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Question

Difficulty: EasyEnd-of-Sentence Punctuation

Many local community gardens have started implementing rainwater harvesting systems to conserve water. These systems collect rain that runs off roofs and store it in large barrels. Which can then be used to water the plants during dry spells. This practice helps reduce municipal water usage significantly.

Which of the following options best corrects the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. barrels, whichAnswer
  3. C
    barrels; which
  4. D
    barrels, this

Answer

barrels, which
The correct option correctly uses a comma to subordinate the relative clause beginning with 'which' to the main clause. This avoids a fragment and ensures a grammatically sound sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the underlined portion and the clause that follows it to determine if it is independent or dependent.
The clause 'Which can then be used...' begins with a relative pronoun and lacks a complete thought, making it dependent.
Correct end-of-sentence punctuation depends on whether the clauses on both sides can stand alone as complete sentences.
2
Evaluate the current punctuation and options to see which choice avoids creating a sentence fragment or a comma splice.
Using a period or a semicolon creates a fragment because the second clause is dependent. Replacing 'which' with 'this' creates a comma splice.
Dependent relative clauses must be joined to their independent clause using a comma rather than terminal punctuation or coordination that creates a comma splice.
3
Select the option that joins the clauses correctly.
The phrase 'barrels, which' correctly subordinates the relative clause and connects it to the main clause.
This establishes proper sentence boundaries and makes the passage grammatically correct.

Key Concept

Identifying sentence boundaries and ensuring that dependent relative clauses are connected to independent clauses without creating sentence fragments.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

End-of-Sentence Punctuation

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