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Question

Difficulty: MediumEnd-of-Sentence Punctuation

The following passage is about the work of medieval scribes.

To preserve classical knowledge, medieval scribes spent countless hours copying texts in cold monasteries. They painstakingly reproduced scientific, philosophical, and literary manuscripts, despite the poor lighting and fatigue. Consequently, modern scholars must compare multiple versions of the same text. To reconstruct the original content as accurately as possible.

Which of the following options represents the correct punctuation for the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    text; to reconstruct
  3. C
    text, they reconstruct
  4. text to reconstructAnswer

Answer

text to reconstruct
The correct option removes the punctuation between the main clause and the infinitive phrase of purpose. In the sentence, the phrase beginning with 'to reconstruct' explains why modern scholars must compare the texts. Since this is an adverbial phrase rather than a separate independent clause, no punctuation is required to connect it to the main clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the clauses surrounding the underlined portion.
The clause before the boundary ('Consequently, modern scholars must compare multiple versions of the same text') is independent. The phrase following the boundary ('To reconstruct the original content as accurately as possible') is an infinitive phrase.
Identifying clause boundaries and structures is necessary to determine the appropriate punctuation.
2
Evaluate the relationship between the independent clause and the following infinitive phrase.
The infinitive phrase acts as an adverbial modifier explaining the purpose of comparing the texts, meaning it is dependent on the main clause.
Understanding the function of the phrase helps determine if it should be separated by terminal punctuation.
3
Select the punctuation option that connects the phrase to the main clause without creating a fragment or comma splice.
Connecting them with no punctuation ('text to reconstruct') creates a single, grammatically correct sentence.
An infinitive phrase of purpose following a main clause does not require punctuation to separate it.

Key Concept

Identifying sentence fragments and choosing appropriate end-of-sentence punctuation to connect clauses and phrases.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

End-of-Sentence Punctuation

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