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Question

Difficulty: MediumColons

Read the following passage from an essay on art history:

In the late nineteenth century, the French printmaker Jules Chéret revolutionized advertising by introducing vibrant, large-scale lithographic posters. His work was characterized by a distinct aesthetic; dynamic figures, bold primary colors, and hand-lettered typography.

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

  1. A
    aesthetic; dynamic
  2. aesthetic: dynamicAnswer
  3. C
    aesthetic, they were dynamic
  4. D
    aesthetic of: dynamic

Answer

aesthetic: dynamic
The colon is the correct punctuation mark to introduce a list that clarifies or elaborates on the preceding independent clause. The clause before the colon, describing the printmaker's distinct aesthetic, is a complete sentence, and the list that follows explains that aesthetic.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical structure of the clause preceding the punctuation mark.
The clause 'His work was characterized by a distinct aesthetic' contains a subject and a verb and is capable of standing alone as a complete sentence.
Colons and semicolons can only be placed after a clause that is complete and independent.
2
Analyze the grammatical structure of the information following the punctuation mark.
The words 'dynamic figures, bold primary colors, and hand-lettered typography' form a list of noun phrases, which is a dependent fragment.
Since the second part is not an independent clause, a semicolon cannot be used. A colon, however, is appropriate because it can introduce a list that explains the preceding noun.
3
Evaluate the remaining options to eliminate grammatical errors.
Adding the pronoun and verb creates a comma splice, and putting a preposition before the colon violates the rule that a colon must follow a complete sentence.
Eliminating these errors leaves the option with a colon introducing the list as the only grammatically correct choice.

Key Concept

Colons
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Topics

Colons

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