Verb Modifier Query

[rte.sushil]

og-10th-ed-sc-11-t391.html#bottom

11. Based on accounts of various ancient writers, scholars have painted a sketchy picture of the activities of an all-female cult that, perhaps as early as the sixth century B.C., worshipped a goddess known in Latin as Bona Dea, "the good goddess."

A) Based on accounts of various ancient writers
B )Basing it on various ancient writers' accounts
C )With accounts of various ancient writers used for a basis
D )By the accounts of various ancient writers they used
E) Using accounts of various ancient writers

It is well known problem and its OA is C.

My Query:

Unlike a Noun modifiers, Verb Modifiers don't need to touch the subject. e.g.: On Mondays, i walk to the store OR i walk to the store on Mondays.

Here we don't assume "On Mondays" is modifying "I" because of logical sense.

So it means that Verb modifier may or may not touch the subject.

So it means in the above problem, why are we assuming that Based on accounts of various ancient writers is modifying scholars why it can't be that
Scholars have painted a sketchy picture based on accounts of various ancient writers.
(picture is based on accounts of ...)

[Willy]

It is well known problem and its OA is C.

No, OA can't be C. OA is E.

Based on accounts... cannot modify the noun Scholars.
Scholars aren't based on anything.

More on 'based on' concept at based-on-t18569.html

[rte.sushil]

It is well known problem and its OA is C.

No, OA can't be C. OA is E.

Yes it is E , by typo i put C.

OA : E


But my question is still unanswered.
i think "based on" can only modify nouns not verbs so here it can only modify scholars not pictures because based on phrase is not touching painting.

Kindly confirm.

[RonPurewal]

in formal written english (the style that's tested on this exam), "based on xxxx" can modify only nouns, not actions/verbs/clauses.

when "based on xxxx" is used in spoken english, or in more informal written language, it can also modify those sorts of things, but spoken/informal language is irrelevant here.