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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

Many masterpieces of modernist music premiered in Paris during the early twentieth century. The composition, that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes, which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords, provoked a riot at its premiere. Critics and audiences alike were unprepared for such avant-garde sounds.

Which of the following options most effectively punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    composition that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes; which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords,
  3. composition that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes, which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords,Answer
  4. D
    composition that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes, which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords

Answer

The correct option is the one that does not place commas around the restrictive clause 'that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes' but correctly places a comma before and after the nonessential clause 'which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords'.
The correct option properly leaves the restrictive clause 'that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes' unpunctuated and encloses the nonessential relative clause 'which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords' with a pair of commas.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the restrictive and nonessential clauses in the sentence.
The clause 'that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes' is restrictive because it identifies the specific composition. The clause 'which featured jarring rhythms and dissonant chords' is nonessential because it adds extra description rather than defining the noun.
Restrictive clauses do not take commas, while nonessential clauses must be set off by commas.
2
Evaluate the punctuation around the restrictive clause.
Commas should not be placed around 'that Stravinsky wrote for the Ballets Russes'.
Separating a restrictive clause with commas incorrectly suggests the information is optional.
3
Evaluate the punctuation around the nonessential clause.
A comma must appear both before 'which' and after 'chords' to enclose the clause.
Omitting either comma in a parenthetical pair or using an incorrect punctuation mark like a semicolon violates standard conventions.

Key Concept

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements
Estimated Time:45s
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Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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