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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The following passage contains an underlined portion.

During Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign in 1799, French soldiers uncovered a black granodiorite slab that would change history. The Rosetta Stone; which featured a decree written in three different scripts, allowed scholars to compare known Greek text with mysterious hieroglyphs. Consequently, French scholar Jean-François Champollion cracked the code in 1822, opening a window into ancient Egyptian civilization.

Which of the following options is the correct punctuation for the underlined portion in the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. Stone, which featured a decree written in three different scripts,Answer
  3. C
    Stone, that featured a decree written in three different scripts,
  4. D
    Stone, which featured a decree written in three different scripts

Answer

The correct option is the one that sets off the nonessential clause with a pair of commas: 'Stone, which featured a decree written in three different scripts,'.
The underlined portion introduces a nonessential relative clause ('which featured a decree written in three different scripts') that provides extra information about the Rosetta Stone. In English, nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas. The correct option properly uses a comma after 'Stone' and another comma after 'scripts' to enclose this parenthetical clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the type of clause following 'Rosetta Stone'.
The clause 'which featured a decree written in three different scripts' is nonessential because 'Rosetta Stone' already identifies a specific object, meaning the clause only adds extra description.
Identifying the clause type determines the required punctuation rules.
2
Apply the correct punctuation rules for nonessential elements.
A comma must appear before the clause (after 'Stone') and after the clause (after 'scripts').
Nonessential elements must be enclosed by a matching pair of punctuation marks, such as commas, to separate them from the main clause.
3
Eliminate incorrect punctuation choices.
The option using 'that' with commas is incorrect because 'that' is for restrictive clauses. The option using a semicolon creates a fragment. The option missing the closing comma leaves the parenthetical pair incomplete.
Verifying each distractor ensures the selected option is grammatically correct and matches the rules of punctuation.

Key Concept

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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