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Difficulty: MediumSubordination and Coordination

In the early nineteenth century, a Cherokee silversmith named Sequoyah set out to create a written language for his people. Many of his peers initially ridiculed the project as a form of witchcraft, but Sequoyah persevered, eventually developing a syllabary of eighty-five characters. Within months of its introduction, the system was officially adopted by the Cherokee Nation, allowing thousands to achieve literacy.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    Many of his peers initially ridiculed the project as a form of witchcraft, Sequoyah
  3. C
    Many of his peers initially ridiculed the project as a form of witchcraft; although Sequoyah
  4. D
    Because many of his peers initially ridiculed the project as a form of witchcraft, and Sequoyah

Answer

NO CHANGE
The original text correctly uses the coordinating conjunction 'but' accompanied by a comma to connect two independent clauses: 'Many of his peers initially ridiculed the project as a form of witchcraft' and 'Sequoyah persevered, eventually developing a syllabary of eighty-five characters.' This establishes a clear contrasting relationship between the peers' disbelief and Sequoyah's determination.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structure of the sentence.
The sentence contains two main ideas: one about the peers ridiculing the project and one about Sequoyah persevering. Both can stand alone as independent clauses.
Determining whether the clauses are independent or dependent guides the choice of punctuation and conjunctions.
2
Evaluate the relationship between the two clauses.
There is a contrasting relationship between the peers' ridicule and Sequoyah's perseverance.
This helps select the appropriate coordinating or subordinating conjunction to show contrast.
3
Check the options for grammatical correctness and proper punctuation.
Only the original phrasing ('NO CHANGE') correctly joins the two independent clauses with a comma and the coordinating conjunction 'but', establishing the correct contrasting relationship without creating a fragment or comma splice.
The correct option must resolve the clauses into a single, grammatically sound sentence.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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