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Question

Difficulty: MediumDashes

Read the following passage and choose the option that best corrects the underlined portion.

The mimic octopus—a remarkable marine creature discovered in the late 1990s off the coast of Sulawesi, possesses the unique ability to impersonate other sea animals. By altering its body shape and color, it can mimic venomous species such as lionfish, sea snakes, and flatfish. This behavior allows the octopus to deter predators that would otherwise consider it an easy meal.

Which of the following choices represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    Sulawesi, possesses
  2. Sulawesi—possessesAnswer
  3. C
    Sulawesi; possesses
  4. D
    Sulawesi. Possesses

Answer

Sulawesi—possesses
The correct answer properly balances the punctuation of the sentence. The nonessential parenthetical phrase that describes the mimic octopus begins with an em dash ('—a remarkable marine creature...'). To maintain structural consistency, the phrase must also end with an em dash before the main verb of the sentence ('possesses').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the syntactic role of the underlined punctuation and surrounding text.
The phrase starting with '—a remarkable marine creature...' is a nonessential explanatory phrase (an appositive) that describes the mimic octopus.
Recognizing that this is a parenthetical or nonessential element helps determine that it must be set off by matching punctuation marks.
2
Check the punctuation at the beginning of the nonessential phrase.
The phrase is introduced by an em dash ('—').
Nonessential phrases set off by dashes must use a pair of dashes (one at the beginning and one at the end) to maintain punctuation consistency.
3
Select the option that properly closes the nonessential phrase with a matching dash.
The choice containing 'Sulawesi—possesses' correctly closes the nonessential phrase with a dash and connects it back to the main verb.
This maintains punctuation consistency without introducing fragments or run-on sentences.

Key Concept

Punctuation consistency with nonessential parenthetical phrases (dash pairs)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Dashes

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