The clue here is that people "rarely faulted her for expressing them." So, though people might disagree with the views, there was something positive about her views. The only word out of the five answer choices that has a positive connotation is E). Thoughtful also makes sense in the context of the sentence. Carmen expressed views that weren't only controversial but that were also thoughtful. Therefore, people would not fault her for expressing such views, because her views both had substance and were interesting.

C) subjective is almost redundant in this context. If somebody is expressing their views, it is likely subjective. Furthermore, there is no connection between the fact that somebody's views are subjective and that people are unlikely to find fault with them. One might find fault with a person's subjective views (notice again the redundancy in "subjective views") or one might endorse such views.