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Question

Difficulty: EasyEnd-of-Sentence Punctuation

In the deep, lightless zones of the ocean, the anglerfish uses a glowing lure to attract prey. This bioluminescent organ, called an esca, is filled with symbiotic <u>bacteria. Which produce</u> light through a complex chemical reaction. This glowing trap allows the predator to survive in an environment where food is extremely scarce.

Which of the following choices represents the correct punctuation at the underlined boundary?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    bacteria; which produce
  3. C
    bacteria, they produce
  4. bacteria that produceAnswer

Answer

The correct choice is 'bacteria that produce' because it properly integrates the dependent clause into the sentence without creating a fragment or a comma splice.
The correct choice is the option that replaces the period with the relative pronoun 'that'. This integrates the relative clause into the main clause, avoiding both a sentence fragment and a comma splice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical role of the clauses at the sentence boundary.
The first clause is independent ('This bioluminescent organ, called an esca, is filled with symbiotic bacteria'), while the second clause ('Which produce light through a complex chemical reaction') is a dependent relative clause.
This helps determine whether a sentence-ending punctuation mark is appropriate.
2
Evaluate the punctuation choices at the boundary.
A period or semicolon cannot be used to separate a dependent clause from an independent clause. A comma splice is created if independent clauses are joined by only a comma.
This rules out choices that create fragments or comma splices.
3
Select the correct connective structure.
Using the relative pronoun 'that' without any punctuation connects the clauses into a single, cohesive, grammatically correct sentence.
This choice resolves the sentence boundary error successfully.

Key Concept

Identifying sentence boundaries and distinguishing between independent and dependent clauses to avoid fragments and comma splices.
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Topics

End-of-Sentence Punctuation

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