Ancient scholars traveled from all over the Mediterranean to study at the Library of Alexandria. The institution , which housed thousands of papyrus scrolls containing the knowledge of the ancient world, served as the intellectual center of the Hellenistic civilization. Its destruction remains one of the greatest losses in cultural history.
Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?
- NO CHANGEAnswer
- B, which housed thousands of papyrus scrolls containing the knowledge of the ancient world
- C; which housed thousands of papyrus scrolls containing the knowledge of the ancient world,
- D, that housed thousands of papyrus scrolls containing the knowledge of the ancient world,
Answer
The correct option is 'NO CHANGE', which properly encloses the nonessential relative clause in a pair of commas.
The underlined clause provides nonessential descriptive information about the institution. Nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas. The option containing 'NO CHANGE' correctly uses a comma at both the beginning and the end of this parenthetical clause.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements