Explanation

Creating a filter: there's a problem with the original sentence. The phrase "a work that" is never completed with a verb. The "spanning" and "judging" phrases can be omitted and "consider" goes with "scholars." We will go to the answer choices with the aim to fix this problem.

Applying the filter: There is a 3 versus 2 grouping of answer choices, evident in the first words of each line. Choices (A) through (C) are clearer. In choices (D) and (E), the phrase "her crafting of" is needlessly wordy, and, even worse, an ungrammatical redundancy is set up between the relative pronoun "which" and the pronoun "it," both of which refer to the book. That leaves us with (B) and (C). Between (B) and (C), the present tense makes more sense, as the work still spans 50 chapters; the 50 chapters are a permanent property of the book, a timeless fact, and general, timeless facts are best expressed in the present tense. The correct answer is (B).