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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

The museum curator wanted to display the rare, delicate artifacts that were recovered from the shipwreck, she carefully arranged them in a temperature-controlled case.

Which choice best punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. rare, delicate artifacts that were recovered from the shipwreck; sheAnswer
  3. C
    rare, delicate artifacts, that were recovered from the shipwreck; she
  4. D
    rare, delicate artifacts that were recovered from the shipwreck; she, who

Answer

The correct option correctly punctuates the coordinate adjectives, avoids inserting a comma before the restrictive clause, and uses a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses.
The correct option correctly punctuates 'rare, delicate' as coordinate adjectives, does not place a comma before the restrictive 'that' clause, and uses a semicolon to separate the two independent clauses, avoiding a comma splice.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine if the adjectives 'rare' and 'delicate' are coordinate.
The adjectives can be reversed ('delicate, rare') and joined with 'and' ('rare and delicate') naturally, meaning they are coordinate and require a comma between them.
Coordinate adjectives modify a noun in parallel and must be separated by a comma.
2
Analyze the relative clause 'that were recovered from the shipwreck' for punctuation.
The clause is restrictive because it defines the specific artifacts being referenced.
Restrictive clauses are essential to sentence meaning and should not be set off by commas.
3
Evaluate the boundary between the two independent clauses 'The museum curator wanted to display...' and 'she carefully arranged...'.
Both clauses can stand alone, meaning they must be separated by appropriate punctuation such as a semicolon rather than just a comma.
Using only a comma to connect two independent clauses results in a comma splice.

Key Concept

Punctuation rules for coordinate adjectives, restrictive clauses, and independent clause boundaries.
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Topics

Commas with Lists, Clauses, and Coordinate Adjectives

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