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Question

Difficulty: MediumSentence Fragments

In the late 1960s, marine biologist Sylvia Earle led the Tektite II project, an all-female research expedition that lived in an underwater habitat for two weeks. Because the mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation. The scientists successfully conducted their research and garnered international acclaim.

Which choice best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    Because the mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation; the scientists
  3. Because the mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation, the scientistsAnswer
  4. D
    The mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation, the scientists

Answer

Because the mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation, the scientists
The correct option properly connects the introductory dependent clause, which starts with the subordinating conjunction 'Because', to the main independent clause using a comma. This resolves the sentence fragment without creating other grammatical errors.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion and the surrounding sentence structure to identify the grammatical issue.
The clause 'Because the mission was designed to study marine life and test the effects of isolation' starts with the subordinating conjunction 'Because', making it a dependent clause. In the original text, this dependent clause is separated from the main clause by a period, creating a sentence fragment.
Identifying the clause type is essential for determining how to connect or reformulate the clauses to form complete sentences.
2
Evaluate the choices to see which one correctly connects the dependent clause to the main independent clause.
The choice that uses a comma instead of a period or semicolon successfully joins the introductory dependent clause to the main clause ('the scientists successfully conducted...'). Using a semicolon is incorrect because semicolons can only separate independent clauses. Removing 'Because' and using a comma creates a comma splice.
A dependent clause must be connected to an independent clause using a comma, not a period or semicolon, to avoid fragments and other punctuation errors.

Key Concept

Identifying and correcting sentence fragments, specifically dependent clauses that are separated from their main clauses.
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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