Examkin

Question

Difficulty: Very hardCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The deep-sea explorer Sylvia Earle has spent her career advocating for the protection of marine ecosystems. The sustainable marine sanctuaries that Earle has helped establish, which she refers to as "hope spots," have prompted international conservation efforts. These protected areas serve as critical refuges for threatened species.

Which of the following choices best punctuates the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    , that Earle has helped establish, which she refers to as "hope spots," have
  3. C
    that Earle has helped establish, which she refers to as "hope spots" have
  4. D
    that Earle has helped establish, which she refers to as "hope spots"; have

Answer

The correct option is the one that preserves the original punctuation (NO CHANGE), keeping the restrictive clause unpunctuated and enclosing the nonessential clause in a pair of commas.
The original punctuation is correct. The clause 'that Earle has helped establish' is restrictive and must not be separated from 'sanctuaries' with a comma. The parenthetical clause 'which she refers to as "hope spots"' is nonessential and is correctly set off with a pair of commas (one after 'establish' and one after 'spots'). The plural verb 'have' agrees with 'sanctuaries' and is not separated by incorrect punctuation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the types of clauses modifying the subject noun.
The clause 'that Earle has helped establish' is restrictive, and 'which she refers to as "hope spots"' is nonessential.
Restrictive clauses define the specific noun and cannot be removed without changing the core meaning, while nonessential clauses provide parenthetical details.
2
Determine the punctuation for the restrictive clause.
No commas should surround the clause 'that Earle has helped establish'.
Commas should not separate a restrictive clause from its referent.
3
Determine the punctuation for the nonessential clause.
Commas must be placed both before 'which' and after 'spots'.
A parenthetical element must be enclosed by a matched pair of commas.
4
Ensure the subject and verb are not separated by incorrect terminal punctuation.
The main verb 'have' must follow the nonessential clause without a semicolon.
A semicolon would incorrectly isolate the preceding clauses, resulting in a fragment.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between restrictive and nonessential clauses to apply correct comma punctuation.
Rate this question

Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

More questions from this topic