急急急！！！which的修饰问题！！要考试了！！！请NN帮忙！！

在prep模考2中有一道关于california的语法题
For the first time in the modern era, non-Hispanic Whites are officially a minority in
California, which amounts to a little less than half the population of the state, down from
nearly there-quarters only a decade ago.
A. which amounts to a little less than half the population of the state, down from
nearly three-quarters only a decade ago
B. which amounts to a little less than half the population of the state, down from a
decade ago, when it was nearly three-quarters
C. and that amounts to a little less than half the population of the state, down from a
decade ago, when they were nearly three-quarters
D. amounting to a little less than half the population of the state, down from nearly
three-quarters a decade ago
E. amounting to a little less than half the population of the state, down from what it
was a decade ago by nearly three-quarters

which指代的2种情况：
1、紧邻修饰
一般情况下，“名词，which”中的which是就近修饰紧邻的名词的。这种例子多的不胜枚举。
一般例子就不用举了，只举个比较特别例子“A of B, which”（注：这里的of表示从属关系）
但是需要注意的是，在“SVO,which”句型中，which就近修饰o,如果Which指代S一定错误，which如果指代主语，这样使用:s+verb,which，此时
2、跳跃修饰
在前有“核心词+介词、分词等修饰结构”或者插入语的情况下，which跳跃修饰前面的核心词，不能修饰紧邻的名词。（例如：England passed the Woolens Act of 1698, which prohibited the export of woolen cloth beyond a colony's borders. 此时Which 修饰act  因为of 1698表时间概念，而不是从属关系。）



以上是刚才在CD的一篇贴子里看到的~~也说可以跳跃修饰，要是这样的话，就不能根据‘which就近指代california所以错’的原则来轻易排除选项了，就必须根据其他语法点排除~~~是这样么？

一、是可以通过which直接排除的。
一般来说，对于“X+介词+Y, which”结构，主要看which后的动词单复跟X还是Y匹配。
总原则是：MODIFY THE NEAREST LEGITIMATE NOUN. 最近的合理名词。
一是Nearest-->离which最近的名词
二是Legitimate-->合理、合法的（即单复数要一致）
有几种情况：
（1）which后的动词与Y单复数一致，与X不一致-->which修饰Y
比如：There are many apples in the bag, which is black.
bag是离which最近的名词，正好也是合理的（单复数一致），就是它了。
（2）which后的动词与X单复数一致，与Y不一致-->which修饰X
比如：There are many apples in the bag, which are imported from Australia.
bag是离which最近的名词，但不是合理的（单复数不一致）。于是再往前寻找，找到apples，就是最近的合理名词（the nearest legitimate noun）。“跳跃修饰”之所以能跳，就是因为apples与are之间的bag不是合理的名词。但“跳跃修饰”仍然满足上面所说的总原则。
（3）which后的动词与X单复数不一致，与Y也不一致-->句子错误
（4）X和Y单复数一致，并且都与which后的动词一致-->which修饰Y
这时，which很难跳过Y去修饰X，因为Y是最近的名词，也是合理的名词，即便从语义上面是修饰X的，这样写的话也会显得ambiguous、awkward、wordy。
比如：
There is an apple in the bag, which is imported from Australia.
这个句子是正确的，其中which就是修饰bag的，不是修饰apple的。因为bag是the nearest legitimate noun.
I don't like the car from Japan, which is expensive.
这个句子是错的，即使不错，也是有歧义的。本来这句话想表达的是车很贵，但若是这样写，会被误认为日本很贵，因为Japan是最近的合理名词。
二、本题就是第四种情况，a minority in California，a minority和California都是单数，所以which修饰California，而这是不符合逻辑的。