Examkin

Question

Difficulty: MediumSubordination and Coordination

In 1925, at the age of fifty-five, botanist Ynes Mexia embarked on her first collecting expedition to Mexico. She traversed steep mountainsides and remote forests, eventually collecting thousands of specimens. Although she faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides, but she successfully gathered over five hundred species of plants on her inaugural trip alone.

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

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. B
    Although she faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides. She successfully gathered
  3. C
    She faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides, she successfully gathered
  4. Although she faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides, she successfully gatheredAnswer

Answer

The option stating 'Although she faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides, she successfully gathered' is the correct answer.
The correct option properly uses the subordinating conjunction 'Although' to set up a contrast in a dependent clause, which is correctly separated from the main independent clause by a comma. This creates a grammatically sound complex sentence.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the relationship between the two clauses in the sentence.
The first clause describes a obstacle ('faced rugged terrain and frequent mudslides') and the second clause describes an achievement ('successfully gathered over five hundred species of plants'), indicating a contrast relationship.
Recognizing the logical relationship helps determine the correct conjunctions to use.
2
Analyze the grammar of the original underlined sentence structure.
The original sentence contains both the subordinating conjunction 'Although' and the coordinating conjunction 'but' to link a single dependent clause to an independent clause.
Using two contrasting conjunctions to join two clauses is a grammatical error known as a double conjunction.
3
Select the option that properly coordinates or subordinates the clauses.
Removing the coordinating conjunction 'but' leaves a subordinate clause followed by a comma and a main clause, which is grammatically correct and logically clear.
An introductory dependent clause starting with a subordinating conjunction must be followed directly by a comma and the independent clause with no additional coordinating conjunctions.

Key Concept

Subordination and Coordination
Rate this question

Topics

Subordination and Coordination

More questions from this topic