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Question

Difficulty: MediumSemicolons

Identify the punctuation mark that must be placed in the blank to grammatically join the two independent clauses in the sentence below.

Answer:Physarum polycephalum is a single-celled organism that lacks a brain or central nervous system【;】 nevertheless, the slime mold can solve complex mazes and remember the shortest paths to food sources.

Answer

semicolon (represented by the symbol ';')
A semicolon is the correct punctuation mark to join two independent clauses when the second clause begins with a transitional adverb like 'nevertheless'. This structure requires a semicolon before the transition and a comma after it.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the clauses on both sides of the blank to determine if they are independent.
The clause before the blank ('Physarum polycephalum is a single-celled organism that lacks a brain or central nervous system') and the clause after the blank ('nevertheless, the slime mold can solve complex mazes and remember the shortest paths to food sources') are both independent clauses because they can each stand alone as a complete sentence.
Identifying the clause type is necessary to determine the appropriate punctuation to join them.
2
Identify the transition word initiating the second clause.
The word 'nevertheless' is a conjunctive adverb (transitional adverb).
Conjunctive adverbs require specific punctuation configurations when used to link independent clauses.
3
Determine the correct punctuation mark that must precede the conjunctive adverb.
A semicolon must be placed in the blank to separate the two independent clauses before the conjunctive adverb.
Joining two independent clauses with only a comma before a transitional adverb creates a comma splice, and using no punctuation is run-on.

Key Concept

Using a semicolon to link independent clauses connected by transitional adverbs.
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Topics

Semicolons

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