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Question

Difficulty: HardColons

During the excavation of the ancient Mayan city, archaeologists focused on a single, well-preserved [underlined]structure: the[/underlined] central temple, which had remained hidden under dense vegetation for centuries.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    structure, it was the
  2. B
    structure was: the
  3. structure: theAnswer
  4. D
    structure; because the

Answer

structure: the
The correct option correctly uses a colon after an independent clause to introduce the specific identification of the structure (the central temple). The clause before the colon is a complete thought, and the phrase after it clarifies the noun 'structure'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clause preceding the punctuation mark to determine if it is independent.
The clause 'During the excavation of the ancient Mayan city, archaeologists focused on a single, well-preserved structure' can stand alone as a complete sentence, meaning it is independent.
A colon must always be preceded by a complete independent clause.
2
Evaluate the relationship between the preceding clause and the following phrase.
The phrase 'the central temple' identifies and explains the 'single, well-preserved structure'.
A colon is the appropriate punctuation mark to introduce an explanation, list, or clarification that follows an independent clause.
3
Eliminate the incorrect options based on grammatical rules.
The option with a comma splice, the option with the colon after an incomplete clause, and the option with the semicolon creating a fragment are all grammatically incorrect.
Ensuring the sentence conforms to standard punctuation rules identifies the correct choice.

Key Concept

Colons
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Topics

Colons

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