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Difficulty: MediumSubordination and Coordination

In 1967, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell detected a series of highly regular radio pulses in her telescopic data. Her advisor initially dismissed the signals as man-made interference, but Bell Burnell persisted in analyzing the anomaly, eventually proving the existence of pulsars.

Which choice is the most grammatically correct and logical version of the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. advisor initially dismissed the signals as man-made interference, but Bell BurnellAnswer
  2. B
    advisor initially dismissed the signals as man-made interference, Bell Burnell
  3. C
    advisor initially dismissing the signals as man-made interference; Bell Burnell
  4. D
    advisor initially dismissed the signals as man-made interference. While Bell Burnell

Answer

The correct choice is the original phrasing, which uses the coordinating conjunction 'but' along with a comma to join two independent clauses.
The correct option preserves the grammatical integrity of the sentence by correctly linking two independent clauses using the coordinating conjunction 'but' preceded by a comma.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clauses in the passage.
The text contains two primary assertions: 'Her advisor initially dismissed the signals as man-made interference' and 'Bell Burnell persisted in analyzing the anomaly.'
Understanding the boundary between clauses is essential to determine whether we are connecting independent or dependent ideas.
2
Analyze the grammatical status of each clause.
Both assertions can stand alone as complete sentences, meaning they are both independent clauses.
Identifying the clauses as independent dictates that we must use a proper coordinating conjunction with a comma, a semicolon, or separate them into two sentences.
3
Evaluate the choices based on coordination and subordination rules.
The original phrasing correctly links these two independent clauses with a comma and the coordinating conjunction 'but', establishing a logical contrast between the advisor's dismissal and Bell Burnell's persistence.
This ensures the sentence is grammatically correct and expresses the intended relationship between the ideas.

Key Concept

Using coordinating conjunctions to join independent clauses and avoiding run-ons, comma splices, or sentence fragments.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Subordination and Coordination

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