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Question

Difficulty: MediumColons

To survive in nutrient-poor bogs, the Venus flytrap relies on a highly specialized trapping mechanism consisting of; sensitive trigger hairs that detect movement, rapid leaf closure, and digestive enzymes.

Which of the following options correctly punctuates the underlined portion of the sentence?

  1. A
    NO CHANGE
  2. mechanism: sensitive trigger hairsAnswer
  3. C
    mechanism, consisting of: sensitive trigger hairs
  4. D
    mechanism; sensitive trigger hairs

Answer

The correct answer is the option that replaces the underlined text with a colon after the word 'mechanism' followed by the list of items.
The correct option replaces the underlined portion with a colon after the independent clause ending with 'mechanism'. This is correct because the preceding clause is independent and the colon properly introduces the subsequent list of three features.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause preceding the punctuation mark.
The clause 'To survive in nutrient-poor bogs, the Venus flytrap relies on a highly specialized trapping mechanism' is an independent clause because it contains a subject and a verb and can stand alone as a complete sentence.
A colon can only be placed after a clause that is complete and independent.
2
Analyze the grammatical structure of the elements following the punctuation.
The elements 'sensitive trigger hairs that detect movement, rapid leaf closure, and digestive enzymes' form a list of noun phrases rather than a complete sentence.
This determines that a colon is appropriate to introduce the list, whereas a semicolon is incorrect because the second part is not an independent clause.
3
Evaluate the placement of the colon in relation to prepositions or verbs.
Placing a colon directly after 'consisting of' is grammatically incorrect because it disrupts the flow between the prepositional participle and its object list.
A colon should never separate a verb or preposition from its direct objects or complements.

Key Concept

A colon must be preceded by a complete independent clause and can be used to introduce a list, explanation, or amplification.
Estimated Time:45s
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Colons

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