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Difficulty: HardSemicolons

Determine which single punctuation mark should replace the blank to correctly join the independent clauses in the sentence below.

Answer:Physarum polycephalum, a single-celled slime mold, does not possess a brain or nervous system 【;】 nevertheless, it can navigate complex mazes to find the shortest path to a food source.

Answer

A semicolon (;)
A semicolon is correct because it is the proper punctuation mark to link two independent clauses, especially when the second clause begins with a conjunctive adverb like 'nevertheless'. Because 'nevertheless' is in lowercase, a period cannot be used without capitalizing the next word, making the semicolon the only grammatically acceptable option.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the grammatical structure of the clauses on both sides of the blank.
The clause before the blank ('Physarum polycephalum, a single-celled slime mold, does not possess a brain or nervous system') is an independent clause. The clause after the blank ('nevertheless, it can navigate complex mazes to find the shortest path to a food source') is also an independent clause starting with a conjunctive adverb.
Identifying the clause type helps determine the punctuation marks that are grammatically permissible to connect them.
2
Examine the capitalization of the word following the blank and assess potential punctuation choices.
The word 'nevertheless' starts with a lowercase letter, ruling out a period. A comma is also ruled out because joining two independent clauses with a comma alone results in a comma splice.
This eliminates punctuation marks that would violate sentence structure rules or require capitalization adjustments.
3
Select the correct punctuation mark that joins independent clauses separated by a conjunctive adverb.
A semicolon is the correct punctuation mark because it is designed to link two independent clauses, particularly when the second begins with a conjunctive adverb.
This ensures the sentence is grammatically correct and coherent without introducing structural errors.

Key Concept

Using a semicolon to link closely related independent clauses joined by a conjunctive adverb.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Semicolons

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