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Question

Difficulty: HardColons

Architect Frank Lloyd Wright spent his career challenging the European styles that dominated American design in the late nineteenth century. Instead of imposing rigid, classical structures onto the landscape, he championed the idea that a building should exist in harmony with its site, it was a philosophy he called 'organic architecture.' By integrating local materials and horizontal lines, Wright sought to make each home feel like a natural extension of its environment.

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

  1. A
    site, it was a philosophy
  2. site: a philosophyAnswer
  3. C
    site was: a philosophy
  4. D
    site, that was a philosophy

Answer

The correct choice is the option that uses a colon to connect the independent clause to the explanatory noun phrase 'a philosophy he called organic architecture.'
The correct option correctly uses a colon to separate an independent clause from an explanatory appositive noun phrase. The clause preceding the colon is a complete sentence, and the phrase following it directly clarifies the 'idea' mentioned previously.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause structure before the underlined portion.
The clause 'Instead of imposing rigid, classical structures onto the landscape, he championed the idea that a building should exist in harmony with its site' is independent because it has a subject ('he') and a verb ('championed') and expresses a complete thought.
Punctuation marks like colons and semicolons require an independent clause to precede them.
2
Analyze the grammatical structure of the phrase following the underlined noun 'site'.
The phrase 'a philosophy he called organic architecture' is a noun phrase (an appositive) that explains the 'idea' from the main clause.
An appositive noun phrase can be introduced by a colon to add clarification or definition at the end of a sentence.
3
Evaluate the grammar and punctuation of each choice.
The original phrasing creates a comma splice by joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Placing 'was' before the colon separates the verb from its complement and leaves the clause before the colon incomplete. Placing a comma before 'that' violates restrictive modifier rules.
Only the option using a colon to introduce the appositive phrase maintains grammatical correctness and avoids structural errors.

Key Concept

Colons
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Topics

Colons

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