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Difficulty: Very hardSentence Fragments

Booming sand dunes emit a low-frequency drone that can last for several minutes. This drone, which is produced when millions of sand grains slide down the dune face in unison; because the friction between the colliding grains creates a synchronized acoustic wave.

Which choice best corrects the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    This drone is produced when millions of sand grains slide down the dune face in unison; as
  3. This drone is produced when millions of sand grains slide down the dune face in unison, asAnswer
  4. D
    This drone is produced when millions of sand grains slide down the dune face in unison, the

Answer

The correct answer is the option that replaces the underlined text with 'This drone is produced when millions of sand grains slide down the dune face in unison, as'. This choice resolves the fragment by providing the predicate 'is produced' for the main subject 'This drone' and correctly connects the following explanatory dependent clause with a comma and the subordinating conjunction 'as'.
The correct option resolves the sentence fragment by transforming the relative clause into the main verb phrase 'is produced' for the subject 'This drone'. It then uses a comma and the subordinating conjunction 'as' to connect the main clause to the subsequent dependent clause, establishing a grammatically sound cause-and-effect relationship.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structure of the original sentence to find the grammatical error.
The subject 'This drone' is followed by a relative clause ('which is produced...') and a semicolon, but there is no main verb to complete the clause. This results in a sentence fragment.
Every complete sentence must contain at least one independent clause with a subject and a verb.
2
Evaluate the choices to locate an option that supplies a main verb and links the clauses correctly.
The option containing 'is produced' introduces a proper verb for 'This drone'.
This establishes a grammatically complete independent clause.
3
Check the punctuation in the remaining choices to avoid creating new grammatical errors.
Using a semicolon before a dependent clause starting with 'as' is incorrect. Joining two independent clauses with only a comma creates a comma splice. The option using 'as' with a comma is the only grammatically correct choice.
Correct punctuation is required to connect independent and dependent clauses logically.

Key Concept

Sentence Fragments

Alternative Method

Identify the main verb of the second sentence. Because the verb 'creates' belongs to the dependent clause starting with 'because', the subject 'This drone' must have its own active verb. Eliminate options that fail to provide a main verb or that introduce run-on sentences.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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