Experts Attention : Appositive and Modifiers

[gmatrant]

After suffering the effects of several tsunamis, the residents of a Japanese city built a wall on their coast over forty feet high and a mile long, a way to protect the city against another disaster.

a. a way to protect
b. in efforts to protect
c. protecting
d. to protect in one way
e. in order to protect

1. Can I consider "a way to protect" in A as an appositive modifier modifying the noun "wall". Or does the modifier modify only the noun "mile" ?

2. Except for modifiers starting with present participle, Is the modifier expected to modify the nearest noun , in this case 'mile'?

3. Should a "resumptive modifier" specify the noun its modifying explicitly in the modifier construct and then talk more about the noun ?

[prnaidu]

I guess answer is C. Pls post the answer to this.

[paddle_sweep]

I will go with 'B'. Pls post OA.

[gmatrant]

C is the answer.

Can someone PLEASE give me a quick explanation to my queries. Would be much appreciated.

[niksworth]

1. Can I consider "a way to protect" in A as an appositive modifier modifying the noun "wall". Or does the modifier modify only the noun "mile" ?

No.
Can a wall be a way? No. Building a wall can be a way. a way to protect is not renaming wall. So it is not an appositive. Neither can it modify mile. That would be nonsensical.

2. Except for modifiers starting with present participle, Is the modifier expected to modify the nearest noun , in this case 'mile'?

Generally yes.
There can always be exceptions though. That depends on the sentence in question but in such a case the modifier must unambiguously modify a noun which it is not touching.

3. Should a "resumptive modifier" specify the noun its modifying explicitly in the modifier construct and then talk more about the noun ?

Again generally yes.
Sometimes another word is used in the resumptive modifier, but it should be clear from the sentence which noun is the modifier referring to.
E.g. That kind of agentless prose should send up a red flag, a signal that here's a candidate for revision. (Courtesy: about.com)