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Difficulty: EasyRun-on Sentences and Comma Splices

For centuries, Polynesian navigators traveled across thousands of miles of open ocean without any modern instruments. Instead of relying on compasses or maps, these sailors used the stars, ocean swells, and bird migration patterns to guide their canoes. This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable, it allowed them to colonize remote Pacific islands.

Which of the following options is the best replacement for the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable; it allowedAnswer
  3. C
    This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable; which allowed
  4. D
    This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable. Because it allowed

Answer

This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable; it allowed
The correct option correctly uses a semicolon to separate two closely related independent clauses ('This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable' and 'it allowed them to colonize remote Pacific islands') without any coordinating conjunctions.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause structure of the original underlined portion.
The text contains two independent clauses: 'This ancient system of wayfinding was highly reliable' and 'it allowed them to colonize remote Pacific islands'.
Understanding clause boundaries is necessary to determine the correct punctuation needed to join them.
2
Analyze how the independent clauses are joined.
They are joined only by a comma, which is a comma splice error.
Independent clauses cannot be joined by a comma alone; they require a coordinating conjunction, a semicolon, or a period.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the option that correctly separates or joins the independent clauses without creating new grammatical errors.
The option containing 'highly reliable; it allowed' correctly uses a semicolon to link the two independent clauses. The options containing a semicolon followed by 'which' or a period followed by 'Because' both create dependent clause fragments.
A semicolon is a grammatically correct way to join two closely related independent clauses without any conjunctions.

Key Concept

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices
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Topics

Run-on Sentences and Comma Splices

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