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Difficulty: MediumRun-on Sentences and Comma Splices

The following passage contains an underlined portion.

Deep-sea hydrothermal vents, which form along mid-ocean ridges, support unique ecosystems that thrive in complete darkness. Organisms in these environments rely on chemosynthetic bacteria, these microorganisms convert toxic chemicals into organic matter, therefore, they serve as the primary producers of the food web. Scientists continue to study these systems to understand the limits of life on Earth and potentially other planets.

Which of the following choices best replaces the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    bacteria, these microorganisms convert toxic chemicals into organic matter, therefore, they
  2. bacteria; because these microorganisms convert toxic chemicals into organic matter, theyAnswer
  3. C
    bacteria; because these microorganisms convert toxic chemicals into organic matter; they
  4. D
    bacteria, that convert toxic chemicals into organic matter; they

Answer

The choice that uses a semicolon after 'bacteria' and a subordinating conjunction 'because' followed by a comma.
The correct answer properly resolves the comma splice. The semicolon after 'bacteria' separates two main independent thoughts. The subordinating conjunction 'because' makes the clause that follows it dependent, which is then correctly joined to the subsequent independent clause with a comma.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the original sentence to identify clauses and grammatical issues.
The original sentence contains three independent clauses: 'Organisms in these environments rely on chemosynthetic bacteria', 'these microorganisms convert toxic chemicals into organic matter', and 'they serve as the primary producers of the food web'. These clauses are improperly joined by commas, creating a comma splice.
Identifying the clause boundaries helps determine how to correctly punctuate the relationship between the ideas.
2
Evaluate the choices to find the one that correctly punctuates and joins the clauses without creating new errors.
Placing a semicolon after 'bacteria' separates the first independent clause. Restructuring the remaining part with the subordinating conjunction 'because' turns the middle clause into a dependent clause, which is correctly joined to the final independent clause with a comma.
A semicolon must separate independent clauses, and a introductory dependent clause must be followed by a comma before the independent clause.

Key Concept

Run-on sentences and comma splices occur when independent clauses are joined without appropriate punctuation or coordinating conjunctions. They can be resolved by using a period, a semicolon, or a subordinating conjunction to restructure the clauses.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

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