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Difficulty: EasyCommas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

The following passage is an excerpt from a biography of a famous scientist.

In 1962, biologist Rachel Carson published *Silent Spring*, a landmark book that warned of the dangers of chemical pesticides. The book, which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies, eventually inspired a nationwide ban on DDT. Her eloquent writing style helped launch the modern environmental movement.

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

  1. NO CHANGEAnswer
  2. B
    book, which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies
  3. C
    book, that initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies,
  4. D
    book; which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies,

Answer

The correct option is the one that sets off the nonessential relative clause with a pair of commas, written as: 'book, which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies,'
The clause 'which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies' is nonessential (nonrestrictive) because the book has already been specifically identified as Rachel Carson's *Silent Spring*. Nonessential elements must be set off from the rest of the sentence with a pair of commas. The phrase 'book, which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies,' correctly places a comma before and after the nonessential clause.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the clause following the word 'book' as essential (restrictive) or nonessential (nonrestrictive).
The clause 'which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies' is nonessential because the specific book (*Silent Spring*) has already been named, so the clause merely adds extra information rather than identifying the book.
Determining whether a clause is essential or nonessential dictates the punctuation rules that must be applied.
2
Apply the correct punctuation rule for nonessential clauses.
Nonessential clauses must be set off from the rest of the sentence by a pair of commas (one before 'which' and one at the end of the clause after 'companies').
A parenthetical or nonessential element must be fully set off with matching punctuation on both sides to maintain sentence structure.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the one that correctly applies a pair of commas without introducing other punctuation errors.
The original phrasing 'book, which initially faced fierce opposition from chemical companies,' correctly uses a comma pair. Other options either omit the second comma, use a semicolon inappropriately, or incorrectly place commas around a 'that' clause.
This confirms that the original sentence requires no changes.

Key Concept

Nonessential elements (appositives, parenthetical adverbs, and nonrestrictive relative clauses) must be set off from the rest of the sentence by commas on both sides.
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Topics

Commas with Nonessential and Parenthetical Elements

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