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Difficulty: MediumSemicolons

Insert the single punctuation mark that correctly connects the two independent clauses in the passage below.

Answer:Marine biologists have discovered that octopuses often punch fish during collaborative hunting excursions 【;】 this aggressive behavior appears to prevent the fish from monopolizing the prey.

Answer

A semicolon (;) is the correct punctuation mark to join the two independent clauses.
A semicolon is the correct choice because it successfully connects two independent clauses that are closely related in meaning without the need for a coordinating conjunction.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause preceding the blank.
The clause 'Marine biologists have discovered that octopuses often punch fish during collaborative hunting excursions' contains a subject ('biologists') and a verb ('have discovered') and expresses a complete thought, making it an independent clause.
Determining the grammatical structure of the surrounding clauses is necessary to choose the appropriate punctuation.
2
Analyze the clause following the blank.
The clause 'this aggressive behavior appears to prevent the fish from monopolizing the prey' contains a subject ('behavior') and a verb ('appears') and expresses a complete thought, making it a second independent clause.
Identifying both clauses as independent helps us apply the correct punctuation rule.
3
Select the correct punctuation mark to join two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction.
A semicolon (;) is used to connect the two clauses.
Using a comma alone would cause a comma splice, and omitting punctuation entirely would create a run-on sentence. A semicolon resolves this by joining the related thoughts correctly.

Key Concept

Semicolons are used to link two independent clauses that are closely related in thought, especially when they are not joined by a coordinating conjunction.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Semicolons

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