without

B  settlers used mud and grass to build their homes ,did it without

C  settlers used mud and grass to build their homes ,making them while not having

D  settlers used mud and grass to build their homes, making do without

E  settlers' homes were built of mud and grass, making do without

   为什么D是答案?谢谢

试着解释，欢迎challenge.

E 最先排除，主动改被动且没有特别理由－错；前四项的主语都是settlers，E却强调homes且没有任何支持，改变原意－又错。

AB排除， do it－必错。且B中逗号后did－过去式结构必错。

C make sth. 结构缺补语－错；while not having sth. －必错。

D简洁，make do without 在没有...的情况下

不知道可不可以这样来看，这种结构逗号后面用doing形式是修饰前面一整句的，如果直接用doing it without或did it without的话意思变成了继续在修饰settlers,所以用making do without要好一些。请指教。