Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSentence-Level Transitions

In 1964, radio astronomers Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson were troubled by a persistent background hiss in their satellite antenna. They went to great lengths to eliminate potential sources of interference, even cleaning the horn antenna of nesting pigeons; consequently, the mysterious static remained. Eventually, this noise was identified as the cosmic microwave background radiation, a discovery that provided crucial evidence for the Big Bang theory.

Which of the following choices best completes the underlined portion of the passage?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. ; still,Answer
  3. C
    , still,
  4. D
    ; still, however,

Answer

The correct choice is the one using a semicolon followed by 'still,' because it correctly punctuates the two independent clauses and establishes a contrast relationship.
The transition must establish a contrast relationship because the static remained despite the cleaning efforts. Additionally, because the transition connects two independent clauses, a semicolon is required before the transition to avoid a comma splice. The option with a semicolon followed by 'still,' fulfills both requirements.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the relationship between the two clauses.
The first clause describes actions taken to eliminate static, while the second clause states that the static remained. This relationship is contrastive, meaning a transition showing contrast is needed.
Identifying the logical relationship is necessary to select the correct transition word.
2
Examine the grammatical structure and punctuation connecting the clauses.
Both clauses are independent. Joining them with a comma and a transition word creates a comma splice. A semicolon is required to properly separate them.
Determining grammatical constraints ensures the sentence structure is correct.
3
Select the option that matches both the logical and grammatical requirements.
The option with a semicolon followed by 'still,' meets both requirements.
This step identifies the single correct option.

Key Concept

Sentence-Level Transitions
Rate this question

Topics

Sentence-Level Transitions

More questions from this topic