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Difficulty: MediumSubordination and Coordination

In eleventh-century China, Bi Sheng crafted ceramic type characters, meanwhile, in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type was used to print state documents.

Which of the following choices is the best replacement for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    meanwhile, in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type
  2. while in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable typeAnswer
  3. C
    whereas; in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type
  4. D
    but in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type, which

Answer

while in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type
The correct option, 'while in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type', uses the subordinating conjunction 'while' to create a dependent clause. This dependent clause is correctly joined to the preceding independent clause with a comma, establishing a logical contrast without creating a comma splice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the original sentence and identify if the clauses are independent or dependent.
The two clauses ('In eleventh-century China, Bi Sheng crafted ceramic type characters' and 'meanwhile, in thirteenth-century Korea, metal movable type was used to print state documents') are both independent clauses.
This helps determine if coordination or subordination is needed to connect them correctly.
2
Evaluate the conjunctions and punctuation used to link the clauses in each option.
The original text uses the conjunctive adverb 'meanwhile' with only a comma, creating a comma splice. The option starting with 'while' uses a subordinating conjunction, which correctly turns the second clause into a dependent clause and connects it to the first clause with a comma.
A dependent clause starting with a subordinating conjunction can be joined to an independent clause using a comma.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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