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Question

Difficulty: EasyColons

To bake authentic sourdough bread, a chef needs only two basic ingredients: flour and water.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. ingredients: flourAnswer
  2. B
    ingredients; flour
  3. C
    ingredients, which are: flour
  4. D
    ingredients, flour

Answer

ingredients: flour
The correct option correctly uses a colon after the independent clause 'To bake authentic sourdough bread, a chef needs only two basic ingredients' to introduce the list of ingredients ('flour and water').

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause preceding the punctuation mark.
The clause 'To bake authentic sourdough bread, a chef needs only two basic ingredients' is an independent clause because it can stand alone as a complete sentence.
A colon must be preceded by an independent clause.
2
Analyze the phrase following the punctuation mark.
The phrase 'flour and water' is a list of items clarifying the preceding clause, not a complete sentence.
A colon can be used to introduce a list or explanation that follows an independent clause.
3
Evaluate the punctuation options based on grammatical rules.
The option with the colon is correct because it appropriately introduces the list. The semicolon option is incorrect because a semicolon must separate two independent clauses. The option placing a colon after 'are' is incorrect because the preceding phrase is not an independent clause. The comma option fails to establish the necessary separation for the list.
Selecting the option that conforms to standard rules for colons and semicolons.

Key Concept

A colon must be preceded by a complete independent clause (a complete sentence) and is commonly used to introduce a list, explanation, or clarification.

Alternative Method

To check if a colon is used correctly, read the sentence up to the colon. If it sounds like a complete sentence on its own, and the part after the colon explains or lists the details of the first part, the colon is correct.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Colons

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