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Difficulty: MediumCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The Library of Alexandria was renowned for housing the greatest collection of texts in the ancient world. The scroll that detailed the calculations, a rare document, was preserved in the inner sanctuary of the library. Only the chief librarian and senior scholars were permitted to access such invaluable resources.

Which of the following is the best choice for the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    scroll, that detailed the calculations, a rare document,
  3. C
    scroll that detailed the calculations, a rare document
  4. D
    scroll that detailed the calculations; a rare document,

Answer

NO CHANGE
The phrase 'that detailed the calculations' is a restrictive (essential) clause because it specifies which scroll is being discussed, so it should not be set off by commas. The phrase 'a rare document' is a nonessential appositive that provides extra information about the scroll, so it must be enclosed in a pair of commas. The correct option properly leaves 'that detailed the calculations' without commas and uses two commas to set off 'a rare document'.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the role of each modifying clause or phrase in the sentence.
The clause 'that detailed the calculations' restricts the meaning of 'scroll' to a specific one, making it essential. The phrase 'a rare document' provides nonessential descriptive information about the scroll.
Understanding whether an element is essential or nonessential determines whether it requires punctuation.
2
Apply the appropriate punctuation rules to each element.
Essential clauses should not be separated by commas. Nonessential appositives must be enclosed by a pair of commas.
Enclosing nonessential information in commas allows the reader to understand that it can be removed without changing the core meaning of the sentence.
3
Compare the choices to select the one that correctly implements these rules.
The original sentence correctly leaves 'that detailed the calculations' unpunctuated and sets off 'a rare document' with a comma before and after it.
Only this punctuation pattern maintains the correct syntactic relationship between the elements and the main clause.

Key Concept

Distinguishing between essential (restrictive) and nonessential (parenthetical) elements to apply commas correctly.
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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