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Question

Difficulty: HardDashes

The following passage is an excerpt from a biography of Filippo Brunelleschi.

Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome for the Florence Cathedral remains a marvel of the Renaissance. The massive brick structure—a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering, puzzled contemporary builders who deemed its construction impossible without temporary wooden scaffolding. Brunelleschi resolved this challenge by inventing an entirely new hoisting machine and utilizing a herringbone brick-laying pattern.

Which of the following choices best completes the sentence, ensuring correct punctuation and sentence structure?

  1. A
    engineering, puzzled
  2. engineering—puzzledAnswer
  3. C
    engineering; puzzled
  4. D
    engineering, which puzzled

Answer

The correct option is the one that reads 'engineering—puzzled', as it uses a matching em dash to close the nonessential parenthetical phrase.
The correct choice is 'engineering—puzzled'. The phrase 'a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering' is a nonessential appositive that interrupts the main flow of the sentence to describe the 'massive brick structure'. Because this nonessential element begins with an em dash, it must also end with an em dash to maintain punctuation consistency. This allows the main subject, 'structure', to connect properly with its verb, 'puzzled'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the role of the underlined phrase within the sentence.
The phrase 'a masterpiece of Renaissance engineering' is a nonessential parenthetical appositive that describes the 'massive brick structure'.
Knowing the function of the phrase helps determine how it should be punctuated.
2
Locate the punctuation mark that introduces the parenthetical phrase.
The phrase begins with an em dash ('structure—a masterpiece...').
Nonessential phrases must be enclosed by matching punctuation marks (commas, parentheses, or dashes).
3
Determine the correct punctuation mark needed to close the parenthetical phrase.
Since the phrase began with a dash, it must be closed with a dash ('engineering—puzzled') to maintain consistency.
A mismatched closing punctuation mark (like a comma) is incorrect.
4
Verify that the main clause remains structurally complete.
The main clause 'The massive brick structure puzzled contemporary builders...' has a subject ('structure') and a verb ('puzzled') and is grammatically correct.
Ensuring the sentence does not become a fragment or run-on confirms the correct choice.

Key Concept

Matching Parenthetical Punctuation (Dashes)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

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