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Question

Difficulty: EasySentence Fragments

Read the sentence below and analyze the underlined portion:

Because the red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears. Scientists struggled for decades to classify it.

Which of the following choices is the best revision of the underlined portion?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. Because the red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears, scientistsAnswer
  3. C
    Because the red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears; scientists
  4. D
    The red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears, scientists

Answer

The option that connects the introductory dependent clause to the main clause using a comma: 'Because the red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears, scientists'
The correct option connects the dependent introductory clause to the independent main clause using a comma. The word 'Because' introduces a dependent clause, which cannot stand alone as a complete sentence. By placing a comma after 'bears' and changing the capitalized 'Scientists' to lowercase, the fragment is resolved.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the grammatical nature of the opening clause beginning with 'Because'.
The clause 'Because the red panda shares several anatomical features with both raccoons and bears' is a dependent clause because it starts with a subordinating conjunction.
A dependent clause contains a subject and a verb but does not express a complete thought, meaning it cannot stand alone as a sentence.
2
Determine how to connect this dependent clause to the main clause 'scientists struggled for decades to classify it'.
An introductory dependent clause must be followed by a comma before the main clause begins.
Using a period or a semicolon creates a fragment, whereas removing the subordinating conjunction entirely while keeping only a comma results in a comma splice.

Key Concept

Identifying and correcting sentence fragments caused by dependent clauses
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Sentence Fragments

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