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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

In 1982, marine archaeologists raised the *Mary Rose*, a Tudor warship that sank in 1545. The recovered artifacts, which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries, provide valuable details about life in the sixteenth century.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    artifacts, that were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries, provide
  3. C
    artifacts, which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries provide
  4. D
    artifacts; which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries, provide

Answer

The correct option is the one that makes no change to the sentence, as it correctly uses a pair of commas to enclose the nonessential relative clause 'which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries'.
The clause 'which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries' is a nonessential relative clause because it adds extra detail but is not required to identify which artifacts are being discussed. Nonessential clauses must be enclosed in a pair of commas. Therefore, the original phrasing with commas before 'which' and after 'centuries' is correct.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause following the subject 'artifacts'.
The clause is 'which were preserved in the seabed silt for centuries'.
Determining the boundaries of the clause helps in evaluating if it is essential or nonessential.
2
Determine if the clause is essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive).
The clause is nonessential because removing it does not change the core meaning of the sentence: 'The recovered artifacts provide valuable details about life in the sixteenth century.'
Nonessential information must be set off with punctuation, typically a pair of commas, whereas essential information should not have commas.
3
Evaluate the punctuation choices around the nonessential clause.
A pair of commas (one before 'which' and one after 'centuries') is correct. A semicolon cannot be used because the clause is dependent, and omitting one of the commas leaves the punctuation incomplete.
Ensures the sentence adheres to standard punctuation conventions without creating fragments or dangling punctuation.

Key Concept

Punctuation of nonessential elements versus restrictive clauses
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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